Solihull Moors bosses respond to shocking accusations of ‘neglect’ made by women’s team

Solihull Moors bosses respond to shocking accusations of ‘neglect’ which have been made by their women’s team this week.

Players from Solihull Moors Women’s team, from the Midlands Division One of the Women’s National League, have publicly accused the club of neglect, lack of respect, and failure to provide basic necessities like proper fitting kits, equipment, and even a pitch for matches.

Alex Liddiard posted the statement, highlighting instances where they were forced to forfeit matches due to the club’s inability to secure a pitch.

Solihull Moors Women’s team also was asked to pay £2,600 for using the men’s pitch, which they also found shocking, while also noting a lack of visibility and integration within the club’s broader identity, including minimal social media exposure.

Now there’s been a response from Solihull Moors Foundation, Edward Parker, Chairman of the Solihull Moors Foundation…

It’s so sad that it’s come to this, but we deserve so much better and it’s time we started challenging those at the top to do better! #HerGameToo pic.twitter.com/2zTbC5qJ8c

— Alex Liddiard (@alexliddiard) September 20, 2024

Statement from the Solihull Moors Women players

It is with deep sadness and frustration that we release this public statement. Despite countless emails and meetings with the club, our voices have gone unheard; leaving us no choice but to address the situation publicly about the way our own football club has treated us.

We have endured conditions that no team, at any level, should be expected to tolerate – ill-fitting kits, a lack of basic equipment, no provision of transportation for games hours away, and most concerning, no guaranteed pitch to play midweek fixtures on.

A few weeks ago, we were forced to forfeit a cup game against West Bromwich Albion Women due to the club’s failure to secure a pitch. This not only resulted in a significant fine but also saw us removed from both the League Cup and the League Plate competitions.

Now, with two months’ notice of our upcoming league fixture against Worcester City Women, we find ourselves in the same position. Once again, the club have informed us that there is currently no pitch available. If we are forced to forfeit again, we face a potential points deduction and another fine -consequences beyond our control. Shockingly, our own club wanted to charge us £2600 to allow us access to the men’s pitch.

We cannot help but ask – would the men’s team ever be placed in this position?

In addition to the logistical issues, there is a lack of social media exposure and integration within the club. At neither Armco Arena nor Studley is there any indication to visitors that Solihull Moors has a women’s team. This lack of visibility further reinforces the feeling of being overlooked and undervalued.

As players, we dedicate ourselves to this club week after week. In return, we ask only for the basic necessities required to play football, especially to compete at tier 4. It’s time we speak out against the neglect, broken promises and the lack of respect we have faced from our own club. We deserve better.

We deserve respect, support, and the opportunity to play the game we love under fair conditions. We stand together – not just for ourselves, but for future generations of Solihull Moors women players, and the continued advancement of the women’s game.

Women’s football has made great strides, but our experiences show there is still much work to be done.

A statement on behalf of the Solihull Moors Foundation.

— Solihull Moors FC (@SolihullMoors) September 21, 2024

Statement from Solihull Moors Foundation Chairman, Edward Parker

Following a post on social media yesterday evening, it is appropriate to make a statement on behalf of the Solihull Moors Foundation.

First, it is important to clarify that Solihull Moors Women’s football is part of the Foundation, not the National League Football Club as stated in the post.

Second, as a charity, SMF is committed to supporting football in the community across all abilities and all ages and offers access to the game through many different programmes. We are very proud of the work we do with all of our girls and women’s teams, our Downs Syndrome team, our men’s Walking Football programme, those in Football and Education. We spend countless hours each week striving to provide the best possible environment for every single player, regardless of ability, regardless of gender, regardless of aspiration.

We are very proud of how we have developed football for girls and women, and we are committed to encouraging female participation from grassroots through to elite.

As an organisation which relies heavily on financial support from generous donors, our small number of staff work closely with our dedicated and inspirational coaching teams, who provide the opportunity for all of those within our programmes to play the game we love. Providing the perfect conditions is often hard due to limited resource, time and funding, but we continue to endeavour to achieve as much as we can and provide positive outcomes for all players

I am constantly astonished and humbled by the lengths that coaches and volunteers go to deliver the best possible outcomes for our players, often in challenging circumstances, and how often there is appreciation from players and parents for their efforts. That gratitude is the motivation for our dedicated team every single day.

