Women’s Pyramid: Inside WSL2 newcomers Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers are about to compete in the WSL2 for the first time. Dragon Football takes a look inside their preparations.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Women are about to take their place in the second tier of women’s football in England.
Last season was something of a milestone for them. When in November they beat Stoke City 2-0 in the second round proper of the Women’s FA Cup, it was the first time a second-round match in the competition had been broadcast live on TNT Sports, and the first time Wolves had been on television.
One round later, they hosted WSL2 side Nottingham Forest, and again got the broadcast showcase, ultimately falling 2-1 to the higher-ranked side, and losing for the first time since February 2025.
And in May 2026, they finally secured the promotion they have been seeking for years.
It certainly seemed as though it had been a long time coming, or perhaps like it would never happen at all. They had come so close before but found the big time snatched away from them in the cruellest of ways.
Indeed, Wolves went into the final matches of the 2024-25 season thinking they still had a chance for promotion. Had results gone their way, they would have made the step up from the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division into WSL2, leapfrogging Nottingham Forest and pipping them to the title.
Perhaps it was just as well that Forest finished the season unbeaten and three points clear. The Wolves players found out after their last match that the club had not actually applied for a licence to compete in the next league up, meaning that whatever the results, even if they had won the league, they would not have been able to play in WSL2 the next season.
After an outcry, with players saying on social media that they were “absolutely devastated” and adding, “We deserve better,” club chairman Jeff Shi issued a statement that read: “Moving forward, we will apply for the Tier 2 licence on an annual basis in line with our sporting achievements, and ensure that every on-pitch achievement is supported by the right procedures and documentation.”
It must have given the players some added impetus. Dan McNamara’s side promptly followed that up with an excellent campaign, finishing second behind league champions Burnley and then defeating Plymouth Argyle 1-0 in a promotion play-off thanks to a Charlotte Greengrass goal, four years after they lost to Southampton on the same stage.
It meant that they had finally secured a place in the second tier, and despite the excitement, it also meant that some big changes were imminent. WSL2 has more stringent requirements than tier three in terms of better facilities, more contact hours for players, more staff, and a talent pathway for young players.
‘A massive decision’
As a club, Wolves had already taken steps to ensure that they were prepared for the rules and regulations of WSL2. Last season the squad were training and playing within a so-called hybrid set-up, a way to bridge the gap between semi-professional and full-time pro status.
In practice, the players were able to take up the offer of some daytime training sessions as well as the usual evening slots, dependent on their own availability, and they had access to the facilities at the club training ground, the Sir Jack Hayward complex about a mile out of the centre of the city, as well as support from staff.
Players could balance their football with study or a full-time day job, and benefit from a more flexible schedule that allowed them to train more than the normal two evenings a week that many amateur and semi-pro women’s teams still stick to.
Now Wolves are stepping up once more, but this time into a full-time professional league. Amy Sims will be playing in the second tier for the very first time, having spent most of her career in the National League Premier Division, with spells at Nottingham Forest and Derby County. The 27-year-old is a respiratory physiologist in the NHS by profession, and has switched to a zero-hours contract there to enable her to pursue football.
“For me, just the offer of being able to become a full-time footballer was too good to turn down,” she told Dragon Football, “but I think it is still a massive decision for a lot of people. It changes your whole weekly schedule. Everything’s very, very different.”
She adds that as an experienced player with an established career outside of football, she considers herself lucky to have been able to make that choice; younger players who had not finished their education or older players unable to consider giving up their day job might have found it a much tougher decision: “In a way, I was quite lucky that I’ve been to uni and done all that before.”
‘Football is our sole focus’
Even those who were taking up the daytime training sessions last season are coping with what Sims describes as “a massive change”.
“[Football] is our sole focus. All you’re focusing on is your football and how you can improve. Pre-season schedule is always pretty heavy anyway, trying to push the body to its limits and see what it can do, but it’s been a massive change in terms of being able to train fully in the day, getting your recovery in as well, so you train in the day and then you have the evening to rest and recover.”
Working hard on fitness is an essential part of pre-season, and Sims says that Wolves have always prioritised that.
“That’s something that Macca always requires, whatever league you’re in. We always say Wolverhampton, it’s a working-class city and he wants to show that in his football teams. If you’re not going to work hard, then you know that you’re not going to play under Macca.”
‘Proud to be part of their journey’
McNamara was one of the primary reasons that Melissa Lawley signed for Wolves this summer. The 32-year-old was born in Kidderminster and is a lifelong fan of the club, so when she was mulling over her options, it was not a difficult decision to join.
“I’m just proud to be a part of their journey now and hopefully we can get where we want to be,” she says, adding: “I said to my mum and dad, I think this season I’ve had a boost in my step.
“I’m looking forward to playing for Wolves, playing under Macca. Speaking to him from day one, he’s a good person, he’s a people person, he tells you how it is and he knows the game.”
Lawley too knows the women’s game inside out. She left Everton at the end of last season, having previously represented the red half of Liverpool, Manchester City, Birmingham City and Bristol City (then Bristol Academy), after an academy education at Arsenal.
Her trophy cabinet includes a Women’s FA Cup and a Championship title, as well as UEFA Women’s Champions League appearances and twelve England caps. She even has some third-tier experience, spending the first half of last season on loan with eventual FAWNL Northern Premier champions Burnley, signing for the club when they were managed by her former Liverpool coach, the late Matt Beard.
Lawley made her WSL debut in 2012, when even the top tier was not yet fully professional; she recalls that she was earning £600 a month for her football then, meaning that of course she needed another job.
“It’s amazing to see where the women’s game has come now. The opportunity now for the young girls, it’s really inspiring and I wish I was a lot younger…there’s a lot more out there now for the girls.
“But obviously I’m proud of myself for helping the women’s game to get to where it is and hopefully we just keep pushing on.”
‘Going in the right direction’
What Lawley has seen at Wolves so far has given her plenty of optimism for the season ahead.
“I’ve been shocked, but shocked in a good way. We’re treated the same, the schedule is the same as I’ve been used to. We’re going in the right direction, and I’ve come in, fitted in, and it’s a really nice place to be.”
She goes on wryly: “The players that Macca has brought in are obviously experienced, but also we’ve got youth as well. The standard of the squad is actually really, really good. They’re keeping me on my toes and hopefully I’m pushing them!”
Indeed, McNamara’s press quotes when Lawley joined the club makes it plain that he is delighted to bring her level of quality to his squad, describing her as “a statement signing” and “a massive coup”.
Sims, on the other hand, is ready to seize her chance of WSL2 football. She may have been at Wolves for only a year, but she has played them many times previously, and she has seen the progress they have made. It is no wonder she too is looking forward to playing a part in their first-ever WSL2 season.
“[We] definitely deserve to be in tier 2 and it’s just exciting to be able to take that challenge on now,” she says.