New owners' women's team plans 'should be known'

Reading Women's team will compete against Ascot United Women and Woodley Town Ladies next season

The intentions of potential owners of Reading Football Club must be clear after its women’s team was demoted to the fifth tier, a supporters’ group said.

The club, which owner Dai Yongge has put up for sale, has faced severe financial problems over recent years.

It said without a "cash injection", it could not meet the criteria to compete in the Championship, the second tier it was part of last season.

Sarah Turner, the chair of the The Supporters Trust at Reading (STAR), said the whole community and club must be “protected”.

Last week Charlie Estcourt said players knew little of what was planned for the women's team

Reading Women will compete at the same level as Ascot United Women and Woodley Town Ladies in the Southern Region Women's Football League after withdrawing from the Championship.

It finished 10th in the 12-team league last season and was relegated from the top-tier Women's Super League in 2023.

Mrs Turner said the demotion was “really sad” and “sends a really bad message to all young girls in the community and town that we don’t have a football club at [Championship level].”

“We are a big team. We were in the Women’s Super League only a few years ago and it’s a heartbreaking demise and it’s all because of the lack of funding. It’s very sad and a lack of foresight.

“What we really want is communication from the football club and from the FA,” she added.

Fran Kirby, who has just left Chelsea, previously represented Reading

“We understand that our owner is either unable or unwilling to fund the club any more and new people are coming through so what is the line for the prospective owners? Are they not interested in supporting the women’s team? That worries me on a number of levels.

“Women are part of our community and we need to protect the whole community and the whole game.”

Established internationals, including England’s Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, previously represented Reading.

Charlie Estcourt, who represents Wales, told the BBC last week that current players knew “as much as the general public” about what was happening with the women’s team during the “concerning and heartbreaking time”.

“The least the club can do for us as a women’s team is communicate properly with us,” she said.

In a previous statement Reading said: "The club understand the demotion to Tier 5 will come as a huge disappointment for all connected with the club.

"Unfortunately, given the current economic realities of the Club, the outlay required to reach these levels are just not possible without significant owner funding."

Sell Before We Dai, a Reading supporters' group, launched a protest against the club's owners last week ahead of the decision.

Mary Earps, who has just left Manchester United, also played for Reading Women