WOMEN’S soccer stars and followers criticised the shambolic state of affairs of Chelsea having their WSL recreation towards Liverpool halted after six minutes as a consequence of a frozen pitch.
A Blues supporters group say they intend to contact their membership about undersoil heating on the dwelling of the ladies’s aspect.
The excessive profile duel between Emma Hayes’ Blues and Matt Beard’s Reds grew to become the second of three WSL fixtures kiboshed by frosty turf circumstances.
And sixth tier girls’s aspect Brentford noticed their recreation towards Whyteleafe referred to as off ten minutes into the second half as a consequence of icy turf.
Match goers at Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow floor and WSL followers on social media expressed amazement on the 12:30pm fixture being suspended minutes into the sport.
The sport was formally given the inexperienced mild to forward by referee Neil Hair.
Occasions unfolded dwell on BBC Two with the sport being aired on the channel.
Gamers within the beginning eleven for Chelsea and Liverpool and WSL followers took to social media platforms to share their dismay on the debacle.
Many referred to as for higher remedy and respect for Ladies’s Tremendous League video games.
By way of her Twitter account Chelsea ace Katerina Svitkova wrote: “There’s nonetheless lots to do in girls’s soccer.
“It is vitally unhappy that on this league this nonetheless can occur. We want higher, we deserved higher.”
Blues winger Erin Cuthbert, whose workforce will face Liverpool at dwelling this Sunday within the FA Cup, tweeted: “So, so sorry to all our followers who turned up as we speak and braved the chilly climate.
“This shouldn’t be taking place and we’ll demand extra for our recreation.
“Indignant and pissed off however we will likely be prepared for Wednesday.”
Cuthbert’s club-mate and Blues goalkeeper Zecira Musovic described the scenario as “a serious joke”
Musovic tweeted: “Who wants 90 minutes when you may get all of it in 8’.
“Finish to finish motion, some ice skating within the center from Niamh (Fahey), ref calling the 2 skippers for a severe chat and the opposite coach going loopy for it being too harmful.
“That was a serious joke, unacceptable. Do higher.”
In an Instagram put up, centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan wrote: “It’s thoughts boggling that there are video games/coaching (classes) being cancelled due to frozen pitches all through the league.
“We play in a chilly nation, we should always have heated pitches too.
“The place are our scores as girls footballers?”
And her Blues colleague and vice-skipper Millie Shiny added: “On each entrance as we speak (Sunday) was unacceptable!! “We demand extra for our recreation.. DO BETTER.”
The postponement sparked debate on the necessity for undersoil heating at grounds internet hosting girls’s high tier video games.
And a Blues’ fan group intends to debate the difficulty with their membership which is the eighth richest on the earth in accordance Deloitte’s newest Soccer League rankings.
Chelsea Ladies’s Supporters Group advised SunSport: “We’ve been very fortunate with the pitch at Kingsmeadow
“For the reason that workforce has been taking part in there we’ve solely had one or two video games postponed so we’ve by no means referred to as for it (undersoil heating) up to now.
“We are going to now have a dialog with the membership that this must be in place at Kingsmeadow.”
After the match’s suspension, Blues skipper Magda Eriksson advised reporters: “The gamers had been making an attempt to mentally put together for the sport as we might.
“We had been simply following what we have been advised and making an attempt to get on with it.
“It was fairly apparent as soon as the whistle blew it wasn’t potential to play the sport and clearly ought to have been handled in a greater manner.”
Liverpool striker Katie Stengel appeared to query why Stamford Bridge was chosen as the bottom for the fixture with the house of the Blues Prem gamers not in use as we speak.
The Reds ace quote tweeted a put up from Vivianne Miedema wherein the Arsenal ahead referred to as for the deployment of undersoil heating at grounds and talked about
In her tweet, which adopted an earlier put up of gamers shedding their stability on the turf at Kingsmeadow, Stengel wrote: “I heard Stamford Bridge was large open as we speak.”
In a press release the FA mentioned matchday referee Hair gave the fixture the go-ahead after a 09:30 pitch inspection
A second verify earlier than kick-off additionally adopted with the usage of a pitch cowl and heaters.
Nonetheless it’s thought quite a few gamers flagged edges of the pitch had been slippery with some seen shedding their stability after the sport commenced earlier than being postponed.
A Ladies’s Tremendous League spokesperson mentioned: “We labored onerous with the golf equipment and the match officers to securely play the Barclay’s Ladies’s Tremendous League fixture between Chelsea and Liverpool as scheduled.
“Following inspections earlier than the match, the pitch was deemed to be playable by the matchday referee.
“Nonetheless, shortly after kick off, the referee made the choice to desert the match to be able to shield the security of the gamers, which is paramount.
“We sincerely apologise to all followers who travelled to the match. The fixture will likely be rescheduled sooner or later.”
Hayes publicly apologised to Blues and Reds followers who flocked to the sport
While stating the timing of the call-off was flawed she mentioned the choice to postpone was the correct one for the security of gamers.
Hayes was requested by BBC Sport visitor pundit Hope Powell whether or not undersoil heating is required at matches.
The Blues chief mentioned: “We’ve made progress, funding has gone into the standard of the grass and surfaces throughout the league.
“Subsequent step is beneath soil heating. No recreation within the girls’s recreation at this high stage must be cancelled, finish of topic.
“We want beneath soil heating l in every single place. We don’t dwell in Barbados.”
Brighton postponed their Sunday night duel with Arsenal two hours and 34 minutes earlier than their 6:45 pm kick-off.
And Tottenham’s Sunday conflict with rock Leicester grew to become the primary Ladies’s Tremendous League encounter to be referred to as off with Spurs asserting the postponement on Saturday night time.
