Last season, Wolves Women were on the cusp of climbing into the second tier of the Women’s Super League, holding a mathematical chance to finish ahead of league leaders Nottingham Forest on the final matchday. Unbeknownst to the squad, the effort would ultimately be in vain. The club’s promotion application, which should have been lodged in February, never left the office.
Although the team satisfied every technical requirement, the board concluded that the demands of a full‑time programme were too great at that moment. Even head coach Dan McNamara only learned of the oversight after the season had ended. The heartbreaking news was delivered in the dressing room after the side secured a second‑place finish.
Captain Anna Morphet describes the moment as a painful memory: “It was a shock, complete disbelief. A flood of emotions hit me and I didn’t know what to say, so I stayed quiet and tried to process it.” In the days that followed, the players took to social media to voice their frustration. One player spoke of feeling betrayed, another said they deserved better treatment. The common thread was anger over the lack of transparency and perceived insufficient support from the club hierarchy.
The episode served as a stark wake‑up call for Wolves. Fast‑forward a year, and the team finds itself once again on the brink of promotion, this time with the paperwork finally submitted.
Morphet reflects on the previous year’s ordeal as both "incredibly tough" and oddly galvanising. “Those kinds of moments draw you closer together,” she says. “When you look around you realise how special this group is and the characters within it.
If we hadn’t built that closeness before the news came, I don’t think we would have come through as strongly as we have.” She also expresses empathy for McNamara, who had to be the bearer of bad news. “For Macca, who has poured his heart into this club for years, to be the one to tell us – I know he would never try to shift the blame. I can’t imagine how hard that was for him.” McNamara, visibly moved when recalling the episode, admits it was one of the toughest things he has ever had to say.
A former Royal Air Force serviceman, he leaned on his military training to navigate the leadership challenge. “When I first got the news I was emotional. Part of me wanted to tell the girls immediately and let the whole thing explode, hoping they would simply stop coming to the final games,” he confesses. Instead, he kept the information to himself until after the season’s last match.
“We decided the players deserved to enjoy the moment they had fought for before we brought them back down to earth,” McNamara explains. “If we had shattered that joy on the spot, it would have been horrendous.” He also reveals that he never imagined returning to Wolves. “I could have walked away, but I couldn’t abandon the girls.
They asked, ‘Should we give the club another chance? Do we really want to go elsewhere?’ The consensus was to stay together.” The question loomed: would the team dissolve, or would this become a watershed moment for Wolves Women, a stepping stone to greater achievements?
“Thankfully, it’s been the latter,” McNamara says. One year later, promotion is a single game away, and this time the club is fully prepared. Wolves have now won 20 of their 22 matches in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division, leading the league in goals scored.
Yet automatic promotion has remained elusive; they finished just a point behind Burnley. “We do feel a little hard done by,” McNamara admits, but his dominant feeling is pride in how the squad responded. “They have performed unbelievably well, despite occasional disrespect and adversity.
They represent this club and this city with distinction.” Chairperson Jenny Wilkes describes the journey as a roller‑coaster. A local radio presenter, Wilkes became involved in 1999 after a request from Wolves legend and then chief executive John Richards. She set up a limited company, secured sponsors with help from former England cricketer Rachel Heyhoe‑Flint, and helped lay the foundations for the women’s side.
She recalls the humble origins: “One player’s dad worked in road‑working machinery and would bring his equipment to the pitch to fill a big divot with sand – that’s the kind of surface we played on back then.” Funding was equally makeshift. “Players paid subscriptions, the captain collected cash on training nights, we covered coach transport ourselves. Even getting the club to let us buy kits at cost was a battle.” Things have changed dramatically.
“It’s a completely different environment now. Being this close to promotion has forced the club to look at things differently. I work closely with technical director Matt Jackson, and our communication has improved enormously.” Wilkes has endured near‑misses before – a promotion bid halted by the pandemic and a play‑off defeat to Southampton – as well as the gut‑wrenching disappointment of last year.
Yet the prospect of finally moving up feels within reach. Promotion to the second tier would be transformative, ushering in full‑professional status for the squad. McNamara acknowledges the logistical challenge: “If we get promoted we have a very short timeframe to overhaul the whole club structure.” For many players, the dream is simply to play at the highest possible level. “Being part of making those dreams come true would mean the world to me,” he says.
Morphet was among the first three women to sign a semi‑professional contract with Wolves, but she still works several days a week as a physiotherapist. The possibility of a fully professional contract would be seismic for her and her teammates.
“We know it can be life‑changing,” she remarks. Reflecting on the journey, Morphet says, “When you look at where we are now, it feels crazy that we got here, but thankfully we have emerged in a completely different light.” Feeling finally valued by the club, even if belatedly, is a powerful sentiment.
After eight years and nearly 200 appearances, the “home away from home” she describes could soon reward her dedication. “I knew deep down that I would never give myself the best chance to achieve the full‑time dream without making sacrifices.
The amount of sacrifice we have all put in makes you feel that something good is on the horizon.” Wolves Women now stand at that crossroads. They travel to Plymouth on Monday at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton, with a spot in WSL 2 on the line for the winner. After another roller‑coaster season, Morphet and her teammates deserve to seize the moment they have fought so hard to create.