Southampton Football Club Doubles Commitment to Women's and Girls' Football

 

St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
England versus Wales

Owners Sport Republic confirm long-term support for female football at Saints

by Andrew D Pope

Fans of the Southampton Football Club Women’s Team will be relieved to hear that Sport Republic, the owners of Saints (“The Club”), have re-affirmed their commitment to the girls’ and women’s programme at Saints.

A source close to The Club, who asked not to be named, told me:

“the club is investing over £2m into the programme annually.”

This reassurance and the doubling of funding from 2019 follows fans’ concerns over the men’s team struggling at the bottom of the Premier League, that there might be “a little bit of history repeating”, as Dame Shirley Bassey once sang.

Under previous owners in 2005, when the men’s team struggled, the women’s team was dropped and redundancies followed, including the sacking of Southampton women’s football legend Sue Lopez. Lopez was head of women’s football at Saints at the time.

Fans of the new Saints women’s team, which was started in 2017, did not seem to know of Sport Republic’s ongoing commitment and were fearful of the future, despite promising signs and progress up the leagues since the team rose, phoenix-like and twelve years on from the ashes of the scrapped 2005 team.

So as a fan myself and upon learning this, I did some research and found that unlike other football clubs in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League (WSL) and Barclay’s Womens’ Championship, the finances of the Saints womens’ programme were not transparent, at least according to the records at Companies House.

Records at Companies House submitted by the owners of The Club showed that while there was a separate company for girls’ and women’s football, it was a dormant company. Therefore it was not possible to see the finances of Saints women’s programme separate to the men’s team and the parent companies of The Club.

In other words, female football was completely financially dependent on male football.

The approach of Saints to their football company structures was in contrast to other football clubs in the WSL or Championship, who had already submitted separate accounts and returns for their women’s teams, with those returns being for separate companies for womens’ football. More information about female football can be gleaned from those clubs’ returns, but not for Saints.

There was a lack of transparency for Saints because the finances for the women’s team were not shown separately from the records at Companies House. Instead, they were bundled under the parent company or group of companies. Opacity instead of transparency.

The Club’s accounts at Companies House stated an intention to transfer the girls’ and women’s programme to the dormant company, at some unspecified future time.

That time has now come, my investigations have now discovered and as confirmed directly to me by The Club.

To get a reassurance for fans under this veil of opacity, I approached The Club for comment, to see if they could help. They were helpful.

A spokesperson for The Club, who asked not to be named but who agreed to be quoted, told me:

"Thanks for your message and interest in the women’s teams.

We have indeed transferred the women’s and girls’ programme to a separate legal entity as required by the FA, with this season (22/23) being the first season in that structure. 

Up to season 21/22 the revenues and costs were included in the Southampton Football Club Ltd results.  I’m afraid I’m not able to provide any detailed financial information on the women’s and girls’ programme other than to say the club is investing over £2m into the programme annually.

You are correct that the women’s first team was only recently restarted but the closure of the team pre-dates my time here I’m afraid and I don’t believe there is anyone at the club now who was involved with the women’s team at that time."

The Saints women’s team is relatively new. It was formed in 2017 and won Division 1 of the Hampshire County women’s league in its first season. In 2019, it was reported that The Club would invest £1 million annually to reach the WSL, according to Managing Director Toby Steele.

So not only has Sport Republic’s commitment remained. Spending has also now doubled from that time, I have confirmed directly with The Club.

Saints have risen dramatically since being formed in 2017. They are now in the second tier of women’s football, in the Women’s Championship.

In addition to the doubling of funding, Saints Women now play their matches at St. Mary’s Stadium in Northam, Southampton. St. Mary’s is the home of the men’s team too. In the 2021/22 season, the women played at AFC Totton’s ground on Salisbury Road in Totton, just over the River Test from the West of the City of Southampton.

During the 2022/23 season, attendances at St. Mary’s have boomed. Interest in women’s football has increased massively since the England team’s success at the Women’s European Championships. The Coach of Saints Women, Marianne Spacey-Cale, commented positively on “the boost” shortly after the win in July 2022.

