Slightly off topic but i have recently realised that there are a number of men that just do not value the womens game.

Whilst at a club AGM recently i heard the chairman say..."While I appreciate that most of you think there is no place for women in football...." i was so shocked and from that moment on swore to myself that i will, more than ever, do everything and anything possible in my power to get the ladies on the map as it were lol! x

I cannot even begin to express how angry I am at Charlton - wonder if they'll host another England Womens game at The Valley!
As I went to last match there I obviously got put on their mailing list and you wouldn't believe the amount of mail I still receive about becoming a season ticket holder and other such rubbish, they don't seem to realise I wasn't watching a Charlton mens match, maybe if they didn't all this rubbish out they could save abit of money that way.
What about the Tesco sponorship, can't that be used to give the womens teams more financial stability?
The FA has to step in and do something. Even at the very least the clubs should be given a seasons notice of funding being pulled, that would give them time to try to sort out other arrangements.
As for £250,000, are they sure? The Ladies even had to wear mens shirts in the FA Cup so the money wasn't going on kit!
If I ever win the Lottery...

I didn't realise how controversial the take over by Charlton of a hugely successful Croydon team was. Apparently they made promises about how they would develop the club which to be fair they had done, until now. On the BBC sports site there are very interesting articles about the take over in 1999 which suggest that this decision is just ' what goes around comes around'. A harsh judgement but different. Also there are a lot of messages from Charlton COE players which show how upset they are. I am not good at making links and not sure about promoting another message board but well worth a visit .

Door still ajar for threatened women's team

Charlton confirmed on Tuesday that the club had instigated the immediate closure of the women's set-up - but revealed a last-ditch rescue package was also being discussed with a potential sponsor.

Responding to vociferous criticism at the decision, which was reported in the media over the weekend, Addicks chief executive Peter Varney said relegation from the Premiership and consequent budget cuts had left the club with no other option.

But he also maintained there was still a chink of light for the future of the women's set-up, as discussions continued regarding a dramatic 11th-hour reprieve.

"We have started discussions with a potential sponsor, and that's the reason no formal announcement has been made until now,ā€¯ said Varney.

The planned closure encompasses the female first team which, having been founded in 2000, was a member of the women's Premier League National Division and lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 2005, plus the girl's academy and centre of excellence.

And following a series of reports in the media since Saturday, many fans have contacted the club to express their disappointment in the decision and desire to see it overturned.

Chief among supporters' complaints has been a lack of communication by the club but, as Varney explained, Charlton have been forced to follow a legally established process - while continuing to attempt to find a way of saving the female set-up.

"I know people have been frustrated that the club has not issued any kind of statement until now, but we are not always governed by what we want to do,ā€¯ he said.

"We have to follow a stepped, agreed consultation process, and having told staff about our plans our job is then to manage the consequences. If staff then choose to go directly to the media having been asked not to do so, there is very little we can do to manage the situation.

"One of the questions I keep getting asked is why the players weren't told the news first, but my primary responsibility is to the staff at threat of losing their jobs.

"Over the past month we have been consulting and trying to find a way to avoid the closure. If we had found a successful resolution, the women' set-up would have continued to operate, so there would be no need to involve the team or players.ā€¯

He added: "As a result of our relegation to the Football League we have had to implement a significant level of cuts across all areas of the football club.

"Against a background of reduced budgets and a dramatic decrease in TV income, I must stress this just does not affect the women's set-up, so there is no question of them being singled out.

"The process affects every department of the club. No section has been untouched. Staff have been made redundant in other areas, and others have had to agree to salary reductions, and that has to be managed as well.

"It has been a difficult time for all of us at the club but we now have a budget that reflects the significant loss of revenue through relegation.ā€¯

In 2006/07, when the Addicks finished third in the top flight and were runners-up to quadruple winners Arsenal in the FA Cup final, the budget for the women's set-up was Ā£306,000.

"After very careful consideration we decided we could no longer operate to that level,ā€¯ said Varney.

"No sponsorship or television revenues are received from the Football Association and none appear likely in the immediate future, and therefore the ability to attract sponsorship for the women's section is very limited as any potential sponsor has limited exposure.

"What a sponsor wants is exposure on television and, apart from the FA Cup final, women's football has no great exposure and can therefore create no brand awareness. This is a problem by no means unique to Charlton.

"In addition very few Charlton supporters watch the first-team matches in particular, and therefore gate revenues are minimal.ā€¯

Peter added: "We examined the potential for continuing to operate to a lower cost base, but the minimum the whole operation could be run on was Ā£100,000 and there was no certainty surrounding this figure.

