The Wolves women’s players have said they feel let down by a lack of ambition from their club after learning an application for promotion to the Women’s Championship was not submitted, despite the team battling Nottingham Forest for top spot all season.
Wolves finished second in the northern section of the third tier in English women’s football – the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division – on Sunday, three points behind Forest, who clinched promotion on the final day to go up to the second tier. Only one team could be promoted.
Wolves have met all the criteria to play second-tier football but it has emerged the club did not apply, and the players were informed of this during a team meeting on Sunday after full-time in their 6-0 home victory against Liverpool Feds, their final game of the season.
Wolves did not wish to comment on the matter when contacted on Monday by the Guardian with a series of questions.
Beth Merrick described the situation as “crazy”, before the midfielder said: “Imagine fighting for promotion all season, to find out our Championship bid was never submitted. As a group we are absolutely devastated to finish the season this way and believe it speaks volumes about the club’s ambitions for the women’s team. For our staff to have to deliver this news to us moments after is astonishing.
“Our players, staff and fans deserve so much better. The staff have put in hours of dedication, for a bid to never be submitted. It’s not about money, it’s about honesty and transparency.”
Any third-tier clubs interested in applying for a second-tier licence, to be ready for promotion subject to their final league position, initially had until 20 December 2024 to express their intent to apply, before the formal deadline to submit a second-tier application, which was on 21 February.
The list of criteria included a requirement to provide evidence a club could attract average home attendances of at least 600 spectators, while also requiring clubs to commit to appointing the following staff within one month of next season starting: a head of women’s football, marketing manager, head coach, assistant coach, physiotherapist or sports therapist, doctor, a strength and conditioning coach, a goalkeeping coach and several people in specific safeguarding and player-welfare roles, as well as a matchday safety manager.
It is also understood that the company running the Women’s Championship, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited, has proposed to raise the minimum contact hours per week for players up to 20 hours per week, although this proposal remains subject to receiving final shareholder approval.
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It is understood there was a shocked reaction in the dressing room on Sunday night among staff and players, many of whom are considering their futures at the club.
Abbi Jenner, the defender who is on a season-long loan at Wolves from the Women’s Championship side Birmingham City, wrote on X that the situation was “absolutely gutting”, accompanied by a broken heart emoji. The midfielder Lily Simkin wrote: “We feel let down … We took it to the last day to find out it would have all been for nothing anyway. We deserve better.”