London City Lionesses have secured promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL) after a 2-2 draw with fellow contenders Birmingham City.
Championship top scorer Isobel Goodwin opened the scoring just a minute into the second half, with Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah doubling the lead soon after. Although Birmingham levelled the game, the 2-2 draw was enough to seal promotion as the Michele Kang-owned side needed only a point to secure their place in the top flight.
Formed after splitting from Millwall in 2019, London City are the only fully independent club across the top two tiers of women’s football in England. They will make their WSL debut next season, just 17 months after Kang, who also owns the Washington Spirit and eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, acquired the club in December 2023.
Birmingham City, a founding member of the WSL in 2010 and former top-flight mainstay, were relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season and have since struggled to reclaim their place in the league despite a recent takeover by Knighthead Capital Management LLC, which includes minority owner and former NFL star Tom Brady.
Since her takeover, Kang has made sweeping investments, including purchasing and renovating the training ground, appointing former Paris Saint-Germain coach Jocelyn Prêcheur, and conducting multiple squad overhauls. Only three players from the 2022-23 season remain, with high-profile signings such as Saki Kumagai, Sofia Jakobsson, Julia Roddar, and captain Kosovare Asllani brought in to help power the club’s rise to the top tier.
In each of the past two seasons, newly promoted clubs have lasted just a single campaign in the WSL before dropping back down — Bristol City last year and Crystal Palace this season.
But London City Lionesses are determined to break the cycle. Kang has outlined a long-term vision to avoid this yo-yo effect, with ambitions to climb the table as quickly as possible and qualify for the Champions League.
With only 11 teams in the Championship this season (Reading withdrew ahead of the season starting, dropping to the fifth tier), only Sheffield United have been relegated. Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town have been promoted to the Championship from the third tier.
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