Guardian writers’ predicted position: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Sophie Downey’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Just under 20 years since Charlton’s successful women’s team were disbanded after the men’s team’s relegation from the Premier League, they are finally back in the limelight and ready to make a name for themselves again. Karen Hills’s side impressed for much of last season, going on a 27-game unbeaten streak and possessing the meanest defence in WSL 2. A mid-season blip harmed their race for the title, however, and they lost out to Birmingham City on the final day of the season, ultimately going through a playoff to achieve their goal of promotion.
Beating Leicester in that game will have given Hills and her players confidence that they can compete. There will be no complacency, however, having seen how newly promoted sides have fared in recent history. Six players have departed since last season, including the influential Katie Bradley But they have been replaced with a blend of knowhow and exciting young talent.
The arrival of Ashleigh Neville and Emily van Egmond will bring experience to Hills’s dressing room. Leah Davidson’s and Grace Johnston’s arrivals from Australia are intriguing moves. Meanwhile, Sophie Whitehouse was the hero of the previous campaign and Charlton will be looking to the goalkeeper to again lead from the back.
It is the attacking side of the game that perhaps causes the most concern. Charlton managed only 31 goals last season, the lowest of the WSL2’s top six. Preparations got under way with a pre-season trip to Cádiz, a chance for a new-look side to come together.
There is no doubt that the task to stay up is a challenging one, but a club that have defied the odds on more than one occasion will believe they can do it again. A record-breaking partnership has seen haircare brand Sofnfree become the women’s team’s official sleeve partner. The branding will feature on all playing and replica shirts this season, while content creation will be a focus as Charlton hope to access new and existing audiences.
The club have also launched their first women’s-centric TikTok channel. The news, however, that ownership group Global Football Partners have put the club up for sale could cause a bit of instability in the short term. Reaching the Women’s Super League was part of the five-year plan Hills had when she was appointed in 2021, bringing a club close to her heart back into the limelight.
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