Under 13s Team face backlash for paying players

An under-13’s Girls Football team from Bedfordshire has backtracked on it’s position to pay it’s young players win bonuses for Success in their games.

Barton Athletic offered a unique package for grassroots football of not only not charging ‘subs’ to play for the side but to also offer Win bonuses for results.

The girls who play for Barton could have earned £5 for each game won and a £100 bonus for winning the League or a Cup.

It was a move that looked to have the aim of attracting the best local players to a team that only won 3 times in the League last Campaign. The team that won the League won 19 times which had it been Barton under this ‘Contract’ would have earned the 11 or 12 year olds around £200.

A usual standard at this age group is for the parents of the children to play subs that would total around £200-£300 a Season.

Following online backlash to the offer they have withdrawn it and now have reduced it to just a ‘Free’ Season with lots of incentives like free kit and Days out.

It is not something I have heard of at this level and have children of this age that play Sunday morning football too. I imagine that had they stuck with their original idea they would have attracted the best players from the area and become the Manchester City of Under 13s Girls Football in Bedfordshire. Even by just dropping subs they will probably still attract the best crop.

The club is registered & affiliated to the Bedfordshire FA. For more from their club please visit their website here