Woman’s football, are Wrexham, right or wrong

[BLUETIT]

Rob McElhenney takes swipe at 'UK football regulations' for restricting Wrexham women's pay
UK football regulations have been questioned by Rob McElhenney, who has asked why he can't pay the women's team what he wants due to restrictions currently in place

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has taken aim at 'UK football regulations' for limiting what they're allowed to pay members of the women's team, after only earning semi-professional status last year.
The Wrexham women's team dominated the Adran North in 2022/23 and earned promotion to the Adran Premier - the highest level of women's football in Wales. McElhenney and fellow owner Ryan Reynolds had to apply for a Tier 1 licence to allow the women's team to compete in the Adran Premier, and it was also necessary to allow them to offer contracts to their players.
Wrexham made history last season by granting ten semi-pro contracts , becoming the first team in north Wales to have a semi-pro football set-up. Despite this, there are still harsh restrictions on what they're allowed to pay players, and it's not high enough according to McElhenney who made a sarcastic reference during the new season of Welcome to Wrexham.
"You have limits on what you're allowed to pay them. Just another one of the really fun UK regulations in football that hold you back from doing some of the things that you want to do," McElhenney said in reference to the FA and FAW ( Football Association Wales).

McElhenney and Reynolds may have aspirations of getting the men's team into the Premier League one day, but they're also keen to make their women's team one of the best in the world . In order to advance their women's team, and the game as a whole, they want to offer sustainable salaries to ensure their players can focus on football and give Wrexham the greatest chance of success.
"We fully and wholeheartedly believe that this is a club that can become one of the best women's teams in the world," McElhenney said on the documentary series. The Hollywood actors have earned respect worldwide for the impact they've had on Wrexham, the community, and the fans, but their gestures towards the women's team have also gone under the radar at times

McElhenney and Reynolds admitted in season two of the docuseries that they weren't aware of the women's team until they took ownership of the club, but when they found out, it became a priority. "We didn’t know that there was a women’s team in Wrexham until we took stewardship of the club and recognized that there was a program that was in place," McElhenney explained to viewers in season two.

The women's team were then addressed directly following one of their many wins in the Adran North in 22/23, as McElhenney explained their intentions. "Ryan and I have been talking quite a bit about how we want to prioritise this program. For so many reasons in the past it hasn’t been," McElhenney told the players.
"You’re all very important to us and we want to continue to support you. If you keep winning it makes it a lot easier." Before securing the semi-pro status, both McElhenney and Reynolds supported the players, as did Ryan's wife, Blake Lively.
The American actor sponsored the women's team with her beverage brand Betty Buzz, which featured on the left sleeve of match shirts. Wrexham women and the landscape of Welsh women's football has struggled in the past, with the likes of Cardiff City and Swansea City being the rare exceptions that have survived the tests of time, but the Hollywood owners are looking to change that.

[PontBlue]

I would expect restricting someone's salary based on their gender to not survive a legal challenge

[tforturton]

"We didn’t know that there was a women’s team in Wrexham until we took stewardship of the club and recognized that there was a program that was in place,"
That sounds a bit hard to believe. Anyway, why not? They make enough noise about being involved in the community, so it makes sense to get everyone on board.