Southampton FC are capitalising on the boom. I attended my first Saints Women’s match at St. Mary’s Stadium in 2022 and I am one of many new season ticket holders.

Thousands of other fans now enjoy the home matches and crowds are continuing to increase and to get louder at St. Mary’s.

New songs are being invented for the women’s team to add to the traditional “When the Saints go marching in!”, which is played by the Saints Brass band and sung at every match.

Some of the new songs are being invented by a dedicated supporters group that has grown substantially during the 2022 season.

Jude from the Southampton FC Women’s supporters group, which is affiliated to the Football Supporters Association (FSA), asked the owners at the recent Saints Fans Forum about their commitment to the women’s team.

And in their response to Jude’s passion for the women’s team and their success, the owners represented by Martin Semmens and Toby Steele, confirmed their commitment once again to the girls and women’s programme.

This commitment to the women’s team comes regardless of what happens with the men’s team.

So things are looking very bright for Saints Women, with them in third position in the Championship and firm commitments from Sport Republic to the future of the women’s teams and the future of the girls’ programme. And the supporters are being rewarded for their commitment to the women’s team with an increased media profile for female football, a voice for fans, matches at the same stadium as the men and trials of coaches to away matches.

It seems that there will not be a little bit of history repeating under the ownership of Sport Republic, at least when it comes to female football.

*Article reproduced with permission from Andrew D Pope's exclusive article on his Substack Blog. 

Women’s Football versus Men’s Football - What Did Saints Fans Say?

England versus Wales
at St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton
Photo: Andrew Pope

by Andrew Pope, 28/12/22

Do you agree that the five issues below are the most important for Saints Women’s fans now, when compared with men's football?

Or do you think there are other issues that are more important? 

If so, what are they and why do you think they are more important?

You can comment below - comments are moderated - or you can get in contact at sotonindies@gmail.com or on the Facebook page at Southampton Independents (@SotonIndies).

Southampton Women’s Football Team plays in the second tier of English womens’ football, called the Barclays Womens’ Championship. This article discusses the most commonly-raised issues from fans from the Southampton FC Women’s Supporters Group. The Group is not affiliated with Southampton Football Club (“Saints”), but is registered with the Football Supporters Association (FSA) as a supporters club.

In November 2022, I asked these fans, via their moderated Facebook group the following question: 

“The women's game is developing. What do you want to see brought over from the men's game and what do you not want to see brought over?”

There were 33 comments from the 22 fans who responded*. Whilst this gathering of data is not scientific or academic, it is purely qualitative and time-specific. It does not reach the magic 100 for surveys of public views and is not necessarily representative of the views of all fans of the Saints Women’s team.

However, the issues that emerged were as follows. It is, at the least, a starting point in airing the views of fans of the women’s team versus the men’s team and the fan culture from men’s football that fans would and would not like to see brought over to women’s football.

The most common issues raised by fans during the discussion were:
    • professional referees were needed in the Barclay’s Womens’ Championship because the perceived standard during the first few months of the season was too low
    • play-acting, cheating or diving should not be brought into women’s football
    • criticism of the food and drink at St. Mary’s Stadium
    • the desire for a family-friendly atmosphere with more singing and chanting but not violence, drunken behaviour, swearing or other “agro” as in the men’s game
    • player pay was mentioned by some fans. There was not agreement between about whether women should be paid the same as men, or how or whether that would be realistically achieved.

Other issues were raised, but none of these were raised by more than one fan.

Data was gathered in November 2022, analysis was done and this report was written by Andrew Pope, who is a former Independent Southampton City Councillor and NCTJ-trained journalist of Southampton Independents. Andrew is also a Saints Women’s football season-ticket holder. Andrew was also the lead campaigner for the successful Southampton Independents campaign for Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium (see photo below and other articles on this website).

