Manchester United W.F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Manchester United Women

Full name	Manchester United Women Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Red Devils
Founded	28 May 2018; 7 years ago (2018-05-28)
Ground	Leigh Sports Village, Old Trafford
Ground Capacity	12,000
Owner	Manchester United plc (75%) INEOS (25%)
Co-chairmen	Joel and Avram Glazer
Head coach	Marc Skinner
League	FA WSL
2019–20	FA WSL, 4th of 12
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Manchester United Women Football Club is a professional football team. They are based in Leigh, England. The team plays in the Women's Super League (WSL). This is the top football league for women in England. They were promoted to the WSL at the end of the 2018–19 season.

History of Manchester United Women's Football

Early Teams (1970s–2001)

For many years, women's football was not allowed at clubs linked to The Football Association. This rule was lifted in 1971.

Around 1970, a group of fans formed an unofficial team. They called themselves United Ladies of Manchester. They even trained at the club's training ground, The Cliff.

Later, in the late 1970s, the Manchester United Supporters Club Ladies team started. They were seen as the club's main women's team. At first, they played games to raise money for charity. In 1979, they joined the Three Counties League. They started playing in real competitions.

In 1982, they helped create the Manchester & District League. This team won the first three seasons of that league. In 1989, many leagues joined together to form the North West Women's Regional Football League. Around this time, the team asked Manchester United F.C. for more help. The club agreed. The team could use the name Manchester United Ladies FC. Their games were even advertised in the club's program. They also trained at The Cliff. The team became very competitive in the 1990s.

Official Partnership and Disbanding (2001–2005)

In 2001, the team officially partnered with Manchester United. However, the team did not improve much. They often finished in the middle of the third division.

The team was stopped four years later, in 2005. This happened after Malcolm Glazer took over the club. The new owners felt the women's team was not a "main business." They also thought it was not making money. A club spokesperson said they wanted to focus on their women's youth academy instead.

The Current Team (2018–Present)

Manchester United celebrates winning the Championship title in their first season (2018-19).

In March 2018, Manchester United announced they would bring back a women's team. The Manchester United Women Football Club was officially started on May 28, 2018. This was after the club was allowed to join the new 2018–19 FA Women's Championship. It was the club's return to women's football after 13 years. Even during this time, the club's youth academy kept going. Players like Izzy Christiansen and Katie Zelem came from this academy.

Casey Stoney became the team's first head coach on June 8, 2018. The first 21 players were announced a month later.

The team's first game was on August 19, 2018. They won 1–0 against Liverpool in the FA Women's League Cup. Lizzie Arnot scored their first goal in 13 years. Three weeks later, their first league game was a huge 12–0 win against Aston Villa.

On April 17, 2019, United won promotion to the FA Women's Super League. They beat Aston Villa 5–0 to secure this. Three days later, they won the FA Women's Championship title. They beat Crystal Palace 7–0 at home. In May 2019, Manchester United was named "FA Women's Championship Club of the Year."

The 2019–20 season was their first in the FA WSL. Their first game was a Manchester derby. It was played at the City of Manchester Stadium. Manchester City won 1–0. Over 31,000 fans watched, which was a league record at the time.

The season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team finished in fourth place. Their last game was a 3–2 win against Everton. Leah Galton scored twice and Ella Toone scored once. In the FA Cup, they lost to Manchester City. In the League Cup, they reached the semi-finals again. They lost 1–0 to Chelsea.

Manchester United Women played their first game at Old Trafford in March 2021. They won 2–0 against West Ham United.

On May 12, 2021, Casey Stoney announced she would leave as head coach. On July 29, 2021, Marc Skinner became the new head coach. In March 2023, he extended his contract until 2024. That season, the team reached their first major cup final. They lost 1–0 to Chelsea in the 2023 Women's FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

After finishing second in the WSL, the team qualified for the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time. This was for the 2023–24 season. They played against Paris Saint-Germain. They drew 1–1 at home but lost 3–1 away. This ended their first European journey.

On May 12, 2024, United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4–0. This was in the 2024 Women's FA Cup final. It was their first major title!

For the 2024–25 season, the club will play three games at Old Trafford. This is more than the two games they played in the past two seasons.

Home Ground

The Leigh Sports Village is where most of the club's home games are played.

When the club joined the FA Women's Championship in 2018, it was planned for the team to train at The Cliff. They were supposed to play games at Leigh Sports Village until The Cliff was ready. However, Leigh Sports Village became their official home ground.

Sometimes, if Leigh Sports Village is not available, they have used other stadiums. These include Moss Lane and Ewen Fields.

In March 2021, the women's team played their first game ever at Old Trafford. They played against West Ham United. In March 2022, they played at Old Trafford again. This time, fans were allowed to watch. They beat Everton 3–1. A record 20,241 fans were there!

Players

Current Squad

Manchester United players in February 2019 before a match against Arsenal.

No. Position Player 2 DF Anna Sandberg 3 DF Gabby George 4 DF Maya Le Tissier (captain) 5 DF Aoife Mannion 6 DF Hannah Blundell 7 MF Ella Toone (vice-captain) 8 MF Grace Clinton 9 FW Melvine Malard 11 MF Leah Galton 12 MF Hayley Ladd 13 MF Simi Awujo 14 DF Jayde Riviere 15 FW Celin Bizet 16 MF Lisa Naalsund

No. Position Player 17 DF Dominique Janssen 19 FW Elisabeth Terland 20 MF Hinata Miyazawa 21 DF Millie Turner 23 FW Geyse 25 DF Evie Rabjohn 28 FW Rachel Williams 34 MF Emma Watson 37 FW Keira Barry 38 DF Jess Simpson 39 GK Safia Middleton-Patel 55 DF Lucy Newell 91 GK Phallon Tullis-Joyce

Players on Loan

Sometimes players join other teams for a short time to get more playing experience. This is called being "on loan."

