Championship Team Preview: London City Lionesses

Photo: Charlie Burrell shot for Constancy Football

London City lionesses have had quite the turn around in the last 18 months under new owner, Michele Kang. Currently sat second in the league, here is everything you need to know about the London club.

The club officially formed in May of 2019 after splitting from Millwall Football Club due to financial restraints and since then have formed into a club of their own. Prior to this, the team had been a founding member of the formation of the Barclays WSL 2 in 2014.

Management & ownership

After buying the club in December 2023, Michele Kang made it her mission to improve the club both on and off the field. This began by having a significant squad turnover in the summer of 2024 which saw the departure of former club captain Lois Joel and the arrivals of Swedish duo Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson as well as England U-23s, Emily Orman, Teyah Goldie and Isobel Goodwin along with many more.

Kang announced that the club had bought the grounds in Ditton, Kent which were formerly rented out by the club from day to day at the same time as announcing the appointment of former PSG manager Jocelyn Prêcheur and the move to Hayes lane, a grass pitch closer to central London.

Season so far

The Pride opened the season at home to league debutants Newcastle United where the teams drew 1-1. Since then the club have lost just three matches from 14 in the league.

In the FA cup, the team reached the round of 16 where they suffered an unfortunate 2-0 loss to London rivals Arsenal, a drastic improvement to the 4-0 loss suffered by the same teams in the Continental Cup last season.

With the withdrawal of Reading F.C. over the summer, the Barclays Women’s Championship has less games this season, meaning the league is tighter than ever. That being said, London City Lionesses and Birmingham City currently sit with a 3 point gap, with the London team having a game in hand to equal Birmigham’s point tally.

Key players:

Emily Orman- The 22-year-old goalkeeper joined the club from Chelsea during the summer and since then has played 12 of the clubs 14 league matches this season. Her shot saving abilities has earned her back to back call ups for the England Under 23’s.

Teyah Goldie- On loan from Arsenal, Goldie  joined the club in the summer after making her return from her second ACL injury. The defender’s performances for the blues has earned herself a spot in England’s Under 23’s squad and even earned herself player of the match against her parent club in February.

Saki Kumagai- Joining the club as a shock signing in the January transfer window, the Japanese international brings a wealth of experience to the club, including five Women’s Champions League titles and a World Cup gold medal.

Isobel Goodwin- Currently the leagues top goal scorer, the striker joined the club on the final day of preseason and wowed the fans in her debut the very next day.