Much has been made of the turmoil at Manchester United this calendar year, which has culminated in the departure of Casey Stoney as manager, much to the upset of United fans. In a surprisingly refreshing move, Football Director John Murtough spoke with the Manchester United Women fan group, The Barmy Army.
The club said, “The pandemic created challenges over the last year across football and across the club in terms of mandatory protocols around training and games. A combination of these factors, together with the impact of adverse winter weather conditions on the pitches, affected the usual training locations and schedules for the Women’s team at Leigh Sports Village.”
Going forward, the club has promised to introduce a package of improvements for the women’s team facilities at the Aon Training Complex, starting this summer. With the long-term intention is for a fully integrated approach to the training ground with the Women’s team, Men’s team and Academy at one site.
While the club argues that there is clear evidence of progression since their formation in 2018 the fans have higher expectations and believe United should be leading the way in supporting the women’s game and giving it the same respect afforded to the men’s side.
While the vice chair of the supporter’s group, Deborah Henry, said, “Sharing the concerns of our members with the club was important to us and we hope to continue this dialogue.”
United added, “The club is actively involved in recruitment for a new Women’s team manager following Casey’s departure and looks forward to next season with optimism.”
Photo: @ManUtdWomen
