Reading Women league placing confirmed- with local fixtures set tier five campaign

It has been confirmed that Reading Women will be playing in the Southern Region Football League Premier Division following their demotion from the Barclay's Championship.

Finishing 10th out of 12 last year, and enjoying back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Women's Super League in the last decade, the demise of the women's team was confirmed on Sunday.

While the youth section of the women's team was tragically cut as Professional Game Academy (PGA's) are only allowed for teams in the top two tiers, the adult team will now play against the likes of Woodley United and Ascot United from next season.

Teams competing against the Royals will be:

• Woodley United

• Oxford City

• Wycombe Wanderers

• Warminster Town

• Eastleigh in the Community

• Winchester City Flyers

• Badshot Lea

Dawn Airey, Chair of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship Board, said: “We are very disappointed that Reading FC Women have decided to withdraw from the Barclays Women’s Championship. We have been working closely with the club throughout the season and have made every effort to find a solution and to prevent this outcome. We are deeply saddened by the impact this will have on the Reading FC Women players, staff and fans, as they have all played a key role in women’s football and within their wider community. It was also very important to us to find a way to ensure that Reading FC Women could continue to participate in the Women’s Football Pyramid next season. Our priority now is to focus on supporting the current players and staff members at the club, including the Professional Game Academy, to ensure that they have every opportunity to continue to participate in the women’s game.”