England vice-captain Millie Bright has insisted that a spotlight is needed on "unacceptable" situations in the women's game and said that the Lionesses will continue to stand up to achieve the "bare minimum" standards for the game.
Bright's call for change follows last month's announcement by former Women's Super League (WSL) club Reading that the team would fall from Tier 2 of the women's professional game to Tier 5 and adopt an amateur status due to funding issues.
Earlier in June, Yorkshire team Thornaby FC announced the closure of their entire women and girls programme, leaving over 100 players without a club. The controversial decision was overturned several days later.
"No matter what league it is, every team deserves that spotlight," Bright told the media on Tuesday while on an England training camp.
"I think you can use that spotlight in more ways than one. I think it can be shone on places that maybe need improvements and need that support and need the backing of the whole women's game."
Bright's England teammate Beth Mead spoke out about the situation with Thornaby FC, branding the closure as a "horrible decision."
Reading's fall from professional football came as a shock to many. They were relegated from the WSL at the end of the 2022-23 season and spent only one season in the Championship, where they finished in 10th.
Reading finished fourth in the top flight in 2018 and secured back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 2019 and 2020. They were also FA Cup semifinalists in 2019 before facing financial strain and adopting a part-time model upon their relegation two seasons ago.
Lionesses Fran Kirby and Mary Earps played for Reading in their early careers. Former England player Fara Williams also spent four years with the club, ending her playing career there in 2021.
Williams took to X, writing: "This is devastating for all involved. I spent some of my best years at this club, both as a player and the girls RTC coach. It's shocking that it's come to this. I feel for all the players and staff affected by this decision."
Bright recalled the recent issues in the game, believing that players need to stand up for the "unacceptable" situations and spotlight the areas that need improvement in the game.
"I think that's something that we see a lot, as a player you don't just represent your own team but you represent the whole community in the women's game. I think we do need to stand up for each other," she said.
"I think we've seen a lot of situations that are just not acceptable in the women's game and they just shouldn't be happening. I would like to see the spotlight spread out and make sure that we are highlighting problems that need to be fixed and need to be better moving forward for the benefit of the women's game."
Before moving to Chelsea in 2014, Bright played for Doncaster Belles with a loan spell at Leeds Ladies in 2011. Having experienced the disparity between the top tier clubs and the rest of the pyramid, Bright believes that exposure for the lower leagues is imperative to highlight issues and grow the game.
"It should never just be about the top leagues and the top teams because as much as they can keep succeeding, for the growth of the game it needs to be about all the teams -- making sure that every team has the facilities, the backing, the funding, all the aspects of the game.
"It is a full package, it's not just about one or two teams."
Since their Euro 2022 victory, the Lionesses have consistently pledged to improve the conditions for girls playing football.
The team wrote an open letter to the Government asking for equal access to sport for girls and boys, prompting a £600 million investment.
Ahead of their World Cup campaign in 2023, the Government announced an additional £30m that will build approximately 30 new state-of-the-art 3G pitches and accompanying facilities.
Despite making strides to try and improve the situation for women's football, Bright believes there is still more to be done and insists that the Lionesses will continue to stand up for what is right.
"I think a lot of us have experienced different parts of the game and now we have the luxury of having pretty much everything," she said.
"Yes, there's still work to be done but I think comparing it to some of the more senior players' experience, we've been through that as well where you don't have everything, you're maybe not treated in the right way, maybe dismissed a little bit if the facilities are poor.
"But I think now we all stand up for what's right and what's needed and the bare minimum that should be accepted in the women's game."