Reading FC co-owner Rob Couhig has suggested there could be fresh developments in the funding and support of the club’s women’s side in the coming weeks.
Reading Women were once one of the top sides in England competing in the Women’s Super League and taking on the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and more.
However, after previous owner Dai Yongge refused to stop funding the team after their relegation to the Championship, the team was then further demoted the next campaign and now plays in the Southern Region Women’s Premier Division in the fifth tier of the pyramid.
Speaking about the financial challenges of women’s football, Couhig said: “One of the things with women’s football which is tough to deal with is the reality that it doesn’t generate much money and it costs several hundred thousands to operate. We’re working on it and it’s of interest to us. There will be some interesting developments on the women’s side in the next six weeks.”
The team is currently run by the Reading FC Community Trust, but is also supported financially by Reading FC and Couhig explained that they are currently exploring options before they decide what will happen next season.
He also addressed the club’s current financial contribution: “I think we will have some things to help the funding of the women’s team. But put it in context, the women’s team is run by the Trust. The football club this year puts up £45,000 of your money towards women’s football, does that mean we are going to zero (next year)? No, we will probably try to take it down a little bit but we are looking at alternatives.”
