Portsmouth discover whether summer transfer budget will be affected by women’s team news
Portsmouth CEO Andy Cullen has confirmed the club’s summer transfer budget will not be affected by the women’s team’s switch to full-time status, according to The News.
Neil Allen’s article [4 June] revealed that Cullen has pledged that the ambitious move by the Tornante Company with Portsmouth Women will not eat into John Mousinho’s squad budget for the men’s team.
After only becoming semi-professional a year ago, Jay Sadler’s women’s side soared to the Women’s National League southern title this term and have immediately announced the next step into full-time operations, including up to 22 players and nine staff.
Cullen told The News: “It is a big commitment, but once again doesn’t affect anything in the men’s team, as we were very, very clear last year.
“These are two separate companies and organisations, they have their own registration, their own boards. It’s not a question of the women being subsidised by the men, it’s about the investment coming from Tornante.
“It is totally independent and runs as a totally separate business with its own set of management accounts, separately constituted at Companies House, with its own board and own articles. It’s a completely separate company.”
Good news on two fronts for Portsmouth
Cullen’s confirmation of the separation of the women’s full-time investment from Tornante and the company’s funding of the men’s team’s incoming transfer deals this summer is no doubt great news for Portsmouth fans.
Whilst the two operating as individual entities as explained by Pompey’s CEO can provoke accusations that clubs do not care for its women’s playing side, this could not be further from the truth with the Blues, whose women’s team have excelled immensely following appropriate funding from the Eisners.
The ‘community’ basis of the two teams running parallel to one another has been shown recently too, with both sharing the Southsea Common stage in late April as they celebrated their respective league titles and promotions.
Portsmouth’s supporters will be excited for what lies ahead in terms of recruitment, but with a hint of anxiety as the pressure ramps up to build a squad with the adequate degree of Championship experience, combined with the breed of young talent – potentially on loan – which was so successful in getting the club there.
In other Portsmouth news, the club have until this Friday (7 June) to respond to an FA disciplinary charge.
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