Girls in axed Thornaby FC football teams left 'angry and sad'

Girls in a football club that dropped its entire female section have expressed their disappointment and anger.

Thornaby FC’s committee announced on Sunday it had voted to continue without its female teams, leaving 100 players without a club.

One of the young players, Isabelle, said: “I made loads of new friends in this team and it made me feel disappointed, angry and sad.”

A previous statement from the club said the future of the teams had been discussed following “events of the last 12 months” and highlighted “very low” staffing levels.

It was announced all of Thornaby FC’s female teams were to be dropped, including the under-7s, under-8s, under-10s, under-11s, under-15s and the women’s side.

Isla, who played in the under-8s, said: “I’m just so shocked that it’s happened because I’ve been playing for the team for about six months.”

Former under-7s player Mia added: “It’s not just boys who can play football.”

Isabelle added: “I hope that we can keep on playing and keep on being friends together.”

Another player, Lily, said she was hoping the girls could still play football in the future as a team with Thornaby.

Speaking on Tuesday, first team manager Abbey Lyle said it was “just such a shame” and questioned why the decision had been taken.

“We [the women’s teams] work solely,” she said. “All our sponsors – we get ourselves, so we don’t take money off the club at all.

“The children don’t cost anything, the children pay subs. So if it was to do with money they would have kept the children.”

Ms Lyle said she was still unsure why the women’s teams had been dropped.

“They [the girls] love football, they pay to play football – their parents pay to let them play football – so it’s nothing to do with money.”

The club’s committee has been contacted by the BBC for a full statement.

Its X (formerly Twitter) page appears to have been taken down.

Board member Philip Genery, who voted against the decision along with chairman Garry Morris, previously told the BBC six other board members had now stepped down and a new “more diverse” board would be established, including representatives from the women’s team.