What a difference a year makes. This time last season, Reading Women sat bottom of the league with no points from six league matches and a goal difference of -21.
Strike up ‘The Great Escape’ theme music from the Arbour Park Barmy Army Band (metaphorically: there is no band, yet). By the end of the season, manager Pedro Bruno – together with assistant coach Shelley Strange – had not only kept the team afloat but also stuck to the game plan and worked a miracle to somehow avoid the relegation places,
finishing 10 points above the drop zone.
The first half of 2025 did however continue to provide some further soul-searching, character-building and resilience tests for the young Reading team (and fans) to pass. Filed under ‘learning curves’, there were some heavy defeats along the way.
There was the 8-0 defeat at Winchester City Flyers – poor timing for the first day of filming by the university students for what was to become an award-winning documentary on Reading Women’s journey. A 6-1 loss at Wycombe Wanderers followed, in front of a crowd of 567 at Adams Park, before a 10-0 battering at the hands of Oxford City, in front of another 300+ attendance.
With the spoiler alert already given, the clouds lifted, the sun shone and the double act of Bruno and Strange hatched an escape plan which Harry Houdini would have been proud of. Home and away victories over Badshot Lea and Selsey, together with a feisty 3-3 draw against ‘local’ rivals Woodley United, meant the Royals finished on 13 points.
Fast-forward 12 months and, as it stands today, the current Royals team have again accumulated 13 points but this time from just seven league matches. What’s changed? Pretty much everything, with another rebuild and another big step in the right direction during the summer.
July brought the advent of a new full-time position for first-team manager (and player development lead) at the Community Trust, with Bruno and Strange bowing out with their heads held high.
The announcement of the new head coach didn’t take long, with former Maidenhead United Women’s manager Ed Jackson-Norris unveiled in early July. Max Scott completed the coaching duo as assistant manager, continuing their working partnership.
In contrast to the last-minute preparations for the 2024/25 season (when a team had to be thrown together in just a couple of weeks), the early appointment of the new management duo for 2025/26 left plenty of time for Jackson-Norris to not only organise a player-trials selection process, but also arrange a series of pre-season friendlies: a welcome luxury – or return to some normality.
With the new set-up came new interest. Young players who had once played for (but subsequently left) the under-21s or pathway sides returned.
After Jackson-Norris’ time and success at Maidenhead United, it probably wasn’t a surprise to most people that a mischief of Magpies also chose to make the short flight across Berkshire, swapping the black and white for blue and white hoops: including new club captain Mia Parker.
Saying that, it did appear to be a surprise to the new Maidenhead United manager. The red-headed, ex-Royals Premier League player took such umbrage that he chose to exact some mischievousness of his own by cancelling the arranged pre-season friendly against Reading mere hours before kick-off. Just bizarre.
Player trials were such a success that difficult decisions had to be made, with only five players remaining part of the new squad, including the fans’ player of the 2024/25 season, Lucy Bolitho.
The coaching team looks more balanced too, with Ryan Robinson (goalkeeper coach), Katie Sayer (strength and conditioning/analysis) and Aimee Comley (sports therapist) all part of the set-up. They’re alongside the evergreen and irreplaceable ‘2024/25 volunteer of the season’ Angy King, providing her pastoral (and so much more) support.
A bright future on the pitch…
If the first half of the year was about survival, the second half is definitely ‘work in progress’, with the results so far promising a finish to the 2025/26 season to look forward to.
Reading start this calendar year sixth in the league and well placed to keep the pressure on the top teams. The Royals are just nine points behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers and five off Winchester City Flyers (Reading’s first opponents of 2026, at Arbour Park) but with a game in hand over both teams (and a return match still to be played).
The first half of 2025/26 has been one of building momentum, with some great wins, some ‘nearly results’ and learning curves (where the scoreline didn’t reflect the performance). There’s also been one ‘away walkover’ result (with Woodley United unable to field a team back in October) and, in a fitting Christmas Carol theme, a glimpse of promise what is – or could be – to come.
We’ve witnessed some big cup victories against teams in tiers below (5-0 at Manorcroft United in the FA Cup, 11-1 against Kidlington Youth in the League Cup), which, again, only underlines the massive leap in progress from early 2025.
In the FA Cup the Royals were knocked out in the last of the qualifying rounds. Unlucky to have been drawn against a high-flying Brentford side (still sitting top of their regional league), Reading lost 2-1 in what was a tight and closely fought match.
Reading are unable to claim a scalp against a team from a higher tier, with the only opportunity arising in the Berks & Bucks Cup with an evening draw away to Ascot United in late October. A resilient performance, together with a ‘worldie’ save from Reading ‘keeper Lilly Hadrava, wasn’t enough for the Royals, narrowly losing 1-0 to last season’s Southern League champions.
