2 days ago
Plymouth Argyle person said they “did not return lightly” their determination to importantly trim their women’s team’s fund and show nan squad via email that their contracts were not being renewed.
The Guardian reported connected Sunday evening that nan immense mostly of nan squad had received a letter, via email, which began abruptly with: “Hi all. Following our end-of-season reappraisal and readying for 2026-27, we wanted to fto you cognize that we won’t beryllium renewing contracts for nan players included successful this message.”
Plymouth, who compete successful nan 3rd tier of nan English women’s pyramid and narrowly missed retired connected promotion to Women’s Super League 2 successful May, said successful a connection connected Monday evening that they “recognise concerns regarding nan measurement this news was communicated, internally and externally, and will reappraisal this”, aft nan players issued a associated connection condemning nan email arsenic “cold, impersonal and lacking empathy”.
Commenting publically connected nan matter for nan first time, Plymouth said: “The shot nine has had to make immoderate very reliable decisions regarding nan Argyle Women’s team.
“We stay committed to women’s football, and we will activity connected and stock our visions for adjacent season, and beyond. After a lengthy, thorough review, we made nan determination that, from adjacent season, we would request to alteration our attack arsenic regards nan women’s squad setup. Last season, to get to a cup last and to a playoff game, was a superb achievement, but it came astatine a cost; a higher financial costs than we had antecedently thought.
“Had we achieved promotion to nan WSL2, pinch a awesome woody of cardinal backing to assistance us, we would person been capable to proceed our backing astatine akin levels.
“However, successful tier three, taking into relationship immoderate of nan projected administrative changes to nan governance of women’s shot successful this country, and successful ray of nan financial authorities of nan shot nine overall, we made nan difficult determination to not renew immoderate of nan players’ contracts for adjacent season. This was not taken lightly. It was done pinch a position to sustainability, and pinch nan club’s semipermanent interests successful mind.”
As good arsenic confirming they would stay successful nan Women’s National League South, nan club’s connection besides confirmed that nan logic nan erstwhile Chelsea and Manchester City goalkeeper Marie Hourihan resigned arsenic caput coach connected 28 May was she had learned of this planned alteration successful nan budget: “We informed caput coach Marie Hourihan of our decision, astatine which constituent she made nan determination to measurement down.”
Plymouth reached 4 May’s playoff decider for a spot successful WSL2 but mislaid 1-0 to Wolves, who were promoted.
