WHY THE LADIES HAVE LOST TO THE BOYS AT SUNDERLAND

THERE are two ways to succeed in football. The first is obvious: cups, titles, trophies. The other is victory in business. Southampton haven’t won much of late, but are financially sound. The balance sheet, commercial revenue, healthy gate receipts, profitable transfer activity — that is all part of running a club, too. To win the league and go bankrupt is no more of a success than turning a fabulous profit only to get relegated. In football terms, Sunderland Ladies have been doing well. They won promotion in 2015, and since then have finished fourth, seventh and fifth. The transfer market isn’t yet a dependable source of income in the women’s game but, if it were, Sunderland would thrive there, too — producing England internationals Lucy Bronze (right), Jill Scott, Demi Stokes, Jordan Nobbs and Steph Houghton. Yet Sunderland Ladies have a problem. Too few care. In 2016, when a spike in interest in the domestic game was predicted after the women’s World Cup, Sunderland’s gates fell by a quarter to just 710. The club’s response was to send the team part-time. Now, with the change in the Women’s Super League schedule, they have lost their access to the club’s training facilities. There has been criticism but, seriously, what are Sunderland to do? When the WSL was played in summer, the pressure on the Academy of Light was helpfully balanced. Now, with the switch to winter, all of Sunderland’s teams need the facility at the same time. The women’s evening training schedule clashes with youth and academy commitments, and Sunderland have gone with the boys. Sunderland Ladies now train at Northumbria University and will play at Mariners Park in Jarrow, home of South Shields. These are decent alternatives. It is more the stigma of being ranked below the Under 11s that hurts. Yet Sunderland have to prioritise. The academy and youth feed directly into the men’s first team — watched by an average of 29,113 this season, even performing poorly in the Championship. Sunderland’s latest figures — from season 2015-16 — show earnings of £476,190 per home game on gate receipts alone, and a turnover of £108million. Sunderland Ladies account for roughly £6,000 per match. The club cannot risk jeopardising its production line for a good deed. The onus being placed on clubs to make a success of the women’s game are unrealistic. Sunderland Ladies are watched by 300 fewer people than attend Spennymoor Town. What are they to do if people just won’t come?