Birmingham City women’s midfielder, Constance Scofield, claims their plight highlights the inequality in the women’s game.
The women’s squad issued a letter to their board highlighting their complaints, with the issues including, their squad size being too small resulting in games being postponed and the budget being too small which doesn’t allow for overnight stays for away games. The club reiterated in a statement that: “… we are keen to emphasise that the club remains committed to providing support for our women’s team.”
The 21-year-old midfielder admitted that the recent financial trouble the club have found themselves in has made it hard for Birmingham City women to compete with some of the powerhouses in the league.
The England U21 midfielder said: “It’s hard having such a small budget and having to compete against the likes of Man City, Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal who are fully supported by their male counterparts.
“It’s hard to keep our players each season because other clubs are able to offer more financially.
“Not having a big enough budget to stay overnight also affects our match day preparation for long away journeys.”
The Blues find themselves only two points above the bottom of the league in 10th place with the lack of funding playing a crucial part in their underwhelming season so far.
In a statement issued by the club, they said: “It is no secret we have one of the lowest budgets in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and whilst the club has supported the Women’s set-up with a large investment over recent years, this is incomparable to some of the budgets that exist in the league today.”
Influential figures in the women’s game like Fran Kirby and Alex Scott have shown their unified support for the Birmingham City women in public posts.
Scofield added: “I think the support from influential figures like Alex Scott and Fran Kirby is huge because they are so big in the women’s game and their support for us really highlights to others the inequality present within WSL1.”