No. Position Player 36 FW Alyssa Aherne (at Sheffield United until 30 June 2025)

Player of the Year Awards

Each season, Manchester United Women give out awards to their best players. The "Player of the Year" is chosen by the club. The "Players' Player of the Year" is chosen by the players themselves.

Season	Player of the Year					Players' Player of the Year
	Name	Nationality	Position	Notes	Ref.	Name	Nationality	Position	Notes	Ref.
2018–19	Zelem, KatieKatie Zelem	England	Midfielder	First winner		N/A
2019–20	Ladd, HayleyHayley Ladd	Wales	Midfielder
2020–21	Batlle, OnaOna Batlle	Spain	Defender	First winner not from Britain
2021–22	Toone, EllaElla Toone	England	Midfielder			Russo, AlessiaAlessia Russo	England	Forward	First winner
2022–23	Russo, AlessiaAlessia Russo	England	Forward	First to win both awards		Blundell, HannahHannah Blundell	England	Defender
2023–24	Toone, EllaElla Toone	England	Midfielder	First to win Player of the Year twice and first to win both awards in the same season	rowspan="2"	Le Tissier, MayaMaya Le Tissier	England	Defender	First time the award was shared
					Toone, EllaElla Toone	England	Midfielder

Coaching Staff

First-Team Coaches

These are the people who coach the main team.

Position	Staff
Head coach	Marc Skinner
Assistant coaches	Dan Bale Charlotte Healy
Goalkeeping coach	Ian Willcock
Strength & conditioning coach	Tommy Munday

Club Management

These people help run the club at a higher level.

Position	Staff
Director of football	Dan Ashworth
Head of women's football	Matt Johnson (interim)
For a full list see Management of Manchester United F.C.

Manager History and Stats

This table shows the coaches the team has had and their results. Information is correct as of November 24, 2024. Only official matches are counted.

List of Manchester United W.F.C. managers

Image	Name	Nationality	From	To	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Win%	Honours (Trophies)	Notes
	Stoney, CaseyCasey Stoney	England	8 June 2018	16 May 2021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&077.&&&&&077	&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.&&&&&052	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&0213.&&&&&0213	&&&&&&&&&&&&&060.&&&&&060	&&&&&&&&&&&&&067.53000067.53	1 Championship title
	Skinner, MarcMarc Skinner	England	29 July 2021	present	&&&&&&&&&&&&0104.&&&&&0104	&&&&&&&&&&&&&064.&&&&&064	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	&&&&&&&&&&&&0227.&&&&&0227	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100	&&&&&&&&&&&&&061.54000061.54	1 FA Cup title

Honours (Trophies)

Manchester United Women have won these important titles:

• Women's FA Cup
  • Winners: 2023–24
• FA Women's Championship
  • Winners: 2018–19

Season Summaries

This section shows how the team has done in different competitions each season.

Key to Table

Results by Season

This table shows the team's results in their league and cup competitions each year.

• P means Games played.
• W means Games won.
• D means Games drawn (tied).
• L means Games lost.
• F means Goals scored (For).
• A means Goals against.
• Pts means Points earned.
• Pos means Final position in the league.

Records

Reserves and Academy

Manchester United has always had a strong focus on developing young female players. Even when there was no senior women's team, they ran a girls' talent club for players up to 16 years old. The Manchester United Foundation also helps coach girls of all ages.

Before the 2019–20 season, Manchester United started a full-time Under-21 team. This team plays in the FA WSL Academy League. The club's development team even reached the WSL Academy Cup final the season before.

Under-21 Squad

These are the players in the Under-21 team.

No. Position Player 42 FW Jessica Anderson 43 DF Holly Minshull 47 DF Amelia Freeman 48 MF Mared Griffiths 50 MF Amelia Oldroyd 51 MF Ellie Adams 52 DF Olivia Moulton 54 DF Zaiba Ishaque 57 DF Lucy Crook

No. Position Player 58 MF Phoebe Chadwick 59 MF Tamira Livingston 60 FW Aoife Farrall 64 GK Millie Crook 67 MF Olivia Turner DF Amaris Ince DF Ruby Johnson MF Anna Fletcher

Under-21 Players on Loan

No. Position Player 49 FW Olivia Francis (dual registration with Liverpool Feds until 30 June 2025) 63 GK Kacey Bolton-Woollam (dual registration with Huddersfield Town until 30 June 2025)

Academy Manager

This is the person who manages the youth academy teams.

Position	Staff
Under-21s manager	Charlotte Healy (2019–present)

Academy Honours

The youth teams have also won important titles:

Under-21 Team

• Professional Game Academy
  • National play-off winners: 2023–24
  • Northern Division: 2023–24
• FA WSL Academy League
  • National play-off winners: 2021–22
  • Northern Division: 2021–22
• FA WSL Academy Cup: 1
  • 2021–22

Under-16 Team

• U16 Professional Game Academy Cup: 1
  • 2023–24
• SuperCupNI: 1
  • 2025

Academy Graduates

These are players who came from the academy and have played for the senior team. Bold means the player is still with the club.

• Carrie Jones
• Ella Toone
• Emily Ramsey
• Fran Bentley
• Gabby George
• Karna Solskjær
• Katie Zelem
• Kirsty Hanson
• Millie Turner
• Naomi Hartley
• Rebecca May
• Tara Bourne

See also

In Spanish: Manchester United Women Football Club para niños