Andrew Pope at the rail seats demo
during the Safe Standing campaign
for St. Mary's Stadium

UPDATED: Southampton City Council and Parliament to Debate Safe Standing

Southampton Independents
Leader of Southampton Independents Denise Wyatt
at St. Mary's Stadium

UPDATED (15th May): Parliament sets date to debate Safe Standing Following Fan Campaign. The Daily Echo has reported here. Our Councillor Andrew Pope is quoted in the Echo article.

Councillor Pope is to propose the below motion at the Full Council meeting of Southampton City Council tomorrow.

Sadly Denise Wyatt narrowly missed out on being elected to the Council. See the other article on this website for more on how Southampton Independents has made a Labour "safe" seat into a marginal seat.

---

Commenting on the latest news on Safe Standing, Councillor Andrew Pope says:

Councillor Andrew Pope has led the local campaign
for Safe Standing

"This is brilliant news. 

Thanks to all fans who have signed both petitions - our local one and the one for Parliament. We have shown the Tory Government that Safe Standing is not backed by a "vocal minority" as claimed by Tracey Crouch MP.

Now both Southampton City Council and Parliament will debate Safe Standing in the next couple of months. I expect all Southampton City councillors to back safe standing with action.

The debates locally and nationally are major milestones in the Southampton Independents campaign for Safe Standing at St. Mary's.

I am delighted."

---

Southampton Independents has been campaigning for trials of Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium since 2017. We are upping the pressure on the Government to change the law to allow safe standing in the Premier League and Championship.

The issue has been on the front page of the Southern Daily Echo twice since. Southampton Independents Councillor Andrew Pope appeared on the Sasha Twining programme on BBC Radio Solent, listened to supporters and answered questions on what Safe Standing is.

Southampton Independents started a local petition, which is here. Please sign it and share it to increase the pressure on the owners of Saints to come out publicly to support Safe Standing. Thanks to everyone who has signed it so far.

St. Mary's Stadium is all seater.
England and Saints fans should be able to stand

Councillor Andrew Pope started the Safe Standing campaign
in 2017

Councillor Andrew Pope says:

"The Tory Government is living in the dark ages. They need to change the law because Saints fans demand it. I am proposing a motion on Safe Standing to the May Full Council meeting later this month. I very much hope ALL Southampton City Councillors support the Southampton Independents campaign. Some of them have said they support it, but so far have done nothing to support our campaign."

Leader of Southampton Independents Denise Wyatt says:

Denise at St. Mary's Stadium with the seats
We would prefer to stand and shout louder!

"I want Saints fans to be able to stand safely at the match, using rail seats that have a rail in front and behind every row. 

Then we can all stand and shout louder! 

I like shouting, but not only at Labour and Tory councillors who are letting our City down!

I like shouting at St. Mary's Stadium.

Listen to Andrew and other Saints fans talk about this on the Total Saints Podcast here. 

We all like going to the match and letting off steam, don't we?"

If elected this Thursday 3rd May, Denise Wyatt will be seconding Councillor Pope's motion at the Full Council meeting later this month.

The motion, which may be amended, reads:

"This Council supports standing up for Southampton FC fans and standing up with Saints fans. But since the Taylor Report, and changes to safety regulations, fans are not allowed to stand up at the match. 

Yet Saints' fans passion means that they do stand at every match in the Itchen and Northam stands. They want to stand. They want to sing. They want to shout. Safe standing allows them to support the team with more passion and to do so safely.

This Council supports the national campaign for Safe Standing in the Premier League, and supports Safe Standing at St. Mary's Stadium. 

This Council agrees to write to the Board of Saints and to the Secretary of State to urge the Government and/or Parliament to change legislation to allow trials in the Premier League and then full installation of rail seats or other safe alternatives."

Please Vote Denise Wyatt Southampton Independents on 3rd May to make it happen!

