INEOS Takes the Helm of Manchester United Women: Title Aspirations, a Bold Move, but Lacking a Clear Strategy

December 24 marks a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and founder of the petrochemical company INEOS, acquired a minority stake in, and assumed sporting control of, Manchester United.

In honor of the anniversary, eScored has interviewed several individuals to assess the impact Ratcliffe and INEOS have had on United over the last 12 months.

Today, Charlotte Harpur delves into what this has meant for the United women’s team. Tomorrow, we will take a look back at an extraordinary year for the men’s team.

A golden plaque crowns the staircase leading to the temporary offices of the Manchester United women’s team at the club’s Carrington training ground. The inscription reads: “2028 Women’s Super League winners.” An exhilarating prospect.

Right in front of it hangs a picture of the United women’s team celebrating their victory with the 2024 FA Cup trophy, alongside the inscription, “We are here to entertain, revolutionise, inspire and win” displayed on the wall behind the step.

Each stair on the first flight leading up to that motto marks a milestone in the women’s team’s journey from its reformation in May 2018—after more than a decade of inactivity—to their Under-16 Premier Girls’ Cup victory this summer.

The next flight of stairs is made up of eight empty grey steps with no inscriptions. They lead to the lofty goal established by the club’s new chief executive Omar Berrada, who informed staff in September of the ambition to secure the men’s team’s next league title (to be their 21st) and the women’s first title by 2028, aligning with the club’s 150th anniversary.

The emphasis on winning has been clear since INEOS, the petrochemicals giant owned by English billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who now holds a 29 percent stake in the club, assumed sporting control at United one year ago on Christmas Eve. But what specific influence has INEOS had on the women’s team over the last year?

Winning was essentially all Ratcliffe had to say regarding ambitions for the women’s team when he first addressed the media in February. “If it’s a team wearing a Manchester United badge, they need to be focused on winning,” he stated. However, nearly a year after INEOS’s involvement, as recently as December in an interview with fan publication United We Stand, Ratcliffe has consistently indicated that his attention has been primarily on the men’s team.

An INEOS spokesperson referred to Ratcliffe as “extremely honest,” someone who will not “bulls***” or make uncommitted statements. Despite the clear target, according to the spokesperson, INEOS does not have a strategy in place for achieving the 2028 goal and acknowledges that its impact on the women’s team over the past year has been “limited.”

Ratcliffe has consistently downplayed his interest in the United women’s team (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

The players of the women’s team have created their own motto with assistance from a psychologist.

Within their analysis room at Carrington, four core words and personalized definitions are displayed on the walls: Together, Relentless, Authentic, and Courageous, which collectively form the acronym TRAC — as in, staying on track. A photo capturing the team’s celebration in memory of midfielder Ella Toone’s late father is positioned next to the term ‘Together’, while the moment marking their equalizer against Arsenal in November is placed alongside ‘Relentless’.

Additionally, several other changes have occurred.

United has rolled out a new set of club rules, drafted in collaboration with the PFA, the professional footballers’ trade union in England, specifically for the women’s team. These regulations are based on a similar document that is already in place for the men’s first team.

One such rule, applicable to both men’s and women’s teams, mandates that players must refrain from leaving the north-west of England during the season without prior permission from club management. Should a player wish to participate in any personal activity, they must submit a detailed request to the team’s operations manager, outlining the location, timings, and nature of the activity.

Players may face penalties if they fail to secure approval for absences from the Manchester area during the season. The first offense incurs a fine of 10 percent of their weekly wages, with fines escalating by an additional 10 percent for each subsequent violation. United claims this has been a long-standing rule imposed on the men’s team. Given the evolution and professionalization of the women’s game, United aims to ensure consistency across both teams and alignment between players and the club.

In contrast, INEOS maintains that its focus has been primarily on the men’s team, restructuring the club for sustainability and reducing costs to ensure compliance with profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR).

