Following support from sporting director Kevin Thelwell and chairman Jeff Shi, the major changes will now see Wolves Women train at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground sponsored by Fosun International, while players at all age groups will no longer have to pay subscription fees.
Currently, FA Regional Talent Clubs (RTC) are encouraged to charge a maximum of £200 for players representing under-10s sides up to under-16s, but Wolves are scrapping fees being paid by their young female footballers.
The exciting changes were announced at the end of season celebrations by Wolves girls and women technical director Steve Cullis, who was delighted with the increased co-operation between the male and female programmes throughout the club.
He said: “I’m really pleased that the discussions between Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation and the club have led to increased levels of support and resources to those which are currently offered to the girls and women at Wolves.
“By becoming the only club in the West Midlands to not charge our RTC players and making it so that no female player registered with a competitive team will have to pay to play, we are removing an unnecessary barrier that could have a detrimental effect on talented young girls from being able to represent our football club.”
Among the changes, Wolves Women’s development team will now compete in the FA Reserve League to further enhance the development of young players at Wolves and prepare them for their progression into the first-team.
Wolves Women’s first-team, development team and Wolves RTC will have access to the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground for training, with Wolves RTC under-16s and under-14s also having access to Compton for their games programme. Wolves RTC under-12s will have access to the Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation Arena for their games programme.
In addition to this, all age groups throughout Wolves’ girls’ and women’s side will have increased support from physiotherapists and sport science experts, as well as greater inclusion with joint events alongside the men’s teams.
Wolves’ sporting director Kevin Thelwell added: “Enhancing the profile of Wolves Women and supporting the development of talented players is a huge priority for this football club, so we are thrilled to be able to implement these changes ahead of the 2019/20 season.
“Over the course of the past 12 months, the club made a conscious decision to increase the involvement between Wolves Women’s players and their male counterparts at joint events, such as the kit launch, Christmas visits and signing sessions.
“This greater integration between our women’s and men’s sides can only have a positive impact on breaking down the barriers for those young girls who want to represent Wolves on the football pitch.”