"We also looked at absorbing aspects of the women's section into the Charlton Athletic Community Trust, but this proved impossible to achieve.ā€¯

On the subject of the club's community work, fans have complained that the decision damages the club's hard-earned fine reputation as an important part of its surrounding area.

But Peter said: "I understand this point but would argue that we still see tens of thousands of children on our community programme throughout the South East, both boys and girls.

"Because this is funded differently this community work remains untouched by these cuts, but when you have been relegated and you have such a drop in income, tough decisions have to be taken.

"Ultimately, the club's main priority now is to do everything within our power to enhance our opportunity to regain our Premiership status. Everything else has to be scrutinised to the last penny.ā€¯

Charlton plc vice chairman Robert Whitehand, who chaired the women's football section, said: "It is sad that we are to lose the women's section and I would like to thank all those who have worked so hard to build it up for their efforts in recent years, in particular women's and girls' football general manager Deb Browne, team manager Keith Boanas and of course the players.

"I would urge the FA to again look at the level of funding for the women's game in this country, or I envisage more clubs having to take the same drastic action as we have.ā€¯

Charlton were formed in 2000 when Croydon, who had won the league title and lifted the FA Cup the previous season, came under the umbrella of the Addicks.

Among the trophies won by the women's set-up were the Premier League Cup in 2004 and 2006, and the FA Cup in 2005, when an Eniola Aluko goal gave the Addicks a 1-0 victory over Everton at West Ham United's Upton Park.

One of the stars of the female football world, England international Aluko has recently been joined in the national team on a regular basis by Charlton skipper Casey Stoney and Josanne Fletcher ahead of the World Cup in China in September, with several other players representing their country at youth level.

The club will make a further statement on the women's set-up as the discussions with a potential sponsor and saviour continue.

http://www.charlton-athletic.co.uk/newsview.ink?nid=30951

Wonder who Josanne Fletcher is? They might at least get the names of their better players right.

I've seen her name spelt Josanne in a lot of other places

But isn't Josanne POTTER the Charlton player in the England squad - and Jo Fletcher the former Charlton and England keeper who left the club mid-season because of her army commitments?

hahaha Sorry, silly me! Didn't even look at her last name

Just looking on BBC Sport site and found this

By Danielle Murphy
Charlton and England midfielder

Four FA Cup finals in six years, three League Cup finals in six years, consistently challenging for the Premier League title every season.

Does this sound like the kind of team that you would want to just give up on and basically shaft? This is what Charlton Athletic has done.

Now most people are probably thinking that club has not been that successful.

You are wrong because they have, however it wasn't the men who were performing so well but the women's team.

Danielle Murphy
Murphy and Charlton missed out in the FA Cup final to Arsenal
Over the last six years it is clearly the women's team that has achieved the most glory and success, enhancing Charlton Athletic's reputation as a club that looks to the future and is open to changing attitudes within the football world.

This has come to an abrupt end. The men's team got relegated and now the only people to suffer are the girls.

The men underperform but still keep their massive pay checks, the women's side has all its financial support stopped.

The Charlton board continue to sit in their lovely Laura Ashley offices and drive in their fast cars - the little girls who dreamt of playing for Charlton and England are told the girls' section of the club is no longer going to exist.

How fair is that from this family-orientated club?

I am a first team player, I trained every week, five times a week. I have a full-time job on top of that and had to travel an-hour-and-a-half every time to get to training.

I gave up my weekends to travel the country to represent Charlton Athletic because I was proud to do it.

Girls would travel up to four hours to train for two hours twice a week because we wanted to be the best.

That to me is commitment. Not just taking the money, coming to train for a couple of hours and then show no heart when you eventually play your 90 minutes for £20,000 a week.

When Charlton Athletic took over and introduced a women's section in the club a lot of people were excited. Success breads interest and we were good.

The thing that they seem to overlook is that we still are but because we do not make them enough money we are more of a burden.

I am writing because I am hurt, and I feel I have been mistreated. After four years of total commitment I get a voicemail from the manager saying the girls' section is no more.


Maybe if the men's team played for the reasons we played for then we all would not be in this situation

Is that all I am worth? The Charlton board did not even have the decency to call a meeting, to face the players and look them in the eye and explain their reasons for this decision.

That to me is disrespectful and totally unacceptable. A large part of my life was devoted to this club and in return I have been treated like this.

One-and-a-half months ago I was playing in an FA Cup final in front of 25,000 people for Charlton Athletic. Promoting their club, wearing my heart on my sleeve for that club.

How things change. I will move on, I have my own life, a real job as a firefighter that I work at and I will probably eventually play for another club.

