Sunderland Women announce major departures and some key boosts in summer rebuild

What always looked like being a vital summer of transition and recruitment for Sunderland Women was underlined when the FA confirmed that there would be two relegation places in the Women’s Championship next season. The stakes have grown higher still in what has already proven to be a ferociously competitive division over the last two years.

For Sunderland the challenge was a familiar one: Finding a way to keep pace with the exciting growth of the women’s game, but doing so in a sustainable way on and off the pitch.

The club remain committed to becoming a fully professional outfit, but have faced a dilemma of how best to reach that final destination. The risk of doing so too quickly was that for a number of senior players who have well-established careers outside of the game, the move would not make sense either financially or practically. Sunderland risked losing the core of the side who had so impressively hauled the club back from its double relegation at the hands of the FA.

The other challenge, though, was that not offering a professional environment would leave the club’s best young talent with little choice but to move on. The hybrid model put in place for the upcoming campaign is an attempt to bridge that gap.

Monday brought the release of the club’s retained list as players began to return for pre season, and the list of departures is significant.

Gone are Neve Herron, Danielle Brown and Emma Kelly, three players who when fit were amongst Mel Reay’s automatic selections. With Abbey Joice retiring, Sunderland have also lost one of the most technically-gifted players in the division and another stalwart of the starting XI. Gone too are Tyler Dodds, Brenna McPartlan, Nicki Gears, Abby Towers and Allison Cowling.

The reasons for the departures are myriad, reflecting the numerous pressures Sunderland are under as they try and plot a path forward. Both Kelly and Dodds are joining Newcastle United, whose ambitious recruitment drive will also see them sign former Sunderland striker Bridget Galloway. Newcastle are one of a number of clubs sitting lower in the pyramid who are beginning to use Premier League riches to belatedly try and force their way towards the WSL. Towers is joining Middlesbrough in an understandable search for regular minutes following an ACL injury.

Perhaps the toughest departure for supporters is that of Herron, who is one of the brightest prospects the club has produced. Herron has decided to seek a fresh start elsewhere and it would be no surprise to see her move up the division, if not the pyramid. 

The upshot is that the core of Reay’s side has now departed and in a short period of time. Abby Holmes, one of the standout performers across last season, is out of contract but has been offered a new deal. That would be a major boost if she signed, and another huge loss if she did not.

The switch to a hybrid model has brought with it some notable success, too. Liz Ejupi’s arrival in January was a game changer for the side, finally adding the focal point up front to a squad that had lacked one for so long. With Emily Scarr and Katy Watson also signed up for the season ahead, Sunderland have managed to retain their key goal scoring threats from last season despite significant interest from elsewhere.

If club legend Keira Ramshaw can return from injury as hoped, then with Jessica Brown there is a strong attacking foundation to build from.

Part of the benefit of now being able to offer professional contracts is that it now enables the club to look outside of the North East for recruits. Katie Kitching and Mary McAteer have signed from London City Lionesses and Coventry United respectively, while the new model should later in the summer open up the possibility of loan deals from the WSL. With just seventeen players under contract for the new season as it stands, there is a huge amount of work to do if Sunderland are going to be able to steer clear of trouble.

Sunderland have invested steadily in the set up since Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ takeover, focusing primarily and understandably on the foundations. A professional coaching structure is now in place, while the team has been further integrated at the Academy of Light to benefit from the major investments that have been made in areas such as data analysis and sports science there.

With an academy now also in place, the long-term signs for women’s football in Sunderland are promising. The balance the club are trying to strike right now is to ensure that the first team can keep pace with a rapidly-changing landscape, but do so in a way that does not risk its long-term sustainability. Past experience underlines the importance of ensuring the team is not overly dependent on the fortunes of the wider club from season to season.

The question for Sunderland supporters after a tough campaign last time out is whether the growth is enough to sustain that second-tier status which becomes more vital with each passing season. The divisions below are growing stronger and will only continue to do so. Competition from within the region and elsewhere is becoming fierce.

The summer is turning into an even bigger rebuild than anticipated and so at this stage, there is no little uncertainty as to what lies ahead in the short term. It feels as if a big couple of months lie ahead.