Women's football team will no longer pay to play

AFC Telford United has confirmed its women's first team will not have to pay to play next season.

The players, who compete in the West Midlands Regional League Division One North, the sixth tier of women's football, previously paid up to £200 each season, in order to cover the cost of training and match venues.

The club's Tom Lewis said the team had gained "significant prize money", about £10,000, following their performance in this year's FA Cup run where they reached the first round.

He added that their efforts had helped the women's set-up to become "sustainable" and enabled the fee to be removed.

Mr Lewis said the team's "biggest financial burden" was the cost of hiring Telford College where they play, and added that it had been "unavoidable" to raise the money through players fees in the past.

He said players had previously chosen to play for other clubs which didn't charge, and in recent years the club had encouraged the women to find sponsors to cover the fees.

"We're fighting in a pool where instantly if you say to them you have to pay, it becomes less attractive."

However, Mr Lewis added that in recent years FA Cup prize money had "almost trebled".

The removal of the charge had made the team "competitive" and "opened up the talent pool", he said.

"For a number of years we've been in the same league, we've been second and third fighting for promotion.

"Hopefully by opening up interest around the club and strengthening the squad with new players will go a long way into securing us that elusive promotion," he added.

Mr Lewis said the club "looked where possible" to bring footballers in through their youth development programme, however he hoped the new setup had made the team an "attractive proposition".

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