Although the Royals are still in two cup competitions – the League Cup (away to Larkspur Rovers, scheduled for February 8) and the Combined Counties competition (with a decision still to be made over whether Windsor & Eton can fulfil the fixture) – it’s the prospect of the remaining league fixtures which holds the most excitement.
Although only the champions are guaranteed promotion, there’s an extra incentive this season with the addition of two more teams (the two highest-ranking, points-per-match, second-placed teams) to be promoted, from across the eight fifth-tier regional leagues. This one-off opportunity has arisen due to the restructuring of the pyramid and the vacancies created by the expansion of the top-flight WSL.
With only two league defeats, and the opportunity to redress both of those in the return legs, Reading are well placed for an exciting end to the season and a chance to push for one of those top two positions – with nine of the remaining 15 league matches to be played at Arbour Park.
…but concerns remain behind the scenes
If the future looks bright on the pitch, it appears to be a different story away from the Sunday matchday performances, with ongoing and future funding an area that will need to be addressed, both in the short and the (much) longer term.
There’s no doubt that the new ownership, with Rob Couhig at the helm, has removed any anxiety, uncertainty and fear over the future of Reading Football Club as a whole. It’s also fair to say it’s the exact opposite for the women’s team, with an uncertain future ahead after the announcement that funding from the club is being withdrawn over the next year or two.
Since the team was demoted from the Championship (now the WSL2) to tier five, the ongoing stewardship and financial backstop sit within the control of the Community Trust: a charity, with funding from sources including the Premier League charitable fund, EFL grants and donations.
The Trust facilitates education, training and support for grassroots football – alongside many other charitable activities for disadvantaged groups and individuals in the community.
During the October open-house Q&A session with Couhig at the SCL Stadium, the new owner made his position clear regarding where he believes the Women’s team sit (‘within the Community Trust’), his plans (a new owner is ideally required) and ongoing funding (which is to cease at the end of next season).
Couhig expanded to explain that, during his initial attempt to buy the club some 18 months ago, they “had a plan to bring in somebody [new] who could assist the women and keep them where they are” (which, at the time, would have been in the Championship).
When he finally secured the takeover, the Women’s team was already under the stewardship of the Community Trust with ongoing funding appearing to be a surprise to him:
“The club, unbeknown to me, had agreed to a sponsorship of the Women’s team, using my money. We agreed, day one, that we would continue that sponsorship this year and, I think, next.”
My understanding is that, although there is some money continuing from the club in 2026/27, it will be at a much reduced level and nowhere near enough to support the ongoing costs required to run the team. On the search for a new owner:
“Ultimately, it’s what has to happen for [Reading Women] and we’re prepared to do this… and when the right person (or persons) comes along we will allow them to use the right trademarks* and build a club… but right now, we can’t [turn our attention to this].”
*At a cost, is my understanding.
If I read the mood music correctly, I’m guessing that playing a match at the SCL Stadium is off the table too. The home match against Wycombe Wanderers feels like a missed opportunity to raise awareness and interest, where I’m sure the number of fans through the turnstile could have been in the hundreds (similar to – or in excess of – the recent under-21s and under-18s matches played).
The Community Trust have been active in their search for additional funding this season from local businesses or individuals, including sponsorship for match days, individual players and/or staff. That’s all made just a little bit harder when a team from Reading plays their home matches in another town – at Slough Town’s Arbour Park. GK Services have stepped up to sponsor the player of the match awards and some fans have kindly sponsored individual players too.
SCL are still the shirt sponsors, although, as the team photo suggests, there’s just about enough home kit, while the side are still playing in last season’s teal third strip. That appears to be a prudent decision, coupled with the fact that this season’s beer-coloured second kit and bulb-green third strip don’t have an alternative option to white shorts.
Whether any new owners will want to be an integral part of the existing set-up (and pay for the trademarks) or take a more controversial approach and form a breakaway Reading team (similar to London City Lionesses, as an extreme example), only time will tell.
Unless fans have a little black book of wealthy business owners looking to buy or fund a football club, there’s not a lot they can do except continue to turn up, support the team and wave the Reading flag, high and often, to raise awareness of the untapped potential and opportunities abound.
However, fans can also look back and remember some terrific moments over the last 12 months, including the long-awaited but first-ever tier-five league victory, over Selsey in mid January. It was a weight off everyone’s shoulders, the start of an upward trajectory, and just reward for the ongoing efforts of the team and coaching staff.
A highlight of mine from this season was the 0-0 draw away to Wycombe Wanderers in December – Reading becoming the first side to not only take a point off the league leaders, but also the first team not to concede a goal against the Chairgirls in all competitions. They were also very unlucky not to grab a winner.
And, of course, we can all look forward in the second half of the season to promotion ambitions, cup prospects and warmer weather to come. It all starts with the visit of Winchester City Flyers to Arbour Park on Sunday January 11, 2pm kick-off.
See you there.
