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A top-flight women’s match in England was abandoned after just six minutes on Sunday because the field was frozen, sparking complaints from managers and players that the league wasn’t being taken seriously enough.
There was a field inspection three hours before the scheduled kickoff between Chelsea and Liverpool in London in the Women’s Super League, before heaters were used in an attempt to make the surface playable.
Defender Kadeisha Buchanan was in the starting lineup for Chelsea, while fellow Canadian soccer star Jessie Fleming was on the bench.
The referee, after consulting with both managers, took the teams off shortly after the match began at Chelsea’s Kingsmeadow stadium “in order to protect the safety of the players,” the league said in a statement.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said it was time for stadiums hosting games in women’s soccer to have undersoil heating like in the men’s game.
“We’ve got to take our game seriously,” Hayes told the BBC. “Yes, we can have our blowers and little pitch tents, but it’s not going to be enough.”
The 12-team WSL is run by the English Football Association.
Buchanan posted in an Instagram story that it was “mind boggling that there’s games/trainings being cancelled because of frozen pitches throughout the league… We should have heated pitches too.”
Buchanan’s Chelsea teammate, Erin Cuthbert, added on Twitter: “This shouldn’t be happening and we will demand more for our game.”
‘This is unacceptable’
Janine Beckie, Vanessa Gilles and Shelina Zadorsky, who like Buchanan and Fleming were part of the Canadian Olympic gold medal campaign in Tokyo, also voiced their thoughts on Twitter.
Beckie deemed the situation “unacceptable”.
“Four years playing in England and this was a potential reality for every team, every week. The WSL is a top 3 league in the world, this is unacceptable and the players deserve to be playing in suitable grounds where this is not a reality. We’re far past this in the women’s game,” said the former Manchester City striker.
4 years playing in England and this was a potential reality for every team, every week. The WSL is a top 3 league in the world, this is unacceptable and the players deserve to be playing in suitable grounds where this is not a reality. We’re far past this in the women’s game! <a href=”https://t.co/qsEA67EZH2″>https://t.co/qsEA67EZH2</a>
—@janinebeckie
“How was this game allowed to even begin in the first place?,” asked Gilles, a centre-back for France’s Lyon.
“Egregious from the FA (England’s Football Association) to make these professional players compete in such dangerous conditions. Equally shocking that there are no heated fields available for the professional clubs.”
How was this game allowed to even begin in the first place? <br>Egregious from the FA to make these PROFESSIONAL players compete in such dangerous conditions. Equally shocking that there are no heated fields available for the PROFESSIONAL clubs. <br>😵💫 Women’s Soccer 😵💫 <a href=”https://t.co/oJ3KuwDr19″>https://t.co/oJ3KuwDr19</a>
—@VanessaGilles
“The [Women’s Super League] is one of, if not the, best league in the world for Women’s football. Every year we’re supposed to cancel games because of the weather?,” posted Zadorsky, a centre-back for Chelsea rival Tottenham Hotspur.
“Now, cancelling a game 5 minutes in on TV. We deserve better, fans deserve better, women’s football deserves better.”
The <a href=”https://twitter.com/BarclaysWSL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@BarclaysWSL</a> is one of, if not the, best league in the world for Women’s football. Every year we’re supposed to cancel games because of the weather? Now, canceling a game 5 minutes in on TV. We deserve better, fans deserve better, women’s football deserves better.
—@Shelina4
The fixture will be played at a future date yet to be announced. Chelsea posted info on its website for fans who’d like to request a refund.
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