Crystal Palace are back in the Barclays Women’s Super League after a one-year absence and kick off their campaign against Everton on Sunday.
Palace’s only previous stint in the top tier came in the 2024/25 season, when they were relegated with just 10 points and two wins. As a result, the Eagles became just the third team in BWSL history to suffer immediate relegation after promotion.
Under the guidance of Jo Potter, the Eagles won promotion back to the BWSL at the first time of asking. Palace finished second in the Barclays Women’s Super League 2, level on points with league winners Birmingham City.
Following an impressive campaign in the second tier, a re-built Palace are well placed to compete in the Barclays Women’s Super League. The Eagles appear to be in a better position 17 months after their 2025 relegation and are a team on the up due to Potter’s influence and smart summer recruitment.
Palace’s Intelligent Recruitment Model - Talent and Experience
At the end of the 2024/25 campaign, there was uncertainty about Crystal Palace’s future.
Leif Smerud was initially appointed as the club’s manager for the final nine matches of the Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, tasked with guiding the team to safety. However, Smerud left his role after Palace were relegated and led the team to just four points from nine games.
Despite some concern about selling key players, including Ashleigh Weerden, Annabel Blanchard, My Cato and Shae Yanez, Palace managed to retain their top talents for the BWSL2 season.
In addition, the south London club recruited well with six new additions. This new influx of players included former Bristol City captain Jamie-Lee Napier, seven-time major cup winner Kirsty Howat and Belgium international Justine Vanhaevermaet.
This blend of established and new players would form the core of Palace’s promotion-winning team. Goalkeeper Yanez played every minute of the BWSL2 campaign, while Ashleigh Weerden, who scored seven goals and made 10 assists, and Annabel Blanchard also featured in every league game last term.
Last summer’s recruits, particularly Howat and Napier, were also integral to the Eagles’ promotion side. Howat contributed with eight goals and four assists and Napier was a solid addition to Palace’s backline, particularly in a three alongside Aimee Evrett and Allyson Swaby late in the season.
This established core provides a strong foundation to build upon. In addition, Palace have added further BWSL quality and experience in the 2026 summer window.
Former England attacker and Tottenham captain Beth England joined in July and brings over 15 years of professional experience to Palace. Molly Bartrip also joined on a three-year contract after five years in the BWSL with Spurs.
England and Bartrip are shrewd signings and add further leadership qualities to Palace’s strong spine.
The Eagles also showed their appeal to upcoming talent by landing the BWSL2’s top scorer from last season, Lexi Lloyd-Smith. The 23-year-old scored 11 league goals last season and ended her Bristol City career with 23 goals in just 48 appearances.
Ahead of the Barclays Women’s Super League season, these statement signings will give Palace a boost and greater depth. They also highlight the recruiting power and appeal of a club on the up under Jo Potter.
Tactical Quality and Strong Leadership in Jo Potter
During the 2024/25 season, Palace began the campaign with Laura Kaminski as head coach. Kaminski led the south London outfit to promotion as 2023/24 Barclays Women’s Super League 2 champions, but struggled to replicate her tactical vision in the top flight.
The Eagles struggled to maintain the defensive quality from their title-winning season, where they conceded just 20 goals. In the BWSL, Palace conceded exactly three goals per game and kept just one clean sheet throughout the entire season.
The Palace job was Kaminski’s first head coach role following spells with Tottenham U21S and assistant positions with Spurs and Charlton. However, despite showing promise by leading Palace to the top-flight, Kaminski struggled to get the best out of her side in the BWSL, where the jump was just too great at the time.
The defensive issues continued with Smerud, who replaced Kaminski in February 2025. In eight league games under the Norwegian coach, Palace let in 27 goals and failed to score in four of those matches.
Soon after Smerud’s departure, Palace quickly announced Jo Potter as the club’s new head coach. The former Rangers boss arrived in south London with a glowing reputation after winning four trophies in two seasons at the Glasgow club.
From the outset, Potter’s footballing vision at Palace was clear. She wanted the team to be tough to beat, but flexible to exploit strengths and weaknesses.
In her first interview at Palace, Potter explained the balance between reacting to opponents and adjusting tactics based on her own team’s qualities:
“Whoever we're playing against, we'll give them the utmost respect, but a lot of my philosophy is around us and what we look like and what we do really well, what we need to improve on.
“There are different ways to win, and I think we need to give the opposition some respect, so the players are going to learn a lot.”
This philosophy was evident throughout the BWSL2 campaign last term. Potter’s Palace certainly respected their opponents with just four league defeats all season (joint with third-placed Charlton)
True to her word, the Scottish coach didn’t settle on one way of playing. She set up her team in various formations, often shifting between a four- and three-player defence and utilising wing-backs in a 3-4-2-1 formation.
Despite a slow start to the season, with just one win in their opening seven games in all competitions, Palace eventually found their rhythm and lost three of their final 18 matches in the 2025/26 season.
The newly promoted side have momentum and confidence under Potter, and the tactical flexibility to shift between formations gives the Eagles sound foundations to utilise in the BWSL.
Palace Have a Fighting Chance in the Barclays Women’s Super League
The Eagles have all the ingredients for a strong campaign upon their BWSL return.
Experienced and talented personnel, without too many wholesale changes, and an ambitious, astute and grounded head coach give Palace fans plenty of optimism for the season ahead.
Palace’s growth from BWSL disappointment in 2025 to potential survivors in 2026 is also reflected by Opta’s pre-season relegation risk table. According to Opta, Palace have a 13.2% chance of relegation, putting them ahead of newly promoted Birmingham and Charlton and seasoned Barclays Women’s Super League side Aston Villa.
If Palace can continue to adapt and integrate the likes of Beth England and Lloyd-Smith quickly, they have every chance of avoiding relegation and showcasing a big improvement from their ill-fated 2024/25 season.
