Birmingham City Women have returned to the Women's Super League after four seasons in the second tier, having secured promotion as WSL2 champions on the final day of last season. The club, a founding member of the WSL when it launched in 2011, now face the challenge of consolidating their place in the top flight under manager Amy Merricks.
Summer signings boost squad
After a productive summer transfer window, Birmingham have added players with WSL experience, including former Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley and centre-back Millie Turner from Manchester United. Forwards Lily Crosthwaite and Wilma Leidhammar, and defender Neve Herron, all aged 23, are expected to continue improving.
Another notable arrival is Norway midfielder Lisa Naalsund, also from Manchester United. Both Turner and Naalsund were starting members of United's FA Cup-winning side in 2024 and played in a Women's Champions League quarter-final as recently as April. Naalsund has won 39 caps and was part of Norway's squad at last year's Euros.
Last season's challenges
Inconsistency nearly proved costly last season, as Birmingham won the most games in WSL2 but also lost six times. They delivered under pressure, boosted by Leidhammar's performances after her club-record arrival in January, avoiding a repeat of the heartbreak of the previous season when they missed out on promotion on the final day.
Birmingham are still a long way from the days when they were runners-up in the top tier. Their first two away fixtures are against Manchester City and Chelsea, while they host fellow promoted sides Crystal Palace and Charlton relatively early in the campaign, fixtures that could be key to building confidence.
Off-field developments
The women's team were sold to the club's ownership group in February, with Shelby Companies Limited, an affiliate of Knighthead Capital Management, owning 97%. The remaining 3% was purchased by investors including former England midfielder Karen Carney and four-time grand slam tennis champion Kim Clijsters.
The club train at the recently renovated Knighthead Performance Centre, on the same site as the men's team's former Wast Hills training base, with a new gym among other extensive refurbishments. Merricks has been in charge since April 2024, holding a Uefa Pro Licence and having previously coached within the England youth setup as well as at Gillingham, Millwall and Brighton.
New signings and prospects
Birmingham have also recruited Canada defender Marie Levasseur from Montpellier, while 19-year-old France youth forward Chancelle Effa Effa arrived from Le Havre this month for a fee understood to be about €120,000 (£100,000). Effa Effa broke into Le Havre's first team at 15 and scored 17 times in 28 games for France's Under-17 and Under-19 teams, having helped France win the 2023 Under-17 Euros.
Midfielder Chelsea Cornet said: "We know it's going to be a massive challenge, but it's a challenge that, as players, you thrive upon. As long as we can take that togetherness, that relentlessness, into the games, I'm sure we're going to be just fine."
Home fixtures and future plans
Birmingham play their home fixtures at St Andrew's, which has been the women's team's home since 2021. They set a club record attendance for a women's game there on the final day of the 2024-25 season, with 8,749 spectators. Long-term, the club have announced plans to build a new women's team stadium as part of the 'Sports Quarter', which also includes the proposed 62,000-seater men's team Powerhouse Stadium, an indoor arena, training ground facilities and a new railway station.
