“The postponement itself was understandable, but the timing was not”, writes Charlotte Patterson
There are postponements in football that feel inevitable — and there are postponements that feel like a punchline delivered after everyone has already trudged through the rain, paid their money, rearranged their plans and committed their evening to the game.
Sunderland Women’s Friday night fixture against Sheffield United fell squarely into the latter category. It was a decision that although perhaps unavoidable in the end, arrived so belatedly and so clumsily that it left everyone involved feeling frustrated, deflated and frankly a little insulted.
The rain had been relentless all week.
Not a passing shower nor a brief downpour, but an unyielding battering that had soaked the North East to its bones. Every forecast said it would continue. Every update suggested it would worsen. Anyone with a window, a weather app or a pair of eyes could see that conditions were deteriorating by the hour, yet somehow, the match remained on.
Despite the warnings and the sheer volume of water falling from the sky, the game was allowed to inch closer and closer to kick off before the inevitable happened.
The decision to move the fixture from the Stadium of Light to Eppleton CW was already a sign that things weren’t ideal.
Eppleton is a ground with charm and history, but it also suffers in poor weather. It’s not built to withstand days of torrential rain and nor is it equipped with the same drainage systems or resources as the Stadium of Light.
The move was understandable in theory, but in practice it placed the match on a knife‑edge and once the venue was switched, the margin for error shrank dramatically. The pitch was always going to be vulnerable; the conditions were always going to be a risk. And yet, things were allowed to proceed as though everything was fine.
By the time Sheffield United’s players, staff and supporters had arrived, the writing was already on the wall. They’d travelled, committed, prepared and stepped into the ground ready to compete — and Sunderland fans had done the same.
Many had braved the weather, rearranged childcare, finished work early or travelled significant distances.
Some had booked hotels, filled full tanks of petrol, used public transport, paid for taxis or relied on lifts. People had invested time, money and energy into being there, yet the postponement came only at the very last moment.
I turned up soaked but hopeful, only to be told at the gate that the match was off.
No announcement on social media. No official communication. No warning. Just a quiet, apologetic message at the entrance that the game had been postponed. Even fifteen minutes after I was told, there was still nothing online. Fans were still travelling in the belief that the match was going ahead.
It’s impossible not to feel for the Sheffield United fans who made the journey, but it’s equally impossible not to feel for our own.
Sunderland supporters are loyal to a fault. They show up in all weathers and in all circumstances for all competitions. They support the women’s team with pride and passion, and they deserved better than to be left in limbo until the last possible moment.
The club’s fanbase is growing. The women’s game is growing, and nights like this undermine that growth. They make a mockery of the professionalism the league is striving for, reinforcing outdated stereotypes about women’s football being an afterthought and something that can be rearranged or abandoned without due care.
Even grassroots football and non‑league sides with far fewer resources seem to manage postponements with greater foresight.
They call games off early, they communicate clearly and they respect the time and money of their supporters. They understand that fans aren’t an afterthought but a central part of the matchday experience. When a grassroots club can make a decision at midday, but a WSL2‑level women’s fixture can’t make one until fans are physically at the gate, something is wrong.
To be clear, I don’t blame the groundsmen and I don’t blame the staff who worked tirelessly to try to make the pitch playable.
Their efforts were visible, earnest and appreciated. They were doing everything they could with the tools they had and the frustration lies not with them but with the decision‑making process, the timing, the lack of communication and the sense that everyone could see what was coming except the people responsible for calling it.
The club has since stated that inspections by officials took place, that the decision was made by said officials with welfare and safety in mind, and that every effort was made to get the game on.
I don’t doubt that but the fact remains that this decision should’ve been made much sooner. The forecast was clear, the conditions were obvious and the risk was known. The postponement wasn’t a shock yet it was handled as though it were a sudden, unforeseeable twist.
This is now the second postponed match featuring Sunderland Women, leaving them with two games in hand.
It disrupts momentum, affects preparation and creates fixture congestion later in the season. It’s not ideal for the players, who deserve stability and clarity. It’s also not ideal for the coaching staff who must now adjust training schedules and tactical plans — and it’s certainly not ideal for supporters, who are left wondering whether future fixtures will be any more reliable.
The women’s game is fighting for visibility, credibility and respect.
It’s competing for attention in a crowded sporting landscape and it can’t afford nights like this, alienating supporters who are already battling the elements, the travel and the scheduling in order to show up. It can’t afford to give ammunition to those who still dismiss it, and every postponed match, late announcement and logistical misstep chips away at the progress being made.
The frustration is not born from entitlement but from care, investment and a desire to see the game to thrive, as well as Sunderland Women being treated with the professionalism they deserve, supporters feeling valued and respected, and wanting the league to match the ambition of the players who give everything on the pitch.
There’s also a human element that cannot be ignored.
Fans who travelled up from other parts of the country had already paid for hotels, filled their tanks and committed financially in ways that can’t be undone. A last‑minute postponement doesn’t refund those costs and nor does it compensate for the lost time, the rearranged plans and the disappointment. It simply leaves people feeling foolish for caring as much as they do.
And yet, despite all of this, the supporters will return.
They always do. They’ll be there next Sunday when Sunderland face Nottingham Forest, hoping the weather improves and the pitch holds up. They’ll continue to back the team, because that’s what supporters do. Their loyalty is unwavering, even when their patience is tested.
However, loyalty shouldn’t be taken for granted and it shouldn’t be met with silence or last‑minute decisions. It should be honoured with transparency, respect and timely communication. The women’s game deserves that. Sunderland Women deserve that — and the supporters deserve that.
Football is built on trust. Trust that the club values its fans, that decisions are made with care and that communication will be clear and timely. When that trust is shaken — even unintentionally — it leaves a mark. It creates doubt and makes people think twice before committing again.
The postponement itself was understandable, but the timing was not.
The weather was always going to win, but the decision‑making process should’ve been better. The communication should’ve been quicker and the respect for supporters’ time and money should’ve been stronger.
As I walked away from Eppleton feeling drenched and disappointed, I couldn’t help but think about the bigger picture.
About how moments like this shape perceptions, influence the narrative around the women’s game and impact the relationship between club and community. It should never have been allowed to reach the point where fans were being turned away at the gate while social media remained silent.
There’s still time to learn from this; to improve processes, communication, and planning, as well as ensuring that future fixtures are handled with greater care and that trust is rebuilt — but it requires acknowledgement, reflection and action.
For now, all we can do is look ahead to Nottingham Forest, hope for better weather, and hope that the pitch is in a condition worthy of the players who will take to it. The supporters will be there as they always are, but question is whether the systems around them will rise to meet their commitment.
The women’s game deserves better. Sunderland Women deserve better. And the fans, soaked to the skin and still turning up, deserve far better than a postponement announced only when they’ve already arrived.
Category: General Sports
