NUFC Women

Newcastle United have completed the signing of Demi Stokes.  The defender left Manchester City at the end of last season where she had won the WSL once and the FA and League Cups three times each during her nine years with the club.  The 32-year-old has won 69 caps for England and was part of the Euros winning squad in 2022.  Stokes said “I am thrilled to be joining Newcastle United and returning home to the North East.  I still have so much to give on the pitch and I’m excited to bring my experience to a club with such big ambitions”.

Remi Allen has been appointed as Southampton’s new head coach.  The 33-year-old joins the Saints after taking charge of London City Lionesses from March until the end of the 2023/24 season.  She has also been assistant coach for England’s under-23s as part of the England Elite Coach Programme.  On joining Southampton, Allen remarked, “I am absolutely delighted to be on board with such an incredible football club.  It’s such an exciting time to be here, the club has huge ambition and the group of players here are such a talented group.  I can’t wait to get started on the journey, it’s going to be an exciting season ahead.”

Goalkeeper Claudia Moan has joined Newcastle United after recently leaving Sunderland.  The current Championship Player of the Season and Golden Glove winner joins after helping Newcastle’s local rivals to a third-place finish in the league last season and only conceding 18 goals in 22 games.  After signing, Moan said, “I am delighted to be joining Newcastle United, who have shown in the past two seasons that they are a very ambitious club”.

New Zealand international Hannah Blake has signed a professional contract with Durham the club have announced.  The 24-year-old forward has played for the University of Michigan Wolverines in the US college football system and then Perth Glory and Adelaide United in Australia’s top league.  After joining the Wildcats, Blake expressed her delight saying, “I’m really excited to be playing in England.  Playing in the Championship has been an aspiration of mine for a while now and I’m excited to take that next step”.

Maddi Wilde has returned to London City Lionesses after signing a permanent two-year contract, with the option of a further season.  The full-back spent last season on loan at the Pride from Bristol City and she made 25 appearances in all competitions.  After signing permanently, 20-year-old Wilde commented, “after last season, I could see the steps that were being taken behind the scenes, with Michele (Kang) pushing standards forward, and I knew I wanted to be part of this environment again”.

Bristol City have completed the signing of Lexi Lloyd-Smith on a two-year contract.  The 21-year-old winger recently left Southampton after spending two seasons with them in the Championship.  After joining the Robins, Lloyd-Smith said, “I can’t wait to get started.  The facilities are amazing, and I can’t wait to get out on the pitch to show everyone what I can do.  “I enjoyed meeting the girls too and I love the energy and the vibe at the club.  It feels like a big family.”

Centre-back Tara Bourne has joined Southampton.  The 20-year-old recently left fellow Championship side Sheffield United where she made 17 appearances in the 2023/24 campaign.  Bourne has also played Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City and has represented England’s youth sides.  “Having conversations with the staff here, my plans aligned with theirs.  I feel like together we can work towards big things, I am excited for this season” Bourne commented after signing.

Durham have announced the signing of Carly Johns from Watford.  With the Hornets last season, the striker scored eight goals in the Championship and nine in total.  Before that, she had scored 52 goals in 76 appearances whilst at Oxford United in the FA Women’s National League.  After joining the Wildcats, 21-year-old Johns said, “I’m buzzing to be here.  I played against Durham last season and they were a really tough challenge, so it’s good to get to know all the girls and the staff and I’m really happy to be here”.

Katie Bradley has joined Charlton Athletic from Blackburn Rovers, signing a two-year deal.  The 22-year-old midfielder joined Rovers in January after completing her studies in the United States.  Bradley expressed some of her reasons for joining the club, saying, “I think the personal development and being able to work with Karen (Hills) was important for me as I think we will be a really good match together.  The style of football is attacking and that is something I want to be playing in.  In my position as well I want to be keeping the ball and retaining possession.”

Charlton Athletic have signed Gracie Pearse permanently on a two-year contract.  The defender spent the second half of last season on loan at the club and made four appearances for them.  Pearse left Tottenham Hotspur in June and has also had loan spells at Bristol City and Crystal Palace in the Championship.  Explaining her reasons for signing, Pearse said, “I think how close we came to being promoted is a big part of it and how the team is together.  I feel most happy here and that’s why I made the decision to come back.”

England youth international goalkeeper Fran Stenson has signed for Southampton after leaving Sheffield United.  Stenson made 25 appearances for the Blades across two seasons.  The 23-year-old had previously had spells at Birmingham, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Arenal and Brighton.  Stenson commented after joining the Saints, “I’m really happy to get the deal done.  I feel like the club has high ambitions which align with mine and I think it’s going to be a very exciting season”.

Mel Filis has joined Charlton Athletic permanently after spending the second half of the 2023/24 season on loan with them from West Ham United.  The midfielder has signed a two-year contract with the Addicks.  During her spell with the club last season, she made 10 appearances and scored three goals.  21-year-old Filis said she was motivated to help the team and, “the league is very competitive, playing in the games on the back end of last season was really nice to be playing to win something and fighting for promotion”.

