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Manchester United files application to field women's team in 2nd division

Shaun Botterill / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Manchester United announced Wednesday the club has submitted an application to the Football Association (FA) to establish a professional women's team in the Women's Super League second division, to play alongside other clubs including Tottenham, Watford, and Aston Villa.

The club states its intention is to "provide a career pathway for players who graduate from the long-established and highly successful Girls' Regional Talent Club," which has already seen 15 graduates go on to play internationally this season alone.

"We are pleased to announce that the club intends to establish its first ever professional women’s team and has submitted an application to enter WSL2," United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said in a club-issued statement.

"The FA has provided excellent support through the process and we believe that launching a team in WSL2 would give many more of our graduates from the Regional Talent Club the chance to establish themselves as first-team players.

"The Manchester United women's team must be built in the same image and with the same principles as the men's first team and offer academy players a clear route to top-level football within the club."

United's WSL2 outfit would have a chance at earning promotion into the first division, where it would square off against the women's teams from clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, and Manchester City.

Newly-appointed England women's national team manager Phil Neville was in support of United's efforts in branching into the women's game, saying, as quoted by Manchester Evening News, "I will be encouraging them. They have a fantastic community programme for female players and coaches.

"When they do set out their women's team it will be one to challenge City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool. A club of the size of United should be the leaders, the pioneers. I am sure they are working to do that."

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