A Scottish international women's footballer has failed in a court bid to recover what she said were unpaid wages from Clyde FC. Lauren Rabbitte took the team and its charitable foundation to an employment tribunal after quitting last year, one day after the club controversially signed David Goodwillie.
Ms Rabbitte, who has played professionally in Scotland, England and in the US, told a tribunal that she had been promised a salary of up to £32,000 as the team's new "head of women's and girl's football". However, the tribunal accepted Clyde FC's counterclaim that she was never employed by the team, and had served as a volunteer on the understanding that funding was being pursued to give her a salary.
The tribunal heard that Ms Rabbitte had been volunteering for Spartans FC and working for her mother's marketing firm when she was approached by the club foundation's David Caldwell to support the organisation's women's football efforts. The pair had a meeting in which she became convinced she had been offered a paid role.
However, Mr Caldwell, who introduced himself to the player as "head of sport for Clyde FC", told the hearing that he had been clear the role would be voluntary until funding could be secured. The foundation's finance application was ultimately unsuccessful.
Ms Rabbitte was never provided with a written contract, but told the tribunal she had "constantly" asked for one, a claim disputed by Mr Caldwell. Relations soured and she 'resigned' from her role on March 3 2022, the same day that the entire Clyde Ladies team quit the team in protest at the decision to sign Goodwillie, who was found by a civil court to have raped a woman in 2011.
In an email to club chair Gordon Thomson Ms Rabbitte claimed the club had committed a "breach of contract" and had discriminated against her for raising concerns about the treatment of the female team. However, employment judge Ronald Mackay struggled to find proof that she was ever treated as anything other than a volunteer.
He noted that the player never corrected a mention of her as a "volunteer" in an email he reviewed as part of the case. There was no evidence provided of a formal offer of employment or a contract being agreed – which he said was "fatal" to Ms Rabbitte's case.
The judge said in his written summary: "Whatever she actually did, there was no evidence of the claimant at any time being instructed to do any work at all. There was no evidence of Mr Caldwell or anyone else from the Club or the Foundation exercising any supervision or control over what the claimant did, how she did it or when she did it.
"What she did, she did of her own volition. She did not receive, and had no entitlement to, any wage or remuneration.
"There was no obligation on her to perform any tasks requested of her. Nor was there any obligation on the part of the Foundation to provide her with any work."
In a statement, Clyde FC welcomed the "unequivocal" dismissal of the former player's case, writing: "The ruling is entirely in our favour. Although we welcome the outcome, the fact is that the charity is now counting the cost of having to defend against what we always believed to be a baseless and opportunistic case."
Rabbitte told the Record: “I am disappointed with the outcome and we are currently considering my options in terms of appeal.” The Goodwillie scandal rocked Clyde FC and led to the men's team cancelling the player's loan from Raith Rovers following pressure from fans, politicians and the local council, which banned Goodwillie from entering the stadium.
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