Reading Women Back Where They Belong Ahead Of An Exciting 2026/27 Season

Reading Women fans have pretty much got used to news of big changes and upheavals during the summer break, and for 2026, this was no different.

Except it was. As usual, the news was tumultuous, but in contrast to what fans have been used to hearing, this year’s updates included good news – and plenty of it.

The Women’s team will once again be part of the Reading Football Club umbrella – or ‘back where we belong’ as the new fans’ banner* proudly displays – in good time for the start of the 2026/27 season.

*Provided by fan Neil Bridgland.

Rick Catania and Alec Lunberg were named co-operating managers under the new structure, in what looks like a perfect fit, with both having extensive knowledge and experience of women’s football back in the US.

When in Berkshire, the new hierarchy can also be found among the fans, and they are very approachable and easy to engage with. During a pre-season friendly against a Queens Park Rangers development team, Catania was not just present but also acted as a ball-boy, retrieving the cleared footballs from the open training pitches, and took part in the players’ post-match ‘warm down’ (which involved several sprints from box to box!).

Some things change…

The women’s first team, together with the under-14s and under-16s sides, will undertake training at Bearwood, with full access to the gym and other facilities. That’s move which also makes perfect sense, meaning the players no longer have to endure the inadequate facilities and playing surface behind the Dome, where they used to train.

In recent news, Max Scott has announced that he will be leading the under-16s team this season. Seeing as striker Nat Cowell is also continuing her coaching role, the girls are in good hands.

With a development/under-21 team still part of the missing link, this will certainly help bridge the gap for more players to make the huge step up into senior football, after the successful integration of players such as Jess Webb (goalkeeper), Chloe Prangley, Lara Moore and Ellie Szekeres into the first team last season.

In news not to be shared with the man at the top, this progress alone would probably have been enough for most fans of the Women’s team, with the bar of positive news set low over the past few years.

But there’s been still more good news. After two seasons of playing their home matches at Arbour Park (home of Slough Town), Reading Women are once again to play home league fixtures back at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

That’s exciting for the fans and the players alike, with Sarah ‘The Tower’ Thompson admitting on a recent TTE podcast episode that she’s bought her brother a season ticket for his birthday.

The last time a Royals team played at the stadium was in April 2024 (big clue incoming if you want to be in for a chance of winning the luxury spa experience at the Nirvana SCL sponsored competition).

On-loan defender Jessie Stapleton scored the only goal of the match, against Durham, to secure what we thought at the time meant relegation safety and another season in the WSL2. The Royals were however subsequently forced into ‘voluntary’ relegation, down to tier five, after funding had ceased for the Women’s team.

In a football club with more leaks than the SCL Stadium toilets, it was a testament to the professionalism of not only the Women’s management team – led by Emma Hopkins and Ed Jackson-Norris – but also of the players and coaches, with not even a hint or indication of what was to come.

…but others stay the same

In another rare turn of events, some things have actually not changed.

Jackson-Norris will become the first manager since Kelly Chambers (now Kelly Cousins) – who stepped down after relegation from the WSL at the end of 2022/23 – to remain in charge for a second consecutive term. Liam Gilbert (Championship, 2023/24) and Pedro Bruno (tier five, 2024/25) have been the managers in between.

The core of the squad have stayed too. The list of retained players has been teased over the summer months with details incoming on a weekly basis.

It’s been great news for a team which competed right to the end of last season (as the in-form team) and finished just six points behind champions Wycombe Wanderers. Those retained players, in order of announcement:

Poppy Whitburn

Keziah and Keren Banduka

Sarah Thompson

Lara Moore

Sophie Butler (GK)

Bethan Poole

Ellie Szekeres

Nat Cowell

Tia Johnson

Ellie Manners

Jazz King

Mia Parker

Georgia Hayes,

Ava Broke-Smith

Scarlett Bowcott (GK)

At this level of football there are no contracts in place for players (meaning they can move easily between clubs, at any time), and thus Reading’s level of retention has been another endorsement and reflection of the culture and team spirit that Jackson-Norris, Scott and Ryan Robinson have established within the camp.

It was also great to see King’s name on the retained list. Getting full support from the club, she’s about to undergo ACL reconstruction after her horrific injury, which occurred in what turned out to be Reading’s final match of last season.

Inevitably, after their second season in tier five, and with an ever-changing landscape, players and staff have also been released or have moved for various reasons, be it educational or relating to new roles, opportunities or teams.

Poppy Airey

Peyton Broke-Smith

Mollie Dench

Assia Fatri

Lilly Hadrava

Lauren Knight

Millie Lamden

Annalea Lane

Amber Langston-Lloyd

Amy and Emily Norfolk

Ellie Pearson

Jess Webb

Tyra Wilson (effectively on loan from Swindon Town)

Katie Sayer (strength and conditioning/analysis lead)

Hasan Baig (sports therapist)

Pre-season schedule

Manager Jackson-Norris decided to start pre-season training early – two weeks before last year – with the first of eight scheduled away friendlies being a trip to Sutton United on July 12.

With the matches played during the summer heatwave, there were varying levels of opponents, new idea...