Women's Football News
Plymouth Argyle Women Release Squad After Best Season in Club History as Budget Cuts Force Mass Departures
Plymouth Argyle Women have dismantled their squad after their most successful season in history, cutting their budget significantly and informing nearly all players via email that they will not receive new contracts. It is a decision that has infuriated the players and raises serious questions about the club’s commitment to the women’s game.
The Pilgrims finished second in the third tier, reached a play-off final and made it to the FANWL Cup final. By any measure, it was a historic achievement. Yet the club responded by drastically reducing investment and communicating their decision through cold, impersonal emails with no room for dialogue. Manager Marie Hourihan resigned a week earlier, making the situation even more chaotic.
The players released a statement criticizing both the decision and the manner in which it was handled. They pointed out that they were repeatedly told the club had ambition and was building towards a professional outfit. That messaging now feels hollow.
The Financial Reality
Plymouth’s men’s team were relegated from the Championship in May 2025, losing between eight and nine million pounds in television revenue. Owner Simon Hallett lent the club nearly ten million pounds to cover losses. The women’s success came at higher financial cost than expected, and without promotion to Women’s Super League 2 with its central funding, the club decided it could not sustain the investment.
A Damaging Message
This is about more than just one club’s finances. Players correctly identified that Plymouth has sent a terrible signal to women and girls across the South West.
After years of being told women’s football was growing and valued, they are watching a team dismantle itself at the exact moment it achieved its best results. That is a betrayal of trust and a setback for women’s football in the region.
Also read: Lily Agg Appointed Athlone Town Women’s Head Coach on Two and a Half Year Deal After Injury Comeback
Women's Football News
Mary Earps and Mapi Leon Set to Join London City Lionesses as Michele Kang’s WSL Revolution Accelerates
London City Lionesses have agreed personal terms with Mary Earps and have a verbal agreement in place with Mapi Leon, BBC Sport confirmed on June 2.
Both players are expected to sign contracts this month. Earps arrives from PSG at the end of her two-year contract, while Leon left Barcelona last month after nine years. Combined with their continued pursuit of Alexia Putellas, London City are executing the most audacious summer recruitment in WSL history from sixth position.
The scale of ambition defies every conventional logic of squad building.
Mary Earps Returns Home
Earps spent two seasons at PSG after leaving Manchester United, keeping 12 clean sheets from 22 appearances as they finished third in the Premiere Ligue. The 33-year-old two-time FIFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year returns to England carrying enormous experience.
She played a crucial role in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their route to the 2023 World Cup final. Five years at Manchester United, over 100 appearances and the 2024 FA Cup title represent a serious domestic foundation that directly translates to WSL demands.
Mapi Leon Brings Barcelona Quality
Leon departed Barcelona having won 27 trophies including four Champions League titles and was fundamental in their recent 4-0 final victory over Lyon.
The 30-year-old started in Oslo and brings elite positional intelligence, technical quality and leadership. She boycotted the Spanish national team for almost three years before returning in October 2025 and immediately starting the Nations League final victory over Germany. That resilience and conviction defines her character entirely.
The Wider Summer Picture
Arsenal are pursuing Georgia Stanway from Bayern Munich and Ona Batlle from Barcelona. Manchester City lead the race for Beth Mead following her Arsenal departure. Chelsea signed Katie McCabe from Arsenal. Sam Kerr seeks a new club.
This summer transforms the WSL landscape completely before a ball is kicked in August.
Women's Football News
Lily Agg Appointed Athlone Town Women’s Head Coach on Two and a Half Year Deal After Injury Comeback
Athlone Town confirmed Lily Agg as their new women’s first team head coach on May 28, 2026. The 33-year-old Irish international joins on a full-time two and a half year agreement as part of the club’s long-term strategic ambition for Irish women’s football.
Her appointment ends a two-month interim management period following John Sullivan’s departure in March after their Women’s League of Ireland opening fixture. Athlone needed decisive leadership. Agg delivers that immediately.
A Career Built Across Two Countries
Agg spent 14 professional years playing in England and Germany across clubs including Brighton, Eintracht Frankfurt, London City Lionesses and Birmingham City. She represented the Republic of Ireland at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Her playing education exposed her to elite coaching methods, high-performance environments and tactical systems that most coaches half her age could never access.
That knowledge transfers directly into management. Technical Director Brian Shelley described her professionalism, standards and vision as standing out throughout a rigorous recruitment process.
Two Serious Injuries Could Not Stop Her
Agg suffered an ACL rupture in January 2025 before recovering and joining Durham City on loan in WSL2. Within weeks she ruptured her achilles, suffering two career-threatening injuries in rapid succession.
Most players would reconsider their futures after that sequence. Agg channelled her recovery period into preparing for management. That mental resilience is exactly what ambitious players recognise and follow in a dressing room.
What Athlone Are Building
CEO Steven Gray confirmed this followed a long thorough recruitment process. The full-time appointment on a multi-year contract signals genuine investment in the women’s programme beyond tokenism. Athlone want trophies and European recognition. Agg wants the same.
The alignment between club ambition and coaching vision creates genuine excitement about what comes next in Irish women’s football.
Also read: Sophie Whitehouse Saves Four Penalties to Send Charlton Athletic Into the Women’s Super League
Internationals
Khiara Keating Called Into England Squad as Roebuck Injury Opens World Cup Qualifying Door
Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating received a late call-up into Sarina Wiegman’s England squad on May 27 following Ellie Roebuck’s withdrawal with a shoulder injury.
The 21-year-old joins the 25-player group reporting to St George’s Park next week ahead of crucial FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 qualifying matches against Spain in Palma on June 5 and Ukraine at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on June 9. England top their group after four rounds and need results from both games to confirm automatic qualification.
A Career-Defining Opportunity for Keating
Keating has one senior England cap from the Homecoming Series defeat to Brazil last autumn. She won Euro 2025 with the Lionesses but did not feature during the tournament, watching from the bench as history was made. This call-up arrives at the perfect moment.
She has just played in the FA Cup Final for Manchester City against Brighton at Wembley and starts next season as City’s number one goalkeeper for their Champions League campaign. Her development trajectory is exceptional and Wiegman clearly values her long-term potential. The World Cup qualifiers could deliver her second and third senior caps in situations that genuinely matter.
Roebuck’s Setback Demands Attention
Ellie Roebuck will receive treatment at Aston Villa, which suggests the shoulder injury is serious enough to require specialist management. This is not a minor knock.
Roebuck has been England’s most consistent goalkeeper for three years and her absence disrupts the squad hierarchy entering a critical qualification window.
Spain First, Ukraine Second
England face Spain in Palma on June 5, a genuinely difficult opener against the current world and European runners-up who England beat in the Euro 2025 final.
Ukraine four days later represents a more manageable challenge. Win both and automatic World Cup qualification is secured. That is the target. Nothing less is acceptable for this generation of Lionesses.
Also read: Manchester City Women Crowned 2025-26 WSL Champions as Khadija Shaw Wins Golden Boot With 19 Goals
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