Manchester United Women: promotion, Champions League debut and the 2024 FA Cup
From a 2018 reformation to a first major trophy in 2024, the story of Manchester United Women traces promotion, a Champions League debut and the academy that has fed the first team.
Manchester United Women Football Club was officially established on 28 May 2018, ending a thirteen-year period without a senior women's side at the club following the disbandment of the previous team in 2005. Within six years the club had reached the Women's Super League, played in the UEFA Women's Champions League and won its first major trophy, the 2024 Women's FA Cup.
Roots before the reformation
An unofficial team called United Ladies of Manchester was established around 1970, a year before the Football Association officially ended its ban on women playing football at member clubs in 1971. That side trained at The Cliff. The Manchester United Supporters Club Ladies began competing in the late 1970s, playing their first fixture in October 1977 and entering the Three Counties League in 1979.
The team was a founding member of the Manchester & District League in 1982 and won the first three titles. In 1989 it received permission to use the name Manchester United Ladies FC, and in 2001 the side formed an official partnership with Manchester United. The senior women's team was disbanded in 2005, leaving the club without a senior side until the 2018 reformation.
Reformation and promotion
Casey Stoney was appointed as the first head coach of the professional women's team on 8 June 2018, and the club announced an initial 21-player squad the following month. The club was accepted into the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship for its return to competition and won its first competitive match 1-0 away to Liverpool on 19 August 2018, with Lizzie Arnot scoring the first goal for the reformed team.
The team began the Championship season with a 12-0 victory against Aston Villa. Promotion to the FA Women's Super League was confirmed on 17 April 2019, and the 2018-19 FA Women's Championship title was secured with a 7-0 win over Crystal Palace. The club was named FA Women's Championship Club of the Year that May.
Early years in the Women's Super League
A crowd of 31,213 attended Manchester United's first match in the FA Women's Super League in 2019. The 2019-20 league season was stopped before completion and United were awarded fourth place. Leah Galton scored twice and Ella Toone once in a 3-2 win over Everton in February 2020.
The team played its first fixture at Old Trafford in March 2021, winning 2-0 against West Ham. Marc Skinner was named head coach on 29 July 2021, and the club activated an extension to his contract in March 2023 to keep him at the club until 2024. A club-record home attendance of 20,241 was set at Old Trafford against Everton in March 2022.
European debut and the 2024 FA Cup
Manchester United qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time for the 2023–24 season, making their debut in the competition that campaign. The club had reached the 2023 Women's FA Cup final, losing 1-0 to Chelsea.
The following season brought a different outcome. Manchester United won the 2024 Women's FA Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-0, a result that stood as the first major trophy for the women's professional side. The club scheduled three home matches at Old Trafford for the 2024–25 season, while Leigh Sports Village remained the official home stadium.
Academy foundations
The club's academy has produced senior first-team players including Ella Toone, Millie Turner and Katie Zelem, alongside Gabby George and Safia Middleton-Patel. Katie Zelem and Izzy Christiansen both came through the club's Centre of Excellence. Further graduates to feature for the first team include Alyssa Aherne, Jess Simpson, Mared Griffiths, Karna Solskjær, Lucy Newell and Keira Barry.
The Under-21 side were FA WSL Academy League national and Northern Division champions in 2021–22 and also won the FA WSL Academy Cup that season. In 2023–24 the Under-21s were Professional Game Academy national champions and Northern Division winners, and they added the U21 Professional Game Academy Plate in 2025–26. The Under-16 team won the Professional Game Academy Cup in 2023–24, and the club was recognised with the Grassroots Initiative of the Year award at the 2025 Women's Football Awards.
Key numbers
- 28 May 2018: Manchester United Women officially established - 17 April 2019: promotion to the FA Women's Super League confirmed - 31,213: crowd for the club's first FA Women's Super League match in 2019 - 20,241: club-record home attendance, against Everton at Old Trafford, March 2022 - 4-0: scoreline as Manchester United beat Tottenham Hotspur to win the 2024 Women's FA Cup - 2023–24: season of the club's UEFA Women's Champions League debut