Norwich City chief says he has 'zero interest' in the women's game

Stuart Webber made the comments during an interview with The Athletic

A football club chief has come under fire for describing the quality of the women's game as "really poor".

In an interview with The Athletic, Norwich City sporting director Stuart Webber said women's football was "of zero interest to me".

"It's like taking a Sunday League team and trying to make them a Premier League team," he told The Athletic's journalist Michael Bailey.

Norwich City Football Club has declined to comment.

Mr Webber began by praising Norwich City Women's 5-3 success last month against Ashford Town in front of 7,500 supporters at Carrow Road, saying it "brought a completely new fanbase to the stadium".

Stuart Webber said the quality of Norwich City Women last month was "really poor" despite their success

But he added: "Just because they've got our badge, you can't compare.

"That [Ashford Town] game, we can say it was exciting but if we want to talk about quality, it was really poor. That's not being unfair, it's just factually correct."

He said it was the first women's game he had attended "because it's not an interest to me. I don't mind admitting that".

"Women's football, I do not watch it," he added.

"It's of zero interest to me in terms of on the telly because I watch enough men's football and if I'm not watching that, I want to watch other sports. It's a choice."

Mr Webber described Flo Allen, the general manager of Norwich City Women, as "a real rising star".

Mr Bailey told the BBC that there was "no definition in [Webber's] role of just being the men's sporting director".

"I struggle with someone representing a football club to be quite so opinionated on what is effectively one of the teams he is responsible for," he said.

"Not everyone has to like women's football - or any sport - but I think there is a respect that the sport deserves generally in terms of what it is and who it can appeal to."

Sarah Greaves, of the Canaries Trust supporters' organisation, said: "We're all allowed to like and dislike different things in this world.

"What wasn't fair was the way he implied that the team just weren't any good. I felt for that team.

"They've worked incredibly hard this season; the improvement has been immense."

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She said a survey by Talking Women's Soccer had placed Norwich City Women the second most-improved team across the entire English national league this season.

"This team is going places - he didn't need to say anything," added Ms Greaves.

"We want young girls and women to participate in sport and go and see their local women's team and embrace it more.

"It is a different crowd. The women's game has always been more open and welcoming - and that makes for a great atmosphere."

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