The sad demise of Reading Women – and why we should have seen it coming

Reading are a victim of an uninterested ownership, but also the growing demands on women’s teams that are often based on the rules created for more established men’s teams. Photograph: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Were it not for some diligent reporting you would probably have missed the most significant women’s football news – that Reading told the FA they would not be able to compete in the Championship next season. Women’s FA Cup semi-finalists in 2019, Reading have a rich history in the game, competing in the top division throughout the WSL’s formative professional years.

It would have been harder to miss that Manchester United are moving their women’s team to portable buildings to give the men’s team access to the women’s training facilities while their own are being upgraded.