Man United join the party
Stoney’s side gearing up for new season
The big reveal was done, as is usual these days, on social media. A glossy video, shot on the industrial streets of Manchester and Salford, with backdrops of graffiti-pocked walls and glitzy office blocks, stated “the new devils are in town”. Four months after announcing they would be forming a professional women’s team, Manchester United had a squad ready to roll.
The presentation was confirmation that, having belatedly decided to enter the women’s game, United, like their neighbours Manchester City, would be throwing serious resources at it. This will come as a relief to the Football Association, whose latest reorganisation of the league system was in part aimed at bringing the English’s game biggest brand name into the fold.
United’s squad is a strong one, with a greater accent on youth than anticipated.
Although they will start in the second tier, and the 2019 Women’s World Cup is on the horizon, United have signed two current England internationals in keeper Siobhan Chamberlain and, as captain, defender Alex Greenwood. They are two of five recruits from top-flight side Liverpool, with another England cap, Amy Turner, whose international career has stalled through injury, among them.
Prior to the arrival of the Glazers, United had an amateur women’s team and they have maintained a youth programme, with seven graduates from that scheme returning to the club, including Katie Zelem who won Serie A with Juventus last season. The squad has an average age of 21 and is entirely English except for three Scots, headed by Lizzie Arnott who signed off from Hibernian by scoring five goals in their 9-0 Scottish Cup Final rout of Celtic.
Casey Stoney is the first head coach. She won 130 England caps and is widely respected, but her only senior coaching experience has been as assistant to Phil Neville in his year as England manager. Recognising this, she will be assisted by Willie Kirk, who managed WSL1 club Bristol City last season.
“Manchester United are the biggest club in the world,” says Stoney. “The fact they are having a women’s team and I am going to be able to introduce it from scratch, to build a team, to build a philosophy, for me there is no more exciting opportunity.
“I truly believe Manchester United has the ability to change the face of women’s football forever.”
Stoney will be expected to secure promotion at the first attempt, not least as there has been no relegation from WSL 1 and Doncaster Rovers Belles, last season’s winners of WSL2, as the second tier was known, have dropped into the regionalised Women’s National League.
One of the most iconic British women’s sides, from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s Doncaster Belles was the most recognisable name in English women’s football, due to their success and media coverage, which included a BBC TV documentary. However, the club were then eclipsed by the betterresourced Arsenal.
Despite a period when they linked with Doncaster Rovers men’s team – thus the incorporation of Rovers in their name – Belles have struggled to meet the rising costs involved with professionalisation and have accepted they cannot afford the financial commitment required in the Championship.
Along with Sheffield, they are quitting the semiprofessional game, having initially accepted a place in the new tier two FA Women’s Championship.
This left the FA with an 11-team Super League and a 10-team Championship, although Crystal Palace’s elevation to the latter means an unwieldy 11 teams in both the Super League and Championship.
Manchester United were not the only team busy recruiting players and coaches. West Ham United, promoted from third tier to first, signed England internationals Claire Rafferty and Gilly Flaherty from Chelsea, Scotland’s Jane Ross and Holland’s Tessel Middag from Manchester City. They will be coached by Matt Beard, who led Liverpool to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014 and was coach at Boston Breakers in the US when they folded.
Of the established Super League teams, Liverpool have had the greatest turnover, also losing Gemma Bonner and Caroline Weir to Manchester City and Sophie Ingle to Chelsea. New coach Neil Redfearn, who managed Leeds United and Rotherham United in the men’s game before moving into the women’s and taking Doncaster to the WSL2 title, went back to Belles to sign their captain Leandra Little and former England defender Sophie BradleyAuckland, raided neighbours Everton for ex-Belles striker Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and acquired experienced defender Niamh Fahey, who was recently at Bordeaux.
Besides Rafferty, Flaherty, Katie Chapman (retired) and
“I truly believe Manchester United has the ability to change the face of women’s football forever” Casey Stoney
winger Gemma Davison (Reading), Chelsea lost Eni Aluko to Juventus, where she will be joined by fellow 2015 World Cup bronze medallist Lianne Sanderson. Jess Carter, lured from Birmingham, and New Zealander Ali Riley are the pick of the replacements, though the stiffest competition will be between the posts with Lizzie Durack joining from Everton to challenge Hedvig Lindahl and Carly Telford.
Among other notable moves, Arsenal have signed German international Tabea Kemme form Potsdam, Birmingham profited from Sunderland’s demise with the arrival of their captain Lucy Staniforth, and Manchester City sold Izzy Christiansen to Lyon while signing Lauren Hemp, the PFA Young Player of the Year, from Bristol City.
Durack and Hemp may find they have gone from first-team regulars to benchwarmers, such is the depth of competition at their new clubs, but that depth also means they will be tested more in training than in most WSL matches, making them better players.
Standards are rising but some longestablished clubs are struggling to keep up as a well-funded elite pull away.
The question is, how long will it take Manchester United to join them?