Manchester United continue to refuse to introduce a women’s team.
The Old Trafford club have long come under fire for not fielding a side in the Women’s Super League.
Criticism has intensified on the back of their cross-town rivals at Manchester City adopting their own female team in 2012 and subsequently throwing substantial resources at it, bringing in many of Europe’s top players.
However, when pressed on the matter once again at the club’s latest fans forum, United group managing director Richard Arnold revealed that their stance had not changed.
Arnold instead pointed into the Centre of Excellence the club run for girls and hailed the success of the Under-17s team who made the FA Youth Cup Final where they were thrashed 5-1 by Arsenal.
He told the meeting that United work with more than 2,500 girls in the community each week but added there were ‘no plans in place at present’ for a women’s team.
United have not had a senior women’s team since 2005 and their stance is in direct contrast with City.
Some of City’s players earn up to £80,000 a year in a squad that features England stars Steph Houghton, Jill Scott, Toni Duggan and Lucy Bronze and new signing from Sweden Kosovare Asllani, who has been branded a female version of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
MP for nearby Worsley and Eccles South Barbara Keeley wrote to United in 2013 and had a reply from then manager David Moyes promising that the club would review the situation.
A year ago, having had no response, she told Sportsmail the situation was ‘embarrassing’.
‘It’s a brush off and a pity,’ she added.
It was hoped that the strong performance from England’s women at last year’s World Cup, at which they finished in third place, may have increased pressure on United, with the sport’s popularity and exposure at a high. However, that has not been the case.
At the same meeting, United revealed they had the most applications for FA Cup Final tickets since records began.
They also responded to complaints from fans that the decision to allow Liverpool fans to leave Old Trafford at the same time as home supporters following March’s Europa League clash caused trouble, by saying they would make their feelings on the matter known to Greater Manchester Police.
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