Sheffield Hatters face uncertain WBBL future after 60 years of success

The club, now in its sixtieth year, was forced to withdraw from the 2020/2021 top-flight season after it failed to raise £60,000 needed when donors pulled out because of the financial impact of Covid-19.

They are looking for a ‘sustainable’ source of income to reenter the league which they helped found – but have yet to find one.

Sarah McQueen, Sheffield Hatters trustee, said: “It’s been a rollercoaster. As a club, every year has always been a challenge to raise funds.

“We are looking for investors. We can’t keep going where it’s about us fundraising. We need a sustainable option to keep the women’s team going.”

Hatters, who have seven women and junior teams, aren’t the only sports club hit hard by the pandemic – Sheffield Sharks, who play in the UK’s top basketball league, and rugby league club Sheffield Eagles had their season’s cancelled.

They have since been able to resume playing, while Sheffield Steelers will also return to action next month after their 2020/21 season was also cancelled.

Despite its rich history, women’s basketball in Sheffield has a more uncertain future.

“I’m not worried about the junior programme, I’m worried about the women’s team and not being able to have any team,” Sarah said.

"If you don’t have that women’s team you don’t see that pathway to create the level of athlete we have, and they need to be able to see that. Seeing is believing – it’s a big part of women’s sport.”

First team player Georgia Gayle moved to Valencia in Spain to continue playing this season, having previously competed in America after coming through the Hatters’ junior programme.

Sarah said: “If we stop at a junior level, girls can’t then be competing and pushing themselves to be the best.

"We are not going to be, as a city, producing the level of athletes that we could produce.”

She added: “People are valuing women’s sport now and what it brings.

"We are about producing confident women. Businesses say they want more women with confidence but you also need to invest in what’s going to support that and support set-ups which create the fundamentals.”