It is with great sadness that we share that Buckland Athletic have “regretfully withdrawn” their women’s team from the FA Women’s National League Division One South West.
The club currently sits second from bottom having only played five league games so far this season. The rest of the league have played between seven and ten games so far.
The club went on to release a statement, “Since the beginning of the current season, the team have seen a change in Coach, Manager and lost a high volume of the existing squad to local professional teams who have been actively recruiting large squads.
“The Manager has tried to recruit new players but this has been very challenging when considering the level that the team plays at and the travelling distances for away fixtures.”
It is pleasing to hear that the team will return in September, albeit in a lower local league.
The club’s last match was an FA Women’s National League Plate away fixture against Bedworth United. The result was an 8-1 loss but huge credit needs to go to the nine players of Buckland that day.
To keep to score down to that was a huge achievement and if the club can retain the Buckland Nine, as they’re now known, then hopefully we can see them make their way back up the football pyramid soon.
Photo: @BAWomenFC