I feel sorry for those girls who are 10-14 years old playing at the centre of excellence, teenagers attending the girls academy, and reserve team players who had ambitions to break into the first team.

What happens to them? Where do they go from here?

All I know is that within one minute of a voicemail message from my manager my thoughts and beliefs of Charlton Athletic as the family team had changed.

They are just like the rest of these multi-million businesses. People's feelings, hearts and morals do not come into it - it is all about money.

Maybe if the men's team played for the reasons we played for then we all would not be in this situation.

Maybe if the Charlton executives had more faith in people rather than money Charlton Athletic could have been the club it pretends to be.

Too true!!

Well said Danielle

There needs to be more structure in the way thefa are handling the women's game. Any team can be dropped for any reason and that's the end of that! We have to rely so much on the men's team, I think it's too much and the teams should have more financial independance.

Olympic chance helping Bertelli to overcome the pain in her other life

Maria Bertelli has experienced many ups and downs in her double sporting life, but never has the contrast felt so extreme. Last Saturday, the 5ft 7in defender — who played for Charlton Athletic in the FA Women’s Cup final in front of a record 24,529 spectators eight weeks ago — was told that her club had been scrapped with immediate effect.

Now, though, she is in Switzerland, to play international volleyball for a newly formed Great Britain team, intent on qualifying for the London Olympics in 2012.

“They say that when one door closes another one opens and everything that’s going on in volleyball now is very exciting,” Bertelli said. “But I’m devastated about what has happened at Charlton. The men were relegated from the Premiership and they [the club] claim this is necessary cost cutting. But we were one of the top clubs in domestic football, regularly winning trophies. We narrowly missed out on qualifying for Europe last season. It’s a poor decision and one that’s been handled extremely badly.”

Bertelli says that 130 people will be affected by the closure that is set to shave £250,000 a year from the men’s budget — pocket money, given that the club’s “parachute” payments for being relegated to the Coca-Cola Championship is £22 million over two years.

“There was no warning. In fact, we’d been led to believe that our funding was safe,” Bertelli said. “But the coaching staff were called in for a meeting and told that it was a complete cut, including our academy. To call it upsetting is an understatement.”

It has, at least, saved Bertelli from making an agonising decision. The 29 year-old sport and leisure management consultant would probably have had to leave Charlton anyway because volleyball is about to become a full-time option for the nation’s leading players. A new programme, backed by UK Sport, will be based in Sheffield.

“If you want to be part of this then you have to do it properly,” Bertelli said. “That means I’ll probably be relocating from London to Sheffield and although there are good women’s football teams there, I don’t think I would have time to play. The volleyball coaches probably wouldn’t allow it, either.”

Dr Lorne Sawula, the former Switzerland, Australia and Canada coach, has been appointed as the Britain women’s head coach, overseeing an intensive programme that this summer alone will include four two-week camps in Sheffield and international fixtures in Russia.

“He [Sawula] has given everything a sharper edge,” Bertelli said. “He’s positive and dynamic and has placed a big emphasis on us being professional and competitive. We’ve been told that only our best will do.”

Bertelli, who plays for London Malory, the National League champions, has been a leading light since she made her England debut against Australia in 1996, and she is one of the few players in the set-up who have experienced professional volleyball. “I was paid to live and play in Belgium for a couple of years after I graduated from Loughborough University,” she said. “But the pull of home was too much, although the set-up here then meant we had to pay to play for our country.”

She has 70 England caps, but none for Britain. “Apparently, there was a British team many years ago, but not during my time as a player,” Bertelli said. “That changed last year when the announcement came through that volleyball was to be included in the 2012 Olympic funding. Suddenly, it’s a whole new world and the best part of it is the certainty. Everyone knows what’s happening and to have official international fixtures so soon into the programme is fantastic.”

Britain played unofficial matches against Scotland a few days before Bertelli appeared in the FA Women’s Cup final in May. “It meant I didn’t get too nervous about the football,” she said. “And both sets of coaches were brilliant. Straight after the volleyball match in Glasgow on the Saturday I flew back to London for the Cup final on Monday.”

That match, in which Charlton were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, is a precious memory.

“To think that was virtually our last game together,” she said. “Our England players will find other clubs, but it’s a sad thing for women’s football.”

At least Bertelli has little time to dwell — either on the past or on another sport — because of this weekend’s three internationals in Switzerland. “It will be a challenge because they are an established international side,” she said. “But it will show us where we’re at and how far we’ve got to go.”

There's just been a report on SSNews - summary of what happened plus short interviews with Casey Stoney, Eni Aluko and Hope Powell.

