Dinosaur of the decade award goes to Thornaby Football Club whose committee has voted by six to two to close its women’s and girls’ football teams.
In addition to the adult side, the club has five girls’ teams ranging in age from under 7 to under 15. In all, some 100 players are affected.
The team found out about the move only after the meeting, and so were denied the chance to put their case to the board.
On 9 June, Thornaby Women’s FC posted on Twitter/X:
“Yesterday we found out that a majority on the Thornaby FC committee led by Trevor Wing, voted to remove the entire female section from the club.”
Among the many shocked responses was the post:
“Not heard of CEDAW then,” with a screenshot defining the UN’s Convention On the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which was adopted in 1979.
Another response simply posted: “Terrible optics.”
And indeed, it is bad PR – not only for Thornaby but for the entire region. The move is a far cry from the Middlesbrough Women’s Football Club tour of North Korea in 2010, part of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s sports diplomacy initiative.
The Twitter/X reactions supporting the Thornaby players came from around the country. Beth Mead MBE, forward in the England squad, posted that she is “disgusted to see this decision” and she offered to send the women a signed England shirt “to keep them inspired.”
Thornaby FC statement
The managing committee of Thornaby FC issued the following statement:
“The committee held an emergency meeting with all concerned and discussed the whole future of the club including the events over the last 12 months and after discussions it was felt the only way to continue was without the women and running with only the men’s as before they came to the club also with the staffing [sic] levels very low the day-to-day running of the club is in doubt.”
But committee chair Gerry Morris resisted the return to the Dark Ages and has refused to allow the vote to be put into action. He issued a statement:
“In light of the recent actions taken by the board of Thornaby FC of which I am chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to clarify my thoughts at an extremely difficult time for the club and more importantly the female players affected [sic] by those actions. The decision to withdraw support for the women’s team is one that I do not agree with and along with another member of the committee, voted against it at yesterday’s emergency meeting.
“I have made my feelings known to the board, have asked them to reconsider their decision and also to consider their positions on the board as patrons and trustees of the football club.”
No doubt talk on social media of losing supporters and sponsors will have strengthened his hand.
On Monday, BBC Tees reported that the six board members who had voted to close the women’s team have now resigned from the committee. Only Phil Genery and Garry Morris remain. They plan to recruit a more diverse board including representatives from the women’s team.
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