Amy disappointed but not surprised by news
Maidenhead United Women: Division 1 South West season brought to early conclusion
Amy Saunders says Maidenhead United Women were ‘disappointed but not surprised’ upon hearing the news that their campaign will be brought to an early conclusion with no further fixtures taking place this season.
On Monday, the FA announced the 2020-21 season for tiers 3-6 of the Women’s Football Pyramid will be curtailed with immediate effect and declared incomplete. There will be no promotion and relegation between these tiers including no promotion from tier 3 into tier 2, and no relegation from tier 6 into tier 7.
“The Women’s Football Board, taking into account the views of clubs and leagues, decided that extending the 2020-21 league season beyond the end of May 2021 would not be a viable option due to the operational issues faced by many clubs and leagues,” a statement by the FA read.
“Clubs and leagues will however be encouraged to provide playing opportunities over the coming months by organising alternative fixtures in some format, where they are able and feel comfortable to do so following the return of grassroots football from March 29 and in line with the appropriate guidelines.”
Maidenhead, who compete in Division One South West (tier 4), were last seen in competitive action four months ago when they were beaten 4-0 by Billericay
Town in December.
Having played just three league games of the season due to postponements and suspensions, Saunders believes it would not have been feasible for the Magpies to complete their campaign.
“Realistically, to get the season finished by the end of May, I think we knew was near on impossible,” she said. “We’ve only played three league games and there are 11 teams in our league.
“The plan, in theory, would’ve been to train for two weeks before any competitive fixtures are played which would have taken us to April. Then we would have had to squeeze in all those fixtures from midApril to May.
“No matter how fit you are, I don’t think anyone in the team would’ve been ready for that. We would definitely have had to play midweek games too which is just not viable, especially against the likes of Exeter and
Bath.”
Saunders added: “I think we now have the option of competing in a mini-league or tournament just so we’re not without football at all. We have all spoke in the group chat, and everyone is keen for that.
“We will probably discuss it more over one of our weekly Zoom calls and start to think about when we can begin training again.
“When we do, it’s got to be of the same intensity and aggressiveness we always train with. It would be good to have the motivation of some actual fixtures in place to keep that going aswell.”