WITHDRAWN: UPDATE on Bush Hill FC's 7 Foot Solid Metal Fence on Mansel Park

Southampton Independents
Councillor Andrew Pope

UPDATE (30th April 2018):
THE PLANNING APPLICATION HAS NOW BEEN WITHDRAWN BY BUSH HILL FC AND THEIR AGENT

---

Southampton Independents Councillor Andrew Pope says:

"I have received the following notice from Southampton City Council's planning department, which is making the decision over the Bush Hill FC fence etc on Mansel Park (planning reference 18/00394) submitted from the address of the Saints Pub.

---

'Dear Councillor,

I have informed the agent for the application that if it is not withdrawn then it will be refused. I have been waiting for instruction from the agent on how they intend to proceed before updating you.

As soon as I receive a response from the agent the application will be handled immediately, either with a withdrawal or with a decision issued.

I have visited the site, and we have not received any comments from the other Ward Councillors.

Regards,

<redacted>
Planning Assistant
Southampton City Council'
---

I have been "invited" by the Chair of the Redbridge Residents Association*, Eugene McManus, to a public meeting on Monday night to discuss this planning application.

Denise Wyatt, the Southampton Independents Redbridge Council Candidate, has not received a direct invitation. Mr McManus chose to go through me instead, for some reason. He has also referred to Denise as my "girlfriend". Denise is my partner in life. Denise must be respected, which she is in our area, because she is actually a public figure who works hard for our area, including providing advice and support over many years to Mr McManus as Chair of the Residents Association. Mr McManus' actions and his attitude towards her as a female Council Candidate are deplorable and unacceptable.

At this stage, as the planning application will either be refused or withdrawn, there is nothing to discuss.

I would like to thank Southampton City Council and the residents who objected, including those who asked for their name and address to be removed, because they felt intimidated.

Intimidation included:

• someone associated with the Saints Pub Mr Lee Elliott confronting me and a female colleague in the street on Facebook Live, giving a false name and asking questions based on false information and making unsubstantiated allegations designed to intimidate me into not objecting to the planning application
• Facebook abuse and messages, again with the source appearing to be Mr McManus
• intimidation of residents who objected, by posting their names and addresses across Twitter and Facebook. This led to residents asking for their names and addresses to be hidden by the Council.
• intimidation of Council candidates, by posting their names and addresses across Twitter and Facebook without properly obscuring the addresses

This is the ONLY planning application I have ever, in SEVEN YEARS of being a councillor, that these things have happened with. Anyone would think this was Tower Hamlets, not Southampton.

IT IS TOTALLY AND UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE.

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DEMOCRACY AND CIVILISED SOCIETY!

So why is Mr McManus continuing with the meeting?

His Agent should know about the decision by the Council?

Is he carrying on with the meeting to intimidate voters and candidates? I hope not.

But it is reasonable to conclude so, considering the atmosphere that has been created, and because of the fact that he has now displayed a banner against Denise Wyatt on the Saints Pub.

I have contacted the Returning Officer again, who has already been in touch with Mr McManus and Mr Extance regarding their conduct.

Perhaps another plan will come forward. Hopefully that plan will be discussed before being submitted to the Council.

I repeat my advice given to Mr McManus before, but which he chose to ignore.

If Mr McManus wishes to change the setup at Bush Hill FC on Council land, he should discuss it with me as a ward City Councillor and representative of the people, with local residents and the Council planning department first.

We are in this situation because Mr McManus chose not to do this, against my advice. Perhaps he knew that I and residents would object, because I told him this before.

Mr McManus via Facebook has also defamed and abused, and allowed others to defame and abuse, myself and Denise Wyatt, as well as ignored the legitimate concerns of local residents.

Other local sports clubs like Millbrook Rugby Club have listened to my advice and I enjoy constructive dialogue with them, and now have planning permission. Compromise and dialogue are essential components of building and maintaining trust.

But Mr McManus' actions have destroyed any constructive dialogue that I sought, over years, to build with him. He did not seek any compromise, preferring to try to railroad this ill-thought-through application through Council planning.

