It was announced Tuesday that Thornton had withdrawn from first grade citing “a lack of numbers due to work commitments, season-ending and prolonged injuries and several players leaving the club”. It followed a crisis meeting of players and club officials on Monday and move of Milton and fellow stalwart Jenny Jongbloed to Wallsend.

The Redbacks, in the WPL since 2014, sit last on zero points and a goal difference of minus 41 after 10 rounds. The club’s 14, 17 and 20 years teams will continue but all first-grade games featuring Thornton will be a bye. All points and goals already won against them will be deleted. 

Thornton officials met with Northern NSW Football last month to express their concerns and it appears the loss of Milton and Jongbloed proved the final straw.

Milton has been with Thornton since 2014 and travelled back from Sydney each weekend to play for the club in a past season.

However, she said the struggle this year, after the loss of players to other clubs and sports, proved too much.

“It was a tough decision,” Milton said. “I love the club and we have a great culture there but it’s just been really hard, especially this season with the quality the other clubs have brought in.

“The league has elevated to that next level and I didn’t really think we could match it. Obviously money plays a big part in that and we haven’t been able to have the consistency to draw in the players with experience.

“It sadly got to the point where I wasn’t enjoying my football.”

Milton believed a rise in player payments at other clubs had been a factor in Thornton’s demise.

“It seems to be really evident this year, whereas in previous seasons you heard of a few players being offered something, but this year it’s been taken to a whole new level,” she said.

She said it was sad to see the Redbacks withdraw.

“The guys involved there are there for the right reasons and they are committed to bringing the girls through,” she said. “But when it seems like they get to that first grade level, they go to other clubs.

“Everything is changing to becoming so money-focused. It’s a real shame.”

NNSWF chief David Eland said the loss of Thornton and pre-season withdrawal of Football Mid North Coast were blows for the WPL but he planned to work with both about a return in 2019.

Eland was well aware of rumoured player payment increases but said they were “very difficult” to monitor and “we don’t run clubs”.

However, he said “we certainly need to get further insights into what money is now involved in the WPL”.

“There was a brief conversation about this a year ago and I made it clear to all WPL clubs that I thought if clubs could afford to pay players, it was certainly time NNSWF reconsidered its massive investment in the WPL,” he said. “It’s only been in recent years that we’ve started to charge a competition fee. We were subsidising it heavily and we continue to do so.”

Eland said “the WPL has certainly become more competitive, which is good” but admitted it had come at a price.

“Clearly a number of the clubs are taking the competition very seriously and that means they are going after the best players,” he said.

“The demand for the best has heightened and that has placed some pressure on other clubs.

“Due to their location, Thornton find it tough to recruit players and if they are not going to start paying players, it is going to make it harder for them.

“To lose Football Mid North Coast in the pre-season and now Thornton, it’s a blow. It wasn’t that long ago we went through a review and had every club commit to having an NPL here for women in 2021.

“We started to mandate changes to lift clubs on and off the field so we can be compliant with NPL, but this has been a hit and we have to restock, get the clubs together and understand how this has happened.

“Thornton and Football Mid North Coast have made it clear they are going to their utmost to get their first-grade teams back into the competition for 2019.”

Club statement:

Thornton Redbacks Football Club regrettably announces that we are left with no alternative but to withdraw our 1st Grade team from the 2018 Herald Women’s Premier League Competition effective immediately.

This decision has not come easy but we were left with no alternative but to follow this course of action. Our decision is based on a lack of numbers in our senior squad due to work commitments, season ending and prolonged injuries and several players leaving the club amongst other things.

This current situation has placed a large strain on our younger players from the U17’s competition with up to 9 of these players having to back up to help bolster our senior squads (U20 & 1st Grade) during this period with no let up in sight. The club has a duty of care for the wellbeing of these young players during their years of personal development and growth and this was a contributing factor in our decision.

Thornton Redbacks FC will endeavour to rebuild our senior ranks in the off-season so that we may rejoin the competition in the 2019 season in ALL grades.

Thornton Redbacks would like to thank all the clubs for your understanding of our situation and our subsequent decision in this regard.