London City Lionesses have signed 18-year-old Gesa Marashi on a two-year contract.  The midfielder joins the Pride from Arsenal’s Professional Game Academy following a short-term loan spell at Reading last season.  After signing, Marashi said, “I could see that the project is building and that there would be opportunities here to help the team try to win promotion from the Championship”.

Goalkeeper Lucy Thomas has signed a new one-year contract with Birmingham City.  In her two seasons with the Blues, Thomas has made 54 appearances in all competitions, not missed a minute of Championship games and kept 21 clean sheets in total.  The 24-year-old was recently called up to the senior Lionesses squad for the first time.  Thomas remarked, “I’m really pleased. This place feels like home, and I absolutely love it here.  I really believe in what Amy (Merricks) is trying to build here and I feel like I’ve got unfinished business”.

Portsmouth have announced that Annie Rolf and Ella Humphrey have both signed one-year professional contracts with the club.  Midfielder Rolf has made 53 appearances and scored 10 goals for Pompey since joining them in January 2022.  Humphrey joined on dual-registration terms in October 2022 before making the move permanent the following summer.  The forward has made 36 appearances for Portsmouth and scored eight goals in 22 games as they got promoted to the Championship.

Charlton Athletic’s Karin Muya has signed a new contract with the club until 2025.  In her first season with the Addicks, Muya scored three goals in 17 appearances.  After signing her new deal, the forward said, “It feels great and a sigh of relief.  I feel excited to get going with pre-season and to start working.  Last season we were so close, so this season it feels like we can learn some lessons and push on that step further.”

Defenders Izzy Collins, Scarlett Williams and Nicole Barrett have all signed one-year professional contracts with Portsmouth.  Collins joined the south coast club at the start of the 2022/23 season and has since made 45 appearances for them.  Williams joined towards the end of the 2023/24 season and made three appearances as Pompey got promoted.  Barrett has made 61 appearances and scored 12 goals since joining Portsmouth in 2022.

Kiera Skeels and Beth Roe have both signed new one-year contracts with Charlton Athletic.  Defender Skeels has played for the Addicks in 62 Championship games and scored four goals since she joined them in 2021 after leaving Reading.  Roe joined initially on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion during the 2020/21 before making the move permanent at the end of the season.  The full-back has gone onto make 71 league appearances for the club and has scored three goals.

London City Lionesses have announced that New Zealand international Grace Neville has signed a new one-year contract with the club.  This will be Neville’s sixth season with the Pride where she scored their first ever goal in 2019 and has made 74 appearances for them.  After confirming she was staying on, the 24-year-old stated, “I can’t wait to get started because it feels like this kind of opportunity has been a long time coming.  The club is in a brilliant position and I’m really proud and excited to be a part of it”.

Portsmouth’s Emma Jones has signed a two-year professional contract with the club.  The forward joined Pompey in 2021 and has since made 64 appearances and scored 32 goals for them.  Last season, Jones found the net 18 times and assisted another 23.  Those impressive stats saw her finish top scorer and win the Players’ Player and Player of the Season awards as Portsmouth won the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division title.

Ava Rowbotham has signed a one-year professional contract with Portsmouth.  The midfielder joined the club in 2020 and was named vice-captain in 2023.  Rowbotham has made 106 appearances and scored 18 goals during her four years with Pompey.

Durham have confirmed that Mollie Lambert has signed a contract for a fifth season with the club.

Megan Borthwick, Jessica Brown, Libbi McInnes, Emily Scarr, Mary McAteer, Grace Ede, Katy Watson, Louise Griffiths, Natasha Fenton, Megan Beer, Jenna Dear, Brianna Westrup, Katie Kitching, Amy Goddard and Ellen Jones have all been retained by Sunderland the club have announced.

Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah has agreed a new one-year contract with London City Lionesses.  Boye-Hlorkah joined the club in 2023 from Aston Villa and made 23 appearances in all competitions in her first season with the Pride, scoring eight goals and assisting two.  Explaining her decision to sign a new deal, the 28-year-old forward remarked, “the club’s ambition and where it wants to be is a huge positive and aligns with where I want to take my career.  We’re aiming for promotion to the WSL and to put London City on the map”.

Charlton Athletic’s Mia Ross and Elisha N’Dow have both signed new one-year contracts with the club.  On signing her new deal with the Addicks, Ross remarked, “I’m grateful for the opportunities and development I’ve had here, and looking forward to pushing on again this year.”  Meanwhile, N’Dow said, “it feels great to have signed a new contract with the club.  Since I joined two seasons ago, I feel like we have built something good and after coming so close last year, there is some unfinished business.”

Charlton Athletic have announced that Mel Johnson has left the club at end of her contract.  Johnson has gone onto sign for FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division side Nottingham Forest.