News: Demotion has “been heartbreaking” admits Sunderland Ladies captain in exclusive interview

Sunderland Ladies captain Keira Ramshaw joined us in the Roker Rapport podcast yesterday - and that interview will be released later this afternoon - but while she was with us she discussed the impact the club’s demotion to to the third tier of women’s football had on herself.

Ramshaw explained that the demotion to the FA Women’s National League from the FA Women’s Super League had been heartbreaking for her and it resulted in the need to find a full-time job that she could do alongside continuing her playing career:

It has been really hard and it’s been heartbreaking for myself as well.

Super League One was fantastic, we obviously had coverage for the telly, things like that, better media. We had better crowds, we were pulling in crowds 1,500 to 2,000 and now you’re lucky if you see 200 to 300 people at the Hetton centre now.

We had everything that we could possibly wish for and then it got took away from us for non-footballing reasons which was heartbreaking, especially for myself as I had to find a full-time job because part-time jobs I couldn’t live on that especially.

Finding a full-time job and then obviously training times 7.30 until 9.30, you’ve been to work and you’ve been up since 6 O’Clock and then you haven’t had a weekend because they are took over by games and things like that, it is very hard.

It kind of just feels as if you’re working and playing football and that’s all your life is but at the same time I wouldn’t change it because I want to be at Sunderland and I want to give everything I can to Sunderland. If that means working until 6 O’Clock at night and training until 9 O’Clock at night then so be it.

While she was with us in the studio, Keira also discussed the club’s fantastic win over Blackburn Ladies who had a 100% winning record going into the game, and there’s more on the club’s demotion into the third tier and her fantasy 5-a-side team.

You can listen to that interview in full by subscribing to the Roker Rapport podcast on iTunes, Acast, Spotify or YouTube by clicking the relative links or by entering ‘Roker Rapport’ into your nearest search engine - and make sure to follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).