No specific initiatives have been designed for the women’s team, and according to the spokesperson, the most significant positive development for the women’s team has resulted from hiring Berrada, perceived to have a history of supporting women’s football. The recruitment of sporting director Dan Ashworth, tasked with advancing a successful women’s team, could also be viewed as a second positive step but he left United two weeks ago after just five months.

Women’s team manager Marc Skinner expressed feeling “energized” by Berrada’s and Ashworth’s commitment when they joined in the summer. He relished Ashworth’s engagement with the players about “what it means to be at Manchester United” prior to their first WSL game of the new season in September.

INEOS is working to redirect the club’s resources entirely towards men’s football and states it lacks the financial or temporal capacity to cover both teams. INEOS believes the women’s team already has adequate facilities and coaching to maintain their current status.

Skinner with Ashworth (left), who has now departed (Charlotte Tattersall – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images)

One of the most significant impacts INEOS has made on the women’s team was the £50 million investment in the redevelopment of… the men’s first-team facilities.

INEOS acknowledges that this decision represents a temporary setback for the women’s team, as they were relocated from their new facilities—only opened in October last year, just prior to INEOS’s arrival—to accommodate the men’s team. Ratcliffe stated to UK newspaper The Sunday Times in August that it was a “pragmatic” choice to ensure all teams could continue training, noting, “the men’s team makes £800 million, while the women’s team costs £10 million.”

The women occupied the English Football Association’s facilities at St George’s Park, more than an hour’s drive south of Manchester, for two to three weeks during pre-season before relocating to their temporary building at Carrington just two days before their first match in the 2024-25 season.

The walls of the men’s gym—currently shared by the women’s first team and men’s youth academy—feature the phrases, “We never give up, we are never beaten, we rise to the challenge.” This space is divided by a running track. Despite the shared environment, the women do view the available equipment as an improvement.

The rehabilitation room, adorned with quotes from tennis legend Roger Federer, “There’s no way around hard work,” and sprinting icon Usain Bolt, “Hours and hours and hours of work,” contains a sauna, swimming pool, and vitamin D bed, accessible to men’s, women’s, and academy teams.

The women’s team canteen has been relocated into the graduate lounge, which was previously designated for parents and families of academy kids. The players continue to enjoy the culinary delights of their favored chef Jimmy, particularly his bao buns.

Inside their temporary building, which resembles a portable cabin from the outside, albeit a robust, high-quality one, lie the players’ changing rooms, a kit room, a doctor’s office, office space, a small lounge, and a spacious analysis room complete with chairs and a projector. Additionally, two classrooms for the men’s academy players have been established on one floor of the women’s temporary building to facilitate their schoolwork.

The women train on their usual pitches, which are meticulously maintained to mirror the turf at their home stadium, Leigh Sports Village—Skinner asserts the quality is so high “you’d want to eat your breakfast off them.” Earlier this season, Erik ten Hag, the then-men’s first-team manager, had a wall constructed to separate the men’s and women’s pitches to provide tactical privacy, especially with the influx of spectators during academy matches at Carrington on weekends. The club mentioned that wind blockage was also a reason for this modification.

The women’s team is expected to benefit from enhancements upon returning to their original facilities.

These upgrades include an auditorium-style analysis room and soundproofing. As part of the refurbishment of the men’s building, INEOS is concentrating on delivering superior medical facilities, including practitioners and scanners for both men’s and women’s teams, to reduce injury rates while reconstructing office and administrative areas that affect both teams.

In his latest remarks, Ratcliffe acknowledged that the United women’s team presents “an opportunity,” recognizing that women’s football is “growing really quickly in popularity and size,” and that the club needs to be a part of that. INEOS understands, from a commercial perspective, it can leverage the diverse audience drawn to the women’s game.

In March, INEOS announced it would undertake an audit to evaluate how the United women’s team is structured and assess the performance of those responsible for their success. One of INEOS’ guiding principles, frequently reiterated by Ratcliffe, is “best in class,” but at present, United’s new co-owner seems to be allowing the women’s team to drift without direction, merely covering over cracks.

United is facing challenges due to the delayed revival of their women’s team until 2018.

