The Rebranding - Lincoln Ladies to become Notts County Ladies

    I'm a Ladyimps fan I feel I'd best start here. A 12thimp as we started referring to ourselves in the last season. Proud to be a 12thimp too. That of course leads to the future the REBRANDING and the questions I have been asked by so many. How do you feel about it? And then, what are you going to do?
   I was stunned like most fans of the club when the news broke back in April through the poorly thought through and hardly needed statement from the FA, something that disappointingly was going to be a theme from the sports governing body from then on in and something the club itself used to hide behind. It was a huge shadow that affected the team all season and on the eve of our FA Cup semi-final down at Bristol the biggest game in the clubs history (at that point) it had affected the players no doubt.
    Personally I was shocked I'm a football fan got behind a club had just joined the newly formed Supporters Club, had sponsored a player too. Strangely up to that point I was fairly inactive on Twitter, that changed that day so you can blame the rebranding on that too. In the previous season and a half I had had little engagement with my fellow fans (I can be a shy chap believe it or not) with the formation of the Supporters Club we came together. I suppose because I travelled from Norfolk I felt like a bit of an outsider however I know that was not the case getting to know everyone I have felt very welcome and have made some good and I am sure lasting friends it has been a real highlight and I suppose my sadness at this move comes from my feelings for those in the county of Lincolnshire who were prepared to get behind this club and make it a success.
    The most frustrating thing for myself has been my drive to understand the decision and the lack of explanation, because I do want to understand. Don't think I don't at this point because although it's been like getting blood from a stone I have spoken to various sources at length on the subject.
    Lincoln Ladies will become Notts County Ladies from 2014 as the WSL enters its second phase and gains a second tier. It is a franchise league which means teams bid to secure a place in it. Lincoln Ladies are owned by Ray Trew who is also the owner of Notts County men's club. Teams in the current WSL set up and the new bidders 33 in total had to submit a bid to join the new 2 tier WSL 1 & 2 these criteria included, playing facilities and financial backing on this basis it meant the merging of 2 clubs into 1 and with the men's club being the larger Lincoln Ladies and it's 18 year history was the casualty. Lincoln Ladies as it stood would not have been able to retain its place in the WSL based on the terms laid out by the FA.
     If this rebranding had happened in the men's game there would have been uproar, debate on a national level... it was the women however and barely caused a ripple that is perhaps an example of how far the sport has to come?
    The club is becoming Notts County Ladies the Ladyimps will be no more that is that. Now I became involved when the club first joined the WSL and then Lincoln Ladies own inclusion caused a stir the casualty then was Leeds of whom several Lincoln players came from and looking at that group in general Leeds had one hell of a side so there were losers back in 2011 too. Someone said to me and it is a valid point had Notts County been in a WSL side back in 2011 and not Lincoln would I have gone to support because they would have still been the nearest, although only just?
    I think that's fair enough from my point of view, I am an exception but by no stretch the only one, a fan who is prepared to travel stupid miles to support a team. It is the people of Lincoln who have lost out, they have lost a club 18 years in history which I had a brief glimpse of however like myself they are passionate about the game and will find a way to support the women who want to play the game and maybe I hope another Lincoln team will rise, someone in the county will take advantage of what was a strong and growing fan base. A lot walked away when the rebranding was announced but 500+ had turned up for that first league game in 2013 the potential was certainly there.

Well what am I going to do?

   This is a good question I suppose you have to take the emotion out of it progress is not without victims and in this case a football club is no more, wasn't the first, will not be the last. I guess over the course of the 2013 season my own evolution as a fan began albeit subconsciously to start with. Franchise football, what the hell is that all about this is England for goodness sakes, not America? Who better to ask then than an American (oddly several of them aren't fond of franchised sport either) however they get it and I did listen to what my friend had to say, over there you don't always support the 'club' as strongly as you do the players within it.
     It wasn't the only reason and I know I wasn't the only fan with this mindset we kept coming because we support the girls who just want to play the game. It was those same players who were thankful for the support too. We all have our favourite players after all and I guess if enough of those players are still at Notts County come the start of the 2014 I will support them, it will be for them and myself a new beginning. However there is a long winter period, which will see lots of coming and goings player wise involving all clubs not just Notts County, Man City are new too and we don't know yet what they're spending power is. Liverpool won't stand still either thus the rest will have to act. It will be very interesting.
    One thing is certain my passion to support has only grown.