Coventry United fire non-football staff after relegation from Women’s Championship
Coventry United sack non-football staff days after their relegation to the third tier of women’s football with the ‘failure of projects off the pitch’ depleting their budget
Relegated Women’s Championship Coventry United have laid off non-football staff, Sportsmail can reveal.
Coventry’s relegation to the Women’s National League was confirmed on Sunday following Sheffield United’s victory over Bristol City.
But a club representative insisted the redundancies were not caused by relegation, but by the ‘failure of projects off the pitch’, which depleted their budget.
Coventry survived on the final day of the 2021–22 season with a dramatic winning goal in the 97th minute, four months after being hit with a 10-point deduction following a liquidation.
The club went into receivership in December 2021 and was eight minutes away from liquidation before being bailed out by Lewis Taylor, CEO of Energy Angels, a Midlands-based energy company.
Coventry United players line up for a recent Women’s Championship match – the club’s non-football staff have been sacked following relegation to the third tier
The club play their home games at the 4,000 capacity Butts Park Arena in Coventry
Coventry’s Isobel Goodwin (second from right) in action during a game with Birmingham City
The points deduction left them at -4, 10 points behind at the bottom of the championship table.
But a seven-game unbeaten run meant the club would stand with a win against Watford and Mollie Green fired a free-kick in the 97th minute to complete the great breakaway.
The loss of several players in the summer and of manager Jay Bradford led to a review of the squad.
Veteran boss Lee Burch was appointed, but ultimately failed to keep the club in the division for a second season running.
Despite drawing 1-1 against Lewes on Sunday, Sheffield United’s victory put them 10 points behind at the bottom of the table with two games left to play.