'Our team is folding because FA won't let us play in local league'

A women's football team have said they have been forced to fold because the FA has "ignored their plea" to move them into a league closer to home.

Despite Brunsmeer Athletic playing their home games at Hillsborough College in Sheffield, they have for the past two seasons played in the North East League rather than the more convenient East Midlands League.

The club said the amateur players were "exhausted" from long away days and "couldn't afford" the travel costs to play against teams in Thornaby, Alnwick, Ponteland and South Shields.

Player Carly Gill said: "It's cost far too much for a club of our size and stature. The FA are meant to be making this easier for clubs. They've not done that."

The women's team, which formed in 2022, had two consecutive promotions from Tier 7 to Tier 5 of the football pyramid, led by manager Trevor Fox.

In the 2025/26 season the team racked up several long journeys, with coach hire totalling more than £6,000 with an average mileage of 199 miles (320 km) per round trip for away games.

Fox described the FA's decision to keep the team in the North East League for the 2026/27 season despite their protests as a "proper slap in the face for the team, grassroots football and our supporters".

Fox added: "We've worked so hard to get where we are over the past four seasons. We started with hand me-down kits as we had very little money and have built and grown the team up over the past three seasons.

"We've had no support from the FA. We've had to work with the local community and limited sponsorship."

Despite appealing the decision by the FA for the past two seasons, the ruling was upheld.

"I thought we made some valid points but they were clearly not heard. So much for player welfare," added Fox.

Striker Nat Shaw, who has previously played at the highest level for Arsenal and Doncaster Belles, said she is "gutted" for the players.

"The team are the best group of girls I've ever been with and it's the biggest shame. I do feel it could have been avoided."

Shaw is now considering her options and said some players would "leave the game" altogether.

Gill is also weighing up her future and may drop back down to Tier 7 as a player-coach for another club.

She said the FA's decision "goes against" its own strategies to grown women's and girls' football by delivering vibrant leagues.

"The FA should think about the impact on player welfare, it's excessive travel for players at amateur level football, and many of our team have young families.

"And these people become part of your social life as well. No club can take on 16 players, so we'll all go our separate ways. It's really difficult when our hand has been forced like this."

In a statement an FA spokesperson said: "We recognise the challenges that clubs can face in relation to travel and we consider any allocation requests carefully.

"Every effort is made each season to strike the balance between allocating clubs to the most geographically suitable league possible and maintaining the necessary number of teams in each division.

"While divisional sizes cannot be changed during this process in order to maintain sporting integrity, clubs can also appeal against allocations. We remain in dialogue with Brunsmeer Athletic Women following their unsuccessful appeal to outline the next steps and support available to them."

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