Given United’s illustrious overall history, their women’s team is held to the highest standards, despite being established only six years ago. While it is possible that other top clubs with similar robust financial capabilities should prioritize their women’s teams more, the women’s game is rapidly evolving, and the minimum expectation is for United’s team to keep pace with the leading group. The WSL requires major teams like United to disrupt the status quo.

Currently, however, INEOS appears content for the women’s team to progress with minimal oversight — everything remains ‘to be confirmed’. In May, United extended Skinner’s contract for one year with an option for another 12 months, a deal length that hardly conveys stability. The head of women’s football, Matt Johnson, who replaced Polly Bancroft in May, is in an interim role until the end of the season, and England’s first-choice goalkeeper Mary Earps, club captain Katie Zelem, and Lucia Garcia, who scored two of United’s goals in the 4-0 FA Cup final win over Tottenham also left for free transfers this summer.

United’s offer represented a better overall package for Earps, but finances were not her chief concern. She sought a chance to compete for trophies and is now with Paris Saint-Germain in France. Earps communicated on Instagram that it was the “right time to make a change,” with the club “about to enter a phase of transition”. United did not extend an offer to Zelem, while she also opted not to continue her stay. Out of mutual respect, the club chose not to trigger the additional year option in the midfielder’s contract, allowing her to leave for free.

United won the FA Cup last season but have lost key players from that squad (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

United has appointed a new captain, 22-year-old Maya Le Tissier, amid further impending changes, as Hayley Ladd, whose contract is set to expire at the end of this season, looks poised to leave in January. The 31-year-old midfielder, who has been with the club since 2019, has seen just eight league minutes this season and must secure playtime in the coming months with her Wales team having qualified for next summer’s European Championship. United is willing to heed the player’s wishes should suitable offers arise, but an agreement for a transfer is yet to be finalized.

Although United’s global reputation might still attract players, a recruitment strategy shift to sign, as Skinner describes, “young” and “hungry” athletes is on the horizon; the dangers posed by such apathy extend not only to today’s roster but also to potential world-class talent, fan perception, and commercial opportunities.

Despite Ratcliffe’s statements and INEOS’ briefings, Skinner asserts that the sentiments do not align with the daily realities he observes from INEOS’ operations.

“Words are cheap, but actions last longer,” Skinner remarked during a pre-match press conference ahead of the Crystal Palace match last weekend. By its own admission, INEOS’ actions have been virtually non-existent. Nevertheless, Skinner believes that “whether intentionally or unintentionally, they (INEOS) have had a direct influence. The key factors they are clear about are: ‘We want to win’. They are definite about needing to adjust the club according to financial realities.”

Additionally, Skinner has noticed “more connectivity” within the club, illustrated by the interactions between men’s first-team head coaches and himself or the interest shown toward the women’s team’s matches from men’s academy players and staff. “That’s what I would consider their influence has been,” he concluded.

Ashworth had indeed fostered closer relations between departments, yet his departure at the start of this month leaves a void.

Tom Crotty represents INEOS on the women’s board, acting as a liaison between the team and ownership to ensure that INEOS is apprised of any concerns. Johnson, serving as the link among the players’ leadership group and the club, will report to chief operating officer Collette Roche, who will manage women’s team matters at the board level, while Skinner indicates he also communicates with Berrada, Jason Wilcox, the technical director in charge of the men’s side of the club, and Roche.

According to the INEOS spokesperson, the club will shift its focus toward the women’s team only next season. By then, the expectation is that the men will have a stable coaching staff and new facilities. It is likewise anticipated that by that time, the overall landscape of the women’s game will have evolved.

In the corner of the women’s analysis room, to the left of the projector, hangs a framed print illustrating, over the years, the club badges of all teams that have won each season’s WSL title. The future years are filled with question marks.

“So (the women’s team) is, ‘To be confirmed’?,” financial news source Bloomberg queried Ratcliffe in June.

“Correct,” he responded.

A year after the INEOS takeover and six months following that interview, the same answer remains.

(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)