She can play for Newport though, Newport City Ladies if she makes the grade..........rncfc wrote: February 9th, 2024, 11:03 amThanks for that, Joey.CathedralCounty wrote: February 9th, 2024, 10:42 amI don’t see it as a 'shame' 'County are not prioritizing this at all - we're a [men's] professional football club – there are plenty of women’s teams in the area to play for whether independent or attached to [other] men’s clubs.DT1892 wrote: February 8th, 2024, 8:39 pmWhat bandwagon? I doubt there are many eyes on the division that we'd have to enter into. I think that the only professional club in Wales not to have a women's side to commit to putting out a side would be a positive step forward, particularly for the women and girls who support the club anyway. I'm sure they'd love the chance to represent the County.CathedralCounty wrote: February 8th, 2024, 10:58 amThose women's teams are very much amateur and player funded they'd pay 'subs' to play - not to get into the whole debate around women's football but its not a good option for 'County at this moment - there are more than enough pathways for aspiring women and girls we'd be adding nothing to the landscape and it'd look disingenuous bandwagon jumping.DT1892 wrote: February 7th, 2024, 7:23 pmDepends on where they're playing. We'd likely be in the Welsh system, with the second-tier hosting teams like Caldicot Town and Cwmbran Celtic, who aren't semi-professional. If they can maintain their own women's side, then surely we'd be able to do the same?Taunton Iron Cider wrote: February 7th, 2024, 11:48 amI can tell you from Yeovil’s experience that running a semi professional woman’s team is an absolute money pitrncfc wrote: February 7th, 2024, 9:41 am I wonder what funding is available within the women's game at the minute? With all the cash flying around from somewhere, there would surely be a way to tick a few boxes here:
1) Form a ladies team.
2) Direct any subsidies towards RP Ltd.
3) Use this to reduce our own rent.
4) Be seen to be doing the right things in the process.
Regardless, I can't imagine that it's among the top priorities for the club at the moment, which is a shame.
We'd only be doing it because everyone else is and we risk looking like we’re on the 'wrong side of history' or bad PR if we don’t have a women’s team, we’d add nothing to the women’s football landscape or pathway as there are already plenty of far better routes for talented players and we wouldn’t have any success on the pitch either as we wouldn’t be able to commit funds to it - a waste of everyone’s time and patronizing and insulting to the women and girls who play the game.
As a father to a 7-year old daughter who tells me she "wants to play for Newport, like her brother does" I can assure you there are more reasons to do it, than not. It's about including everyone, you'd enhance the fan base and the reputation of the club in the process. If it costs us ten grand a year (for example) what's the harm?
She can also play for the Newport County age group teams, which clearly contain girls, as they have mini matches at RP at half time. That's hundreds of kids wearing the Newport County shirt with pride every week. It's not only hugely successful, but the likely hood of that pride in the shirt, outshining the pride of wearing a Man Utd, shirt, because YOU actually played for Newport County, is everything.
County had numerous players against MU who were boyhood fans of MU. How many players did we put out on the pitch that were boyhood fans of Newport County?
Let's celebrate what we as a club are good at, not chuck time, money, and resources at something someone else is good at.
The trust has to find a way of trusting HJ, not trying to drive from the backseat. He has all the figures, all the knowledge, all the experience. That's the god given gift we have been provided with as a club. Let's use that to our advantage not pretend the trust should be replicating things that other people are providing.