Manchester United have finally launched a women’s team

About time too.

It has been a matter of great consternation amongst a large section of their own support - why, unlike nearly all their major rivals in the Premier League, do Manchester United not have a women's team? Well, it's better late than never as the club confirmed on Wednesday night that they would indeed be submitting an application to the Football Association to establish a professional women’s team. The plan is for the side to start competitive action in the second tier of the Women’s Super League and, hopefully, work their way up from there. They will play at the club's historic training centre at The Cliff. The full statement is below: https://twitter.com/ManUtd/status/976587470916726784

Manchester United has submitted an application to the Football Association to establish a professional women’s team in the second tier of the Women’s Super League. If successful, the move would provide a career pathway for players who graduate from the long-established and highly successful Girls' Regional Talent Club, which has seen some 15 of its graduates playing international football this season alone. The squad would be based at the club's historic training centre at The Cliff. Announcing the move, Ed Woodward said: "We are pleased to announce that the club intends to establish its first ever professional women’s team and has submitted an application to enter WSL2. "The FA has provided excellent support through the process and we believe that launching a team in WSL2 would give many more of our graduates from the Regional Talent Club the chance to establish themselves as first-team players. "The Manchester United women’s team must be built in the same image and with the same principles as the men's first team and offer academy players a clear route to top-level football within the club."