As Tottenham Women find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle, it’s no surprise the club’s chairman Daniel Levy is lobbying for a closed shop in the Women’s Super League (WSL).
Despite it being a bedrock of both the men’s and women’s games, the 61-year-old believes there should be no relegation or promotion, arguing clubs will feel more comfortable investing in their women’s teams if there was no chance of demotion.
With Spurs just three points off bottom-of-the-table Reading, who they face at the weekend, it’s hard not to view his comments with an air of cynicism but they nevertheless come at a time when the women’s game faces something of a crossroads.
Two separate reviews are currently being conducted by the Government and clubs respectively as the FA’s jurisdiction over the top-flight of the women’s game is set to be replaced by an independently-run company after the next year.
And Levy’s comments appear not to be in isolation as a number of clubs and prominent WSL figures have been pushing for a split that fully-capitalises on the momentum brought about by the Lionesses’ historic Euro 2022 triumph last summer.
Back in August, Chelsea boss Emma Hayes told The Telegraph it was an “absolute priority” for the WSL to be taken out of the hands of the FA so a commercial operation with experience could help grow the league.
Understandably, the prospect of a closed shop top-flight model has not been received well by those further down the pyramid with Maggie Murphy, chief executive of second division Lewes FC, arguing scrapping promotion and relegation would be “devastating” for women’s football.
Lewes are one of few teams are not linked to a men’s club in either the Premier League or Championship, and such a ruling would severely hamper the club and others outside of the top-flight.
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Speaking to SportsProMedia, Murphy said: “I think [the proposal] doesn’t understand the ecosystem involved in women’s football, where you need to have 400 women’s clubs that are active and thriving and generating talent that can be sold to WSL clubs, to Championship clubs.”
It’s hard not to see businessman Levy’s comments as an attempted power grab similar to that of his Tottenham Hotspur predecessor Alan Sugar – one of the driving forces behind not only the formation of the Premier League back in 1992 but the preceding Sky bid to become its principal television rights holder.
Facing competition from ITV, Lord Sugar ultimately became ‘kingmaker’ for the TV deal with the added incentive his Amstrad company were the main providers of the satellite dishes needed for Rupert Murdoch’s Sky.
With Sugar ensuring Sky’s bid was the most lucrative, it was accepted by 14 votes to six and the rest became history – as Amstrad’s share price jumped by £7m on the completion of the deal.
Although Levy’s motives for his WSL claims are not 100% clear, he nevertheless has form in trying to financially manoeuvre himself and his assets into a more favourable position – evident by being a founding member of the failed European Super League that was only cancelled due to uproar from fans across the board.
Levy’s stance reeks of self-interest, and, considering the situation Tottenham Women currently find themselves in, self-preservation similar to those Super League proposals that would have seen a select few dining at the top table while smaller clubs fought over scraps.
Relegation is a vital prerequisite for any league that prides itself on sporting integrity and competitiveness. Without it there is no incentive for clubs to invest in a team who are on the outside looking in.
Similarly, the prospect of stealing away the opportunity of promotion for teams further down the pyramid would also signal the end of one of the biggest ecstasies (and agonies) of sport – because at the end of the day, what is a triumph without the prospect of jeopardy?
Football is more than just about what happens on the pitch. It is a living and breathing cultural embodiment of our lives and communities with promotion and relegation essential to that – not something that can be levied solely for the purpose of businessmen looking to make more money.