What next for Crystal Palace after WSL relegation?

Twelve months on from the joyous scenes that greeted Crystal Palace winning promotion to the Women’s Super League for the first time, they face the prospect of life back in the Championship.

The Eagles were consigned to the second tier after accumulating a total of just nine points so far this season – seven behind Aston Villa and Leicester City – in becoming the first team ever to be relegated in their debut WSL campaign.

Before Palace, the only sides to go down the season after they were promoted to the WSL – which introduced relegation in 2014 – were Doncaster Rovers Belles (2016) and Bristol City (2024).

Unlike in the Premier League, there are no parachute payments for relegated clubs to help them manage the financial impact of dropping down to the Championship.

Liverpool’s 2020 relegation ended a decade of them being in the WSL. The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the 2019-20 season being scrapped and the relegated side being determined on a points-by-game basis.

There was criticism over a lack of investment and scrutiny of poor facilities following their relegation. However, the Reds would spend only two seasons in the second tier before one of the women’s top-flight founders reclaimed their place among the domestic elite.

Vicky Jepson left her role as manager in January of their 2020-21 campaign – they finished third at the end of that season – and Matt Beard returned in the summer amid player unrest.

He had previously led the Merseyside club to back-to-back WSL titles, and was part of a revamp of the women’s team that included the appointment of Russ Fraser as their first-ever managing director.

Bristol City were relegated from the WSL at the end of 2020-21 under interim manager Matt Beard, who was given the role until the end of the season as maternity cover for Tanya Oxtoby.

Lauren Smith, who had previously been an assistant manager, returned to the club to take charge of the Robins.

She guided City to third place in the following season behind champions Liverpool, with Abi Harrison – a striker they managed to keep after relegation – the division’s top scorer.

They built on that success with seven new signings helping the Robins to their first league title in 2023.

Birmingham City had narrowly avoided relegation two years’ running before their 11-year WSL stint came to an end in 2022 when they were relegated under head coach Darren Carter.

That came a year after the squad had sent a letter to the board complaining about conditions for the women’s team.

The Blues, another founding member of the WSL in 2010, missed out on the Championship title to Bristol City by one point in 2023, with Carter initially remaining in his role after they dropped down a division.

He remained as boss until April 2024, when he was replaced by former Brighton boss Amy Merricks, as they finished fifth and 10 points behind title winners Crystal Palace.

Reading’s massive fall wasn’t just due to matters on the pitch, but rather off it.

The Royals played the 2023-24 season – their first after relegation to the second tier – and finished 10th, just above the relegation spots.

There was a cloud over the Berkshire club for the entirety of this campaign due to the financial difficulties they faced, and the women’s team was withdrawn from the Championship before the 2024-25 season began.

Bristol City endured a miserable return to the top flight, finishing the 2023-24 season with only one win and six points – the lowest from a side in a 22-game WSL season – and nine successive defeats.

The inexperienced team were the first promoted side to go straight down from the WSL since Doncaster in 2016.

Stephen Kirby was appointed manager of the newly relegated Robins in September 2024, after Lauren Smith stepped down from her role 12 days before the Women’s Championship season kicked off.

As well as Smith ending her long association with the club, Lisa Evans, Rachel Furness, Megan Connolly and Carrie Jones were among a host of players to depart.

City only added Lexi Lloyd-Smith, Harley Bennett and Jacqueline Burns as permanent signings.

Laura Kaminski led the Eagles to the top flight as champions in 2024, but with the club sitting at the foot of the WSL table in this difficult campaign, she was sacked in February and replaced by Smerud.

When the Norwegian took charge, he said: “My mission is quite clear. Short-term, it’s to stay in the league.

“But I’m also someone who likes to develop things long-term. Palace has strong values, and that matters to me.”

Whether Smerud stays or the Eagles decide to change their head coach again, clubs who have been relegated previously have not always found it easy to bounce back to the WSL straight away.

Teams have struggled financially in the Championship and found it difficult to keep hold of key players.