The Football Association has investigated individual complaints at Manchester City’s Girls’ Academy after parents raised concerns about the treatment of their children, i can today reveal.
In internal emails between FA officials dealing with complaints, staff from the governing body shared private concerns that Manchester City had provided information that “directly conflicted with the information and evidence provided” by parents and players during annual evaluations.
Parents believe they or their daughters have not been offered enough support after being released and are not confident in the FA’s ability to ensure other players avoid the same experience in the future.
Questions have also been raised by families over the FA’s handling of issues at the academy, after the governing body told parents that critical complaints have to be made in two separate seasons before a licence will be revoked or lowered, resulting in reduced funding. Manchester City’s Girls’ Academy is currently Tier One – the highest of the three ratings. Yet when two parents lodged separate yet similar complaints in two year groups, the FA considered them in the same timeframe.
At least two separate parents complained about the handling of their daughters’ release during the 2019/20 season, citing poor communication and timing. At least one parent, who spoke to i on condition of anonymity, further raised those concerns with the FA.
The following season, however, another set of parents complained to Manchester City about the way their daughter was treated and the club appointed lawyers to investigate.
Prior to the FA investigating one complaint, internal emails from June last year, leaked to i, show FA officials suggesting Manchester City could be in breach of its licence “based on the absence of various policies and procedures as well as player reviews”, adding “this would directly conflict with the information and evidence provided… during the clubs [sic] annual EV (evaluation)”.
Another FA official says that “Manchester City told me that in the Academy… all players received their reviews but this is not reflected in player and parental feedback”. Another email states that “we know there are issues”.
A further FA email admits “its [sic] not good for the families and players involved but the pressure for better is good for the whole sport. I am confident this and incidents like this create positive change”. It adds that “a complaints policy is not required as part of the Academy criteria. Something to build and add potentially.”
In emails a month later (in July 2021), parents who have submitted complaints about Manchester City are described as “the group of angry parents”.
After escalating her grievances to the FA, which investigated her claims, one mother was told that the governing body would monitor the Manchester City Girls’ Academy to ensure it improved. Manchester City insists that any investigations were not academy-wide and concerned individual complaints only. The FA did not deny investigations had been carried out but the governing body insisted it is not currently investigating or monitoring Manchester City’s Girls’ Academy.
However, parents who have spoken to i were left dissatisfied that the FA did not take stronger action at the time and have called for the club’s licence to be revoked.
A Manchester City spokesperson told i: “Manchester City takes its responsibilities and duty of care very seriously and ensures that each child in the academy has access to a wide range of support, both from a welfare and football development perspective.
“On an annual basis, the academy conducts a thorough review of its players based on their performance over the course of the season. Following this, a number are selected to progress to their next age group based on their footballing ability.
“The club offers support to all of the academy players who do not progress to their next age group to identify potential development pathways in education and football. This has resulted in scholarships being secured for former academy players in the United States, as well as football trials at other clubs in England.”
The FA said it was not in a position to comment on individual clubs.
This is an update to a previously published article
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