Crawley Wasps star says team acknowledge 'the bigger picture'

The high-flying club were on course to win their third league title in a row, sitting nine points clear of Watford in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division, the third tier of women’s football.

But with government guidance putting all sport on hold during the Covid-19 crisis, the FA announced last month that all women’s leagues below tier two – the FA Women’s Championship – would be cancelled, and results expunged.

“It’s obviously disappointing because we were doing so well,” left-back Palmer said.

SEE ALSO FA's action certainly negates our recognition of football as a 'team' sport - Crawley Town opinion | Crawley Town technical director Konyar wants to see Reds play out remaining fixtures | Crawley Town owner and chairman fully committed to the club during tumultuous period“But we all understand the bigger picture – people are losing their lives and their jobs. It’s inevitable that it was going to happen. It’s important people stay well and stay safe.”

It has left the Wasps squad – along with players in the rest of their division – in limbo, with no indication of when the 2020-21 season may start.

But Palmer says the team are staying sharp despite the prospect of months without kicking a ball.

“We’re a good squad in terms of keeping ourselves fit outside of football,” she said. “There’s a lot of us doing runs, doing sprints. I’ve got quite a big garden so I’m doing bits outside.

“[Ex-Wales international Emma] Plewa has been hitting it hard, Megan [Stow, midfielder] is on it a lot, but just because people don’t post about it doesn’t mean they’re not.

“I’m missing it and missing the girls of course but that’s nothing compared to what others are going through.

“We’ve got the WhatsApp group chats going off all the time and it’s much easier to keep in touch now than it used to be.”

- Wasps have relaunched their YouTube channel. Videos include youth players taking on the ‘Waspsbar Challenge’, coaching drills from first-team head coach Mike Gardner and captain Naomi Cole, who also answers questions posed by the club’s younger players. Search ‘Crawley Wasps’ on YouTube.

- Crawley Wasps have postponed their shorts sponsorship initiative, due to the Coronavirus crisis.

The FA Women’s National League high-flyers were offering local businesses a chance to win the sponsorship, worth £10,000, in a raffle where tickets cost just £250.

But with all sport on hold, the club have put the raffle on ice until further notice. The club has thanked those who had already expressed an interest.

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