The Football Association [The FA] and the Women’s Professional Game have confirmed that Reading FC Women have withdrawn from the Barclays Women’s Championship for the 2024/25 season and have applied to re-enter the Women’s Football Pyramid at Tier 5.
These decisions were communicated by Reading FC Women to The FA and the Women’s Professional Game, with the club confirming that they would not be able to meet the ongoing compliance requirements needed to continue to operate in the Barclays Women’s Championship next season.
The FA and the Women’s Professional Game have been working closely with Reading FC Women all season to support the club and give them every opportunity to continue to compete in the Barclays Women’s Championship next season.
However, following the club’s decision to withdraw from the Barclays Women’s Championship, the Women’s Football Board has subsequently accepted the club’s application to re-enter the Women’s Football Pyramid, and they will do so in the Southern Region Football League Premier Division [Tier 5] from the start of the 2024/25 season. This decision has been made by the Women’s Football Board in order to protect the integrity of the Women’s Football Pyramid and the welfare of the players and staff members at the club.
The FA and the Women’s Professional Game will continue to work with Reading FC Women during this transition period and will now focus on providing support to players and staff at the club to ensure that they can continue to play and work in the women’s game. This includes supporting players and staff at Reading’s Girls Professional Game Academy [PGA], who will also be impacted by the club’s decision.
Dawn Airey, Chair of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship Board, said: “We are very disappointed that Reading FC Women have decided to withdraw from the Barclays Women’s Championship. We have been working closely with the club throughout the season and have made every effort to find a solution and to prevent this outcome. We are deeply saddened by the impact this will have on the Reading FC Women players, staff and fans, as they have all played a key role in women’s football and within their wider community. It was also very important to us to find a way to ensure that Reading FC Women could continue to participate in the Women’s Football Pyramid next season. Our priority now is to focus on supporting the current players and staff members at the club, including the Professional Game Academy, to ensure that they have every opportunity to continue to participate in the women’s game.”
Following Reading FC Women’s decision to withdraw from the Barclays Women’s Championship, the league will operate with 11 clubs for the 2024/25 season, and will only have one relegation place. The intention is for the Barclays Women’s Championship to return to 12 clubs and two relegation places from the start of the 2025/26 season.