Fortuna Sittard women's team, launched with ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League, faced insurmountable financial challenges after three years of operation. Despite an impressive third-place finish in their first season and reaching the KNVB Cup final a year prior, they struggled to find sustainable sponsorship. The minority owners aimed to create a strong women's division alongside a robust men's team and academy but could not secure additional funding. The club's last game ended in a defeat, marking the closure of their professional venture in women's football.
"We knew from the beginning we had a sponsor for three years; the objective was to find sponsors to help the team stand on its own two feet, but it has been difficult to find, let's say it the easy way, money."
"We started quite big...Our new minority owners wanted to change things across the club and had three pillars to invest. Two already existed at a high level, the men's team and the academy, so they wanted to invest and create a women's team."
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