Thornbury FC receive 'backlash' over decision made by different club
Thornaby in Teesside have decided to axe their entire female section
Last updated 11th Jun 2024
Bosses at Thornbury Town FC in South Gloucestershire say they're receiving a 'lot of backlash' from a decision made a completely different club.
The other squad, called Thornaby which is in Teesside, have decided to axe their entire female section.
Thornbury on the other hand say their womens and girls teams 'are still running and firmly part of their set up'.
In a statement, Thornbury Town said: "We are receiving a lot of backlash from a decision made at a different club.
"Our women’s and girls teams are still running and firmly part of our set up. We are proudly growing the women’s game in our area."
This all comes as Lioness Beth Mead is leading the backlash against the Teesside football club - who have voted in favour of axing it's female section.
Read more: Teesside club officials axe female section leaving women and girls without football team
The main committee of Thornaby FC on Teesside made the controversial decision, blaming low staffing levels.
Mead - who used to play at Middlesbrough's Centre for Excellence - said it's 'disgusting' to see decisions like this.
Arsenal striker Mead, who played at Middlesbrough's Centre of Excellence growing up, said on social media: "Disgusted to see this decision, the women's game is on the up but we still have committees making these horrible decisions.
"It's not good enough, these young girls deserve better."
The winner of 11 Paralympic golds, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson called the move "so sad", while Spurs and Lionesses player Bethany England added: "This should not be happening."
Many other local, grassroot football clubs have offered their facilities since the announcement - including as South Park Rangers Juniors FC in Middlesbrough.
Six members of the committee who originally voted to axe the side's female section have now stood down.
The Football Association said it was "very disappointed" and said its local branch, the North Riding County FA, was in contact with the club.
Read more: Teesside mum says Thornaby FC girls are devastated as team is axed
Thornaby Women manager Abbey Lyle, who led the senior team to a third-placed finish in their first season, said her players were "absolutely floored".
Lyle added: "We narrowly missed promotion and that's in our first season. It's nothing to do with our positioning, it's more to do with gender because there's no other reason for it.
"We're all friends at the women. A lot of them do it for mental health, we've got firewomen, paramedics, policewomen, they do it to get away from life.
"They come and see their friends, have a laugh, play sport. It's affected everyone differently and we've had to approach it differently to every age group I suppose."
Club chairman Garry Morris did not back the committee's decision and, according to reports, he and another official will remain at the club.
The FA said it was "very disappointed" by the decision that had been taken and a spokesperson for the national governing body said: "In recent years, we have seen unprecedented growth across the women's and girls' game in this country, and we are fully committed to ensuring all women and girls can access and play the game - whether that be in schools or in their local community.
"We are currently supporting North Riding County FA who are in contact with the club to see if a suitable resolution can be agreed."
None of the club's committee members were available for comment. As of Monday evening, Thornaby FC's official X account appeared to have been deleted.