Perhaps dialogue can be rebuilt between myself and Bush Hill FC, but that will take considerable work. I am always approachable and ready to discuss.

Despite the appalling behaviour of Mr McManus, I wish the coaches and players of Bush Hill FC well for the rest of the season with the current ground, that I actively supported going in, and I hope that the current problems raised by residents with me, and with the Council and Police, can be resolved. This includes parking, damage to Council land, road safety problems and anti-social behaviour on match days.

I look forward to supporting Bush Hill FC and all other local sports clubs to continue to develop, and reaching compromise over competing interests with residents.

As a final note, looking at the final paragraph of the email from Planning, it is a matter of public record that the two other ward councillors, both Labour (Cathie McEwing and Lee Whitbread), have done absolutely nothing to support or object to this planning application. 

Neither have any of the other candidates in the Redbridge local elections.

Over years, Southampton Independents has stood up for our parks and for local residents. All the while, the Labour Council has sought to take away park land - at Green Park, at Mansel Park and at Redbridge Wharf Park.

We will continue to look after local residents, to protect our parks and green spaces, and we will try to work with all local sports clubs and residents in a constructive dialogue with trust."

Councillor Andrew Pope

Southampton Independents

Redbridge Ward

30th April 2018

VOTE
SOUTHAMPTON INDEPENDENTS

* For reasons unknown to me, although I have raised it with him before, Mr McManus uses the email of the Residents Association for Bush Hill FC business, or the Saints Pub address for the planning application. This would suggest a potential conflict of interest between the three interests. Perhaps he can explain how he manages this conflicts of interests, to the Residents Association that he chairs.

Football Needs Change

The Campaign for Reform in Football

With today's BBC headlines on the English Football Association (The FA), Independent Councillor Andrew Pope has made a statement on the website of the Campaign for Reform in Football, which he was involved in founding.

Employers Must Pay A Living Wage

In Hampshire and across England, we are campaigning with the English Futures Party for all employers to pay the minimum of the Real Living Wage - £8.25 per hour, to all staff over 18.

Independent Councillor Andrew Pope, also Leader of the English Futures Party says:

"The Real Living Wage is £8.25 per hour. It is much higher than the National Minimum Wage.

Paying the Real Living Wage to all over 18s removes confusion about the different grades of minimum wage for different ages. 

The Real Living Wage is also higher than sacked Tory Chancellor George Osborne's botched National Living Wage, which isn't a living wage at all but another confusing grade to the minimum wage.

If you are an adult and doing the job, you should be treated as an adult and paid as an adult, not as a child as some employers seem to want to."

The news comes as Councillor Pope was quoted in the national media (Daily Mail) and local media in Southampton (Daily Echo), as he has asked HMRC to investigate Southampton FC on the minimum wage. Andrew told the Daily Echo:

“I have been campaigning to improve staff pay in football for years, because the pay gap couldn't be bigger between players, agents and staff. 

Football clubs need to set an example to other employers in the area. Other employers have been "named and shamed" by HMRC as flouting the minimum wage, as reported by the Daily Echo. I have reported Southampton FC because I believe I have evidence to warrant an investigation by HMRC. 

With such large sums of money sloshing around at football clubs, it appears to be what Lord Alan Sugar has referred to as the ‘Prune Juice Effect’ with the money going straight through the clubs from TV deals and into the pockets of players and agents. 

This is wrong. 

They can prove they care about their staff by paying a decent wage, the Real Living Wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation, to all staff. This is only £8.25 per hour, a lot less than players like Charlie Austin get, for sure!”

Councillor Pope has also spoken with some of the local Hampshire companies who were "named and shamed" by HMRC for paying below the minimum wage. They told him that they were now compliant and had made an "honest mistake". HMRC listed almost 200 companies across the country.

Blackpool FC and Brighton and Hove Albion FC were exposed in HMRC's list, and we have reason to believe that other professional football clubs are flouting the minimum wage.

Join us to campaign for better pay, better job satisfaction and better job security.