Apparently Charlton are still hoping for a last-ditch sponsorship deal, but I'm not sure how much is hope or expectation.

And you recorded that

Did I buggery record it - they were talking about Darren Bent then suddenly said that the women manage on a drop in the ocean compared with his fee, and did their little bit - whole thing was less than 2 minutes, but I'll set recorder in case it's on later - SSNews usually have anything regarding women's footie near the end of the hour.

Pfft they all need to be shot!

I now have full recording after latest showing.

Studio: "The fall-out continues from Charlton'e decision to drop their ladies' team. Former players are disappointed with the decision, while the England coach fears the image of the sport has been tarnished".

Reporter (Dharmeth Sheth) : "England women are preparing to take on the world in September, but thoughts are still on the demise on one of England's top teams. When Charlton men were relegated, financial cut-backs meant that Charlton's ladies were sacrificed, a decision made all the more frustrating for former players like Casey Stoney, who watched on while the club got big money for their prized asset."

Casey: "£15m they got for Daren Bent and also the parachute payment they get within the first year. Our budget is a drop in the ocean compared to that money, so, yes it's disappointing, but to us as individuals we've had to move on."

Reporter: "Charlton ladies reached the Cup final and reached 3rd in the league last season. England coach Hope Powell says recent events have damaged the image of the game in this country."

Hope: "When a club the stature of Charlton, they disband, it can't do the game any good, but from it we have to find some positives from it, and how we're going to rectify and make things better so it doesn't happen again in the future, so that's what we're going to do be looking at."

Reporter: "One of the options is to make the switch to a summer season, to attract more investors and avoid clashing with the men."

Eni Aluko: "Independent sponsorship would be a good start just so the dependency level is decreasing and independency is increased."

Reporter: " The positive for Eni Aluko and Stoney is they've already been snapped up by Chelsea, and Charlton say a last ditch rescue packagefrom a potential sponsor could yet save the ladies' team."

Any mistakes, typos etc are mine

Just read this. sorry for the delayed reaction, and I'm in shock to a degree. Charlton for me even more so than Everton, have always been the team that have looked to challenge Arsenal at the top even if they received a bit of a spanking from them last season.

Is this definetly confirmed?

SO what happens to their players? Are they just free agents now?

(Apologies if these questions have already been answered in this thread i haven't read it all as of yet.

I believe the ladies are now free agents as you called them,
simply because they were thrown away from the club and left on their own.

Two of their best players - Casey Stoney & Eniola Aluko
have already signed with Chelsea FC (bravo Chelsea for being quick
and taking the opportunity!), I'm sure a few others
will find clubs for themselves as well.

I don't know what happens to the reast of them and the staff.
I guess they are simply unemployed now.

Agent you mentioned staff.

What about Keith Boanas?! He did so much for that club! I wonder if he will carry on his career at another club

So he's in the same boat as the rest.

Some progress announced today on Charlton Ladies website. The Academy has been funded for 3 years through a variety of sponsors which is great BUT no support yet for the first team or whatever is left of it. They say they are still trying but that they are running out of time - the article ends with an appeal for any potential sponsors to phone the club! Doesn't sound hopeful for the Premier League team.

From fgmag.com

Despite months of uncertainty concerning their future existence and with many players now moved on to other clubs, it has been confirmed that Charlton will after all compete in the FA Tescon Women's Premier League this season.

Efforts to acquire the vital sponsorship for the team to continue, finally proved a success and the club has today confirmed that the Addicks' female set-up - incorporating the women's first team, Academy and the Centre of Excellence - are to reopen under the umbrella and management of the Charlton Community Trust.

Charlton have been given special dispensation, along with those clubs whose players are away with England at the World Cup in China, to delay their first league fixture until late September, and training will begin at the end of August.

Trust chief executive Steve Waggott, told cafc.co.uk: "This is the culmination of two months of hard work and negotiation by a number of people, both at the football club and within the trust.

"We concluded negotiations with the GMB union and Centre Circle Management Limited this week to provide the finance necessary to re-establish the women's first team. Our first home match will be at home to Everton on Sunday, September 23rd."

"While this is a tremendous boost to all those involved in the women's game at Charlton, there is an awful lot of hard work now to be done to enable us to field teams at all levels, and we will need the support of an awful lot of people.

"Training will commence next Tuesday, August 28th at 8pm at Sparrows Lane under the watchful eye of community coach and former player Paul Mortimer.


good news, apart from most of the squad have left.

Good news for those who've stayed
but Charlton will now go way down the table
and maybe to the lower league next season
while Chelsea & Everton will be Arsenal's main (only?) rivals.
What was that for?