Followers of Manchester United women remain disappointed by a lack of engagement from the Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe.
Fan disillusionment had threatened to boil over into more than just social media grumbling due to poor results. However, results against Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal had seemingly assuaged that threat. It remains to be seen what the fallout of Sunday’s home loss to Brighton will look like.
Fans have now turned their attention to the women’s team. Many show their frustration with the United part owner’s apparent lack of interest therein.
Ratcliffe’s Comments: Is women’s football a priority at manchester united?
Back in December, Ratcliffe spoke to the fanzine United We Stand about how much time and effort club executives were spending on United’s women’s side. He drew a lot of criticism for remarking that there was “only so much” he could do. He drew further ire for describing the men’s team as “the main issue”. Ratcliffe referred to the women’s team “girls” and “an opportunity” in the same conversation.
Ratcliffe’s comments are particularly worrisome for women’s advocates in the wake of Dan Ashworth’s departure from the club. Ashworth was an ally of the women’s team. He previously prioritised growing women’s football when working at the FA and Newcastle United.
His departure from the Red Devils, just five months after joining from the North-East has raised eyebrows in more ways than one.
The club’s pursuit of Ashworth now looks extraordinarily expensive and wasteful at a time the club has not been willing to spend money on the women’s team. Not only did Ratcliffe initially pay Newcastle £3m in compensation to release him from his contract. They have also paid him a senior executive salary for five months (which reportedly runs into the millions) plus whatever compensation is due to him following his departure.
united women had to make way for the men
These numbers shine a poor light on the lack of investment in the women’s team. Higher women earners such as Mary Earps left the club and the squad were replenished with much cheaper options. The highest paid WSL player is currently Sam Kerr, who earns around £400,000 per year. This means Dan Ashworth’s five-month tenure has cost club more than 10 times what it would have cost to have the world’s best women’s player at the club for an entire season.
The men’s team has continued to underperform on the pitch. Despite this, the men will also benefit from a £50m redevelopment of its Carrington training facility. As a consequence, they have been using in the women’s training facilities on an interim basis. The women’s team, meanwhile, are training in temporary units.
Barney, a Manchester United fan of 35 years, said that Ratcliffe’s apparent disdain was all the more frustrating given how easy it would have been to use more respectful language.
jim Ratcliffe: Lack of respect?
“It’s not difficult just to have a little bit of respect and use the right words, especially if you’re in his position at the club,” he said. Barney accuses Ratcliffe of making the women’s team sound like a charitable endeavour, rather than a serious sporting pursuit.
“On one level it might be the case that the men’s team is the main issue, but you don’t need to say it. You don’t really need to compare, they’re two different things. It [the women’s game] has its own place and importance, and the women’s game is growing.”
Jane, an Old Trafford regular, showed pure disappointment.
“It’s not great,” she said of Ratcliffe’s choice of words. This also included referring to Manchester United’s women’s team as a “love and affinity” of the club, rather than a serious endeavour.
She added: “One day this will all get better.”
Manchester United women, currently fourth in the WSL, will hope that it will all get better sooner rather than later. If the men’s team can string together some form, perhaps they will receive the time and attention they deserve. Right now, their investment and revenue are a disappointment for fans.
