By Sheridan Robins
With the devastating weather in the north of England continuing to make headlines, WPL North side Bradford City have been one of the most heavily-affected women’s clubs.
The first-team pitches have suffered from the unprecedented amount of rain, leaving a fixture pile-up due to multiple postponements and a lack of availability of other pitches.
But Rawdon Meadows, home of the reserve side, development side and seven junior teams, has been completely destroyed and deemed unplayable for the foreseeable future.
With changing rooms and storage containers flooded to waist height, the club are desperate for alternative venues, as well as funding to make the necessary repairs.
The club’s coach, Jonathon Holden, told Women’s Football Weekly the place was a complete mess and that, with the strict rules enforced by the FA, it means that finding an alternative pitch to use is not easy.
He said: “We are a club in the Women’s Premier League and there are certain standards we have to adhere to. The FA are very strict, so any venue has to be approved before we can play there.
“We paid a one-off fee at the start of the season, so we will have to see what we can do. It’s not the venue’s fault but, equally, it’s not our fault either.
“Trying to borrow pitches is one thing, but there are a lot of teams in the Bradford area who play on a Sunday, so often they are booked.”
The club have appealed for help via social media and are hosting an ‘Evening with Lucy Bronze’ on Friday to aid their cause.
The Sports Personality of the year nominee and World Cup star will be holding a Q&A session in aid of Bradford City Women. Holden is hopeful this and other ideas will help their cause.
He said: “We are hoping the event with Lucy, some quiz nights and social media awareness will all help. The changing rooms need to be completely rebuilt and the weather forecast does not look too promising.
“The first team have aspirations to play in the Super League, but the club is mostly funded by the players and small sponsorships. The lack of funds could really affect the whole club as there are still the normal expenses.
“If we beat Huddersfield in the FA Cup, we then have an away trip to Yeovil and the cost of travelling that far is substantial for us and the girls.
“We want them to be able to just turn up and play football– not have to worry about travel, kit and facilities.
“Hopefully, soon they can do that again and we can push on, but first we have to get our home back.”