However the allegations made on social media clearly do not align with the ethos of the Foundation and we take those issues seriously and will address them.

Clearly there have been challenges around securing pitches which I know Foundation staff, team management and coaches have been trying their best to resolve so it is disappointing that frustration has led to those involved feeling the need to publish this post when the leadership of the Foundation has been in open and honest dialogue about many of the points raised and actively seeking a solution.

We have subsequently been in direct contact with the players and invited them in to talk to us, and to senior management at the football club, this week to try and find genuine solutions.

We will continue to support the expectations of all of our female players and our commitment to girls and women’s football at all levels, whether participation or development remains as strong as ever – we are proud that over 150 female players play for the Foundation teams each week and our support for the senior women’s game will continue to be a big part of what we do.

This is how Twitter users reacted as Solihull Moors bosses respond to shocking accusations of ‘neglect’ made by the women’s team…

@pedalsingh: The strides made are not enough. Sometimes you have to open up! Well done on doing that. So many owners are relaxed thinking it’s ok. It really isn’t and I hope your words bring realisation to the minds who run football clubs all around the country. 🙏🏽

@wm_smfc: “We will continue to support the expectations of all of our female players”. You can’t continue something you have not done to start with…

@Max_Bcfc: Terrible statement. Just go and sort it out. Whether or not there a part of the foundation, they carry the Solihull Moors name. This statement is awful.

@spudmoops: Give us real actions that you are accountable for and will deliver. This is just a load of lip service. Also, in the name of honesty and integrity, no one has contacted the girls, so ‘we have subsequently been in direct contact with the players and invited them to talk’ is not true and purely for the purpose of PR and damage limitation.

@Rich_BCFC: Bit of a crap statement your boys Sunday league sides under the foundation are never without a pitch are they? I’d delete this one personally and rewrite it saying yeah we messed up, sorry we’ll strive to do better

@MikeypXCI: Having a pitch is the most basic requirement of any team (Mens, Womens, Kids, adults). If you could not guarantee that team a pitch for every game then you’ve failed them and probably should have folded and allow the players/coaches to join another club who could accommodate them

@B92CAB: Good to clarify the ownership structure but this statement is vague. Think it would be good to publish the outcome of conversations between the players and the club so everyone knows what is being committed to

@Kingwolf84: Just admit that you have messed up, will improve and are not charging them to use the pitch….

@CMAltree: Well, if it’s nothing to do with your club, then they shouldn’t play under the Solihull Moors badge?

@Staceylouisema3: “Proud to support the 150 women that play for the foundation ” so proud that you wanna charge them over 2 grand to use a pitch 🙄

@OwenArm94282975: Continue? You need to start first!!!!

@SigurdRushfeldt: not sure u needed quite the half dozen paragraphs going “we’re so brilliant and inclusive” but I guess it’ll bore some people away from finding the piss poor non-apology

@Layla3hart: Still not good enough if you cannot give your women’s team basic needs don’t have one, these women deserve better

@Andrew13_ncfc: Went to Studley for the game last season. Even as a fan of the opposition it felt like the game being played there was an inconvenience to everyone. I hope it improves for you all.

@CliveEades: @BirminghamFA @FAWNL @SkySportsWSL @BarclaysWSL @TheVanaramaNL – is the this the right way to treat female footballers? Shocking from @SolihullMoors

@Jess_Fass: We as a team are deeply sorry to hear this, Alex. There is no place for this in the modern women’s game. Everyone at WCWFC stands in solidarity with the Solihull Moors Women players, and we’re here to support you in any way we can. ⚽️🩵

@NobbysDog: Embracing the Women’s teams only serve to enrich a football club. Some do it well. Some others must do better.

@StattoGK: Fair play for speaking out 👏🏻 It isn’t easy… you know I’ve been there myself… but you have to stay true to yourself and say enough is enough 💪🏻

@teslauci: I bet they are happy to take advantage of the grants that are available for having a women’s team

@rootofallandy: Should be on the main pitch full time. Don’t give me the too much wear on the pitch argument; villa blues manage it at much higher levels. Certainly no excuse to at least give them priority on the 3g – bet the grants they had to build it were partly based on women playing there.