Clyde women's team quit as club re-signs rapist who is banned from stadium

David Goodwillie's controversial return to Clyde has seen him banned from entering their stadium - on the same day that the women's team broke away from the Lanarkshire club.

Goodwillie, who was found to have raped a woman by a judge in a civil case back in 2017, had previously spent five years at Clyde prior to his transfer to Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers last month.

But the move to Raith was widely condemned by sponsors and supporters and after a few days the club performed a u-turn, conceding that the decision to sign the 32-year-old had been a mistake.

But the damage had already been done and high-profile author Val McDermid withdrew her sponsorship while the women's team agreed to go it alone as the McDermid Ladies.

On Wednesday, Clyde announced the re-signing of Goodwillie on a loan deal until the end of the season. But like Raith, they too have now been subject to a huge backlash.

The general manager of the Clyde women's team, David McGoldrick, has announced his resignation and the squad of players are now set to follow the McDermid Ladies' example.

In a post on its Facebook page, the team confirmed: "All of the players in the ladies team have discussed the situation with the general manager/secretary and they are ALL in agreement that we no longer wish to play for Clyde FC. This will start with immediate effect.

"As a group of female footballers all we wish to do is play the sport that we love, but due to the current circumstances we are unable to do this."

Meanwhile, later on Thursday afternoon North Lanarkshire Council informed Clyde FC that Goodwillie must not be permitted access to their Broadwood stadium in Cumbernauld.

In a lengthy statement released on Thursday, the council also confirmed that they are not planning to renew the lease with the club once it expires next year.

The statement said: "We have informed the club that David Goodwillie must not be permitted access to the stadium, for any purpose, with immediate effect.

"Should Mr Goodwillie enter the stadium, we will consider the contract to have been breached and we will take immediate steps to terminate it.

"In addition, we have informed Clyde FC that the council intends not to renew the lease with the club when the contract for the use of Broadwood Stadium expires in May, 2023.

"The council utterly condemns all and any violence towards, or abuse of, women. We offer a range of services to support women who experience abuse, through Rape Crisis Lanarkshire and Aura, and we would urge anyone in this position to make contact.

"The council believes in rehabilitation, and has services which provide this. However, Mr Goodwillie has not expressed any contrition in relation to the rape which the court found he had committed in the civil action against him. In re-signing Mr Goodwillie, Clyde FC has not acknowledged that background or community concerns, instead choosing to focus on enabling Mr Goodwillie to play football.

"We regret that this action is necessary. However, the council has a responsibility to the wider community to act, and to send a clear signal that abuse must not be tolerated.

"We also note that some people have questioned why the council is only taking action now given that Mr Goodwillie has played for Clyde for a number of years.

"For clarity, the stadium was previously under the control of North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd which, while previously paid by the council for management of a range of services and facilities, is a separate legal entity. The council was unable to direct the company in relation to this matter. The stadium, and all the services of the company, have reverted to direct council control."

Clyde have been contacted for comment by Mirror Sport.