Blackburn women to withdraw from WSL 2 in what is being touted as a sad day for women’s football in the UK.
Blackburn women forced to withdraw from WSL 2 on ‘sad day for women’s football’.
Due to the owners’ reluctance to supply the money necessary to satisfy the division’s new minimum licensing criteria, Blackburn Rovers have confirmed their resignation from the WSL 2 and will re-enter at least two tiers below.
The decision was announced to the players and staff on Tuesday afternoon. The players were left feeling apprehensive, irate, and as like they were in a state of limbo as they awaited a formal decision, as the club had been contemplating leaving the second division.
It is acknowledged that Sporting Chance and the Professional Footballers’ Association are collaborating with WSL Football, the WSL and WSL 2 regulatory body, to assist players and employees.
Rovers said the decision was made following a “comprehensive review of the evolving demands placed on second-tier clubs, which have become unsustainable under our current model” in a statement that was released on the team’s website.
Although every club joining the league will need to achieve the minimum requirements, the WSL 2 is still planned to have 12 clubs for the upcoming season. Because they safeguard the well-being of all players and uphold the integrity of the competition, they are seen as essential to the game’s continued professionalisation.
Nikki Doucet, the WSL Football chief executive, said: “This is a sad day for women’s football and our hearts go out to the players, staff and fans at Blackburn Rovers FC Women affected by this decision to withdraw from the Women’s Super League 2. We have been working with the club all season to prevent this outcome and we are disappointed it has come to this.”
Rovers, who were operating on what was believed to be a very low playing budget, finished second from the bottom in the women’s second division last season and are now five points ahead of danger.
WSL 2 clubs are expected to function as full-time, professional teams, and this summer, the minimal conditions to participate in the renamed division (it was called the Championship in 2024-25) are being raised in an effort to raise the bar for the players engaged.