Manchester United's Casey Stoney says weekday afternoon kick-offs 'would not happen in...

[ASFN Admin]

Manchester United manager Casey Stoney has argued the decision to stage Continental Cup fixtures on weekday afternoons "would never happen in the men's game", as she voiced fears for the visibility of the women's game. Stoney's team plays Liverpool at 2pm on Wednesday, in the first group stage round of the League Cup competition. It is one of three games in the first three rounds scheduled to kick off in the middle of the working day, as Tottenham Hotspur face the London City Lionesses at 3:30pm on Wednesday too. Though Stoney said the timing suited her team, in terms of recovery ahead of the weekend, she thought it was a sign the game's decision-makers were not prioritising growing the game's audience for the competition. "I think the thinking was, well it’s behind closed doors so it doesn’t really matter," Stoney said. "I agreed to it because our [league] game had been moved from this Sunday to Saturday at 12:30pm, so kicking off at 2pm on Wednesday gives us more recovery time, as we’ve got to travel to London. But we were very keen we wanted to get it on MUTV if it was going to be at that time, so our fans [could watch]." At present, none of the first round fixtures are due to be broadcast live on television, though select matches will be available on the free FA Player app. "Visibility is important at the moment and we’re not making the game as visible as it could be or should be. We’re not showing enough women’s games on BT Sport and we’re only allowed to show three games a season on MUTV. That for me is nonsense - why not give us permission to show all the games? The fans can’t get in the ground, the game is in danger at the moment of losing the fanbase that it has, when we’re desperate to grow it. "It wouldn’t happen in the men’s game, that’s all I’m saying," she added.

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