READING announced a mass exodus of players following Women’s Super League relegation as the club’s financial woes deepened.
Thirteen stars, including six internationals, were released following the expiration of their contracts.
The departures come just three weeks after Royals CEO Dayong Pang said the team will go part-time following their relegation to the Women’s Championship in May.
The majority leaving were members of Reading’s senior women’s squad who were managed by Kelly Chambers before her departure earlier this month.
They include goalkeeper Grace Moloney, highly-rated forward Deanne Rose and striker Amalie Eikeland, 27, who made her 100th Royals appearance last season.
The trio are set to represent the Republic of Ireland, Canada and Norway respectively at the Women’s World Cup next month.
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Other talents leaving the struggling club include Scotland full-back Emma Mukandi, 30, Wales defender Gemma Evans 26 and forwards Natasha Dowie and Emma Harries.
Earlier this month Harries, 21, who joined the Royals’ academy at the age of eight, described their relegation as a “sad day for women’s football”.
In a tweet the former England Under-19 vice captain wrote that club staff “deserved so much better”.
In a written statement the club described the situation as “a challenging period for the team, marked by the disappointment of relegation to the Barclays (Women’s) Championship” .
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It stated: “A number of new contract offers were issued – but within the constraints of a part-time programme operating in the second tier of the women’s game”.
The exit of the majority of Reading’s women squad comes just two days after the club were served with a winding-up petition by HMRC.
The petition is said to relate to unpaid tax bills.
This month the Royals were also charged by the EFL for failing to pay their men’s team players on time and in full on three occasions last season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
