England's choppy waters a reminder of player challenges

It's been a dispiriting week for women's football across the water.

England has been the land of opportunity for generations of Irish footballers - male and female - but the landscape is changing for both.

While Brexit and the hyper globalisation of the Premier League is making it harder than ever for male players to reach the top level cross-channel, the women's game is in a strange growth phase where some clubs are flourishing, and others are dying on the vine.

The Women's Super League has made some tremendous strides forward recently - attendances in the 2023/24 season reached record levels. But you don't have to look too far down the pyramid to see how tough it is to eke out a living.

The Barclays Women's Championship has a large contingent of Irish players - many of them internationals - fulfilling their dreams of playing full-time ball. They're all aware the terrain is fickle and ruthless.

On Sunday, Reading officially pulled out the Championship citing financial issues, dropping down to the fifth tier of the English game, which is essentially amateur football played in regional divisions.

It's been coming; the supporters' discontent with the ownership has been bubbling for well over a year. When Reading got relegated from the top flight in 2023, they went part-time to trim costs. Twelve months later, they've abandoned all efforts to try and field a competitive women's team at a high level.

On Tuesday, the club released 16 players after the expiration of their contracts. Supporters are dejected and enraged, with fan group Sell Before We Dai launching a protest campaign in the town, using billboards to urge owner Dai Yongge to sell the club.

The Republic of Ireland's Jessie Stapleton spent the second half of the last season