Strong, Independent Women? Is There A Future For Independent Clubs In The Elite Women’s Game? (SheKicks Investigates)

Glenn Moore opens with a piece of history nobody noticed happening: 1. FFC Frankfurt’s 2015 Champions League win, the last a standalone club will take. In 2015 half the quarter-finalists were independent; by August 2020 only Glasgow City were. Almost every major European men’s club now runs a women’s team, and Manchester United’s Jackie Groenen argues that is necessary, because the badge changes how the game is perceived. But Gillingham’s women were cut adrift this summer, and Brighton’s Fliss Gibbons, who played there, calls support for a women’s section something that should be non-negotiable. Hope Powell doubts an independent club could now meet WSL licensing costs. Glasgow City’s Laura Montgomery and Durham’s Lee Sanders both argue that titles are not the only measure, and Angel City are betting on the same idea with rather more money.