‘No-one expected this’ – Crystal Palace reach WSL

The Women’s Super League will have a new name among its ranks next season after Crystal Palace rose from the championship on the final day of the season.

The Eagles were certain of their place in the Championship thanks to a 2-0 win over relegated Lewes, which put them three points ahead of second-placed Charlton, with an overwhelming advantage on goal difference.

On Sunday, that position was sealed by a goalless draw against Sunderland in front of a record crowd of 6,796 at Selhurst Park.

It has been a historic season for Palace, with even their captain admitting it has exceeded expectations.

“At the start of the season, there were a lot of changes,” Palace captain Amy Everett told BBC Sport. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone expected this to be the outcome, but it’s what everyone wanted to achieve.”

The changes saw the arrival of a new manager, Laura Kaminsky, and head of women’s football, Grace Williams.

Williams, who is celebrating a second successive promotion after overseeing Bristol City’s Championship title last year, was more confident than Everett that Palace would be able to complete the job.

“It’s better to sit back and know that what you’re doing as a team is right,” Williams told the newspaper. BBC Women’s Football weekly podcast. “You want leadership, and a lot of that comes from the players. Even if other teams win, we just have to keep winning ourselves.

“There was no doubt that we were not going to win the league. I would tell you there was pressure, tears, highs and lows – but we come into Monday looking forward to the next game.”

Palace’s promotion capped a remarkable rise – and it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

Founded in 1992, the team played in the regional divisions of English football until the restructuring of the league pyramid in 2018 when they were elected to the Championship alongside Manchester Unitedamong other things.

The early years of the Football Championship were not easy. On the pitch, the team struggled to compete in their first appearance of the 2018-19 season, winning just three of their 20 league matches to finish second from bottom.

From “Harry’s Heroes” to breaking records

Annabelle Johnson is Palace’s longest-serving current player, having joined in 2019, and she remembers a very different environment when she arrived five years ago.

“Since I joined, the club has become unrecognizable. We were training two nights a week and had to stop when the floodlights went off at 10pm,” Johnson told BBC Sport. “We only had one gym spot a week.

“The support and structure of the club has grown dramatically. You have to be careful when the club takes over and you get involved with the guys; you can’t just snap your fingers and everything will change. I’ve seen the club gradually get better, and that will continue in the future.”

Off the field, the club made headlines for the wrong reasons in 2018 with reports that some female players were being asked to take out £250 each in sponsorship or risk being let go.

While the club has said sponsorship is not a prerequisite to playing for Crystal Palace, the issue has been raised enough for men’s first-team star Wilfried Zaha. To get involved “With a significant financial contribution.”

This season also witnessed the emergence of the women of the palace, unlike the men England Legends’ team ITV series Harry’s Heroes. The England team, which includes retired former players David Seaman, Paul Merson and Matt Le Tissier, and is managed by Harry Redknapp, defeated Palace 1-0 thanks to Merson’s goal.

After those difficult early days, Palace became a fixture in the Second Division. Before raising their level in the 2023-2024 season, they had finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the previous three seasons.

The promotion has been very difficult. After one week at the top after three games, Palace did not reach the top again until the round of 20 matches – with two games to play.

However, they deserve heroes.

“With football you go week by week, so you don’t get crazy about records,” said Johnson, who was speaking ahead of the Sunderland match.

“But it was very positive and when the final whistle blows we will appreciate it.”

Kaminsky sends Eagles to success

Moving forward, Palace blew away teams away from home, scoring 55 goals in 22 matches. Wales International Elise Hughes was the star with 16 goals.

But Hughes’ crowning as the tournament’s top scorer was spoiled when… I suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament of my knee Against Charlton in Palace’s penultimate match, she was sentenced to spend months on the sidelines.

“We were all devastated when we heard about Elise’s injury, but we are happy and proud of the season she had,” Everett said.

Palace’s achievement is even more impressive considering the problems of the previous season when previous manager Dean Davenport left the club.

Davenport was manager for 10 years, overseeing the club’s rise.

He was suspended, along with two other employees, in March 2023 after a behavior complaint and officially left two months later.

Kaminsky succeeded in taking the palace to the next level.

This is her first time in charge of a senior team, having spent five years coaching England Under-19s and being assistant coach when Spurs gained promotion to the Women’s Super League.

She joins Palace from Charlton, where she also worked as assistant manager, and has now beaten her old employers to promotion.

Next season will be a completely different challenge, and now is the time.

As Bristol City’s struggles have proven, it can be difficult for promoted teams to stay in the WSL.

“It’s a big jump in the league, we have to respect that, so we’ll look at what those challenges are,” Williams said.

What is clear now is that a vibrant Palace team has earned the right to take on any challenge thrown at them.