What a difference a year makes. At this time last season, Reading Women had failed to score in six league games and were bottom of the league with a goal difference of -21.
Play the Arbor Park Barmy Army Band’s “The Great Escape” theme music (for example: there is no band yet). At the end of the season, head coach Pedro Bruno and assistant coach Shelley Strange not only kept the team stable, but also stuck to the game plan and performed miracles to avoid relegation by 10 points above the relegation zone.
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However, the first half of 2025 does continue to provide some further self-reflection, character building and testing of resilience for the young Reading side (and fans). There was a “learning curve” with some serious failures along the way.
“The double act of Bruno and Strange hatch an escape plan that Harry Houdini would be proud of”
Winchester City Flyers were beaten 8-0 – a bad time for the college students on the first day of filming for what would become the award-winning documentary on Reading’s Women’s Journey. The team then lost 6-1 to Wycombe Wanderers in front of 567 spectators at Adams Park before beating Oxford City 10-0 in front of a further 300-plus spectators.
As spoiler alert goes out, the clouds part and the sun shines as the duo of Bruno and Strange hatch an escape plan that Harry Houdini would be proud of. Home and away wins against Badshot Leah and Selsey, plus a 3-3 draw with ‘local’ rivals Woodley United, meant the Royals finished with 13 points.
Fast forward 12 months and as things stand today, the current Real side have once again accumulated 13 points, but this time in just seven league games. What has changed? Pretty much everything, another rebuild in the summer and a big step in the right direction.
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In July, a new full-time first-team manager (and director of player development) position emerged at the Community Trust, with Bruno and Strange exiting with their heads held high.
The announcement of the new head coach did not take long, with former Maidenhead United Women head coach Ed Jackson-Norris being unveiled at the beginning of July. Max Scott completes the coaching duo as assistant coach, continuing their working partnership.
Compared to the last-minute preparations for the 2024/25 season, where a team has to be put together in just a few weeks, the early appointment of a new management team for the 2025/26 season leaves plenty of time for Jackson-Norris not only to organize the player trial selection process, but also to arrange a series of pre-season friendlies: a welcome luxury – or a return to some sense of normalcy.
With a new setting comes new interest. Young players who have played for (but subsequently left) the U-21s or reserve teams return.
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It probably came as no surprise to most after Jackson-Norris’s spell at Maidenhead United that the Magpies also opted to make the short flight across Berkshire to swap the black and white hoops for blue and white ones: new club captain Mia Parker among them.
Having said that, it did come as a surprise to Maidenhead United’s new manager. The red-haired former Royal Premier League player was so unhappy that he chose to be naughty himself by canceling a scheduled pre-season friendly against Reading just hours before kick-off. So strange.
The player trials were so successful that a difficult decision had to be made, with only five players remaining in the new squad, including the 2024/25 Fans’ Player of the Year Lucy Bolitho.
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The coaching staff also looks more balanced, with Ryan Robinson (goalie coach), Katie Sayer (strength and conditioning/analytics) and Amy Conley (athletic therapist) all part of the lineup. They work alongside the evergreen and irreplaceable ‘Volunteer 2024/25’ Angy King, providing her pastoral (and more) support.
A bright future on the pitch…
If the first half of the year was about survival, the second half was definitely a “work in progress” and the results so far bode well for the end of the 2025/26 season which is worth looking forward to.
Reading started the year in sixth place in the league and are well placed to put pressure on top teams. The Royals are just nine points behind leaders Wycombe Wanderers and five behind Winchester City Flyers (Reading’s first opponents in 2026, at Arbor Park), but both teams have a game in hand (and a second game to be played).
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The first half of the 2025/26 season has been a strong year, with some great wins, some “close results” and a learning curve (scores do not reflect performance). There was also an ‘away defeat’ result (Woodley United were unable to field a team in October) and, in a fitting Christmas carol theme, a glimpse of what was to come or could be.
We’ve seen some big cup wins against lower league teams (5-0 against Manorcroft United in the FA Cup and 11-1 against Kidlington Youth in the League Cup) which once again underlined the huge progress that has been made since the start of 2025.
In the FA Cup, Real were eliminated in the final round of qualifying. Reading were unlucky to be drawn against a strong Brentford team (still top of the District League) and lost 2-1 in a tight game.
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Reading were unable to secure a place against higher-tier teams and the only chance came in the Burke Bucks Cup, a draw away to Ascot United on a late October night. A gritty performance, coupled with a “world-class” save from Reading goalkeeper Lily Hadrava, was not enough for the Royals, who narrowly lost 1-0 to last season’s Southern League champions.
While the Royals are still involved in two cup fixtures – the League Cup (away to Larkspur Rovers, scheduled for February 8) and the United Counties Cup (whether Windsor and Eton will be able to complete the campaign remains to be decided) – it is the prospect of the remaining league fixtures that is most exciting.
While only the championship team is guaranteed promotion, there is an added bonus this season as two additional teams from the eight five-tier regional leagues (the two teams ranked highest and second in points per game) will receive promotions. This one-off opportunity arose due to the reorganization of the pyramid structure and the vacancy created by the expansion of top flight league WSL.
Reading have only lost twice in the league and have the chance to make amends for both defeats in the second leg, so they are well-positioned to end the season in exciting fashion and have a chance to compete for one of the top two spots – with nine of the remaining 15 league games set to be played at Arbor Park.
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…but concerns remain behind the scenes
If the future on the pitch looks bright, it appears to be a different story compared to Sunday’s matchday performances, with ongoing and future funding an area that needs to be addressed, both in the short and (more) long term.
There is no doubt that new ownership with Rob Couhig at the helm has removed anxiety, uncertainty and fear about the overall future of Reading Football Club. To be fair, it’s the opposite for the women’s team, with the future looking uncertain after it was announced the club would be withdrawing funding within the next year or two.
With the team relegated to the fifth tier from the Championship (now WSL2), ongoing management and financial support is the responsibility of the Community Trust: The Community Trust is a charity whose funding sources include the Premier League Charitable Fund, EFL grants and donations.
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The Trust promotes education, training and support for grassroots football, whilst also undertaking a number of other charitable activities for disadvantaged groups and individuals in the community.
In an open Q&A session with Couhig at the SCL Stadium in October, the new boss made his position clear, including where he sees the women’s team (“within the community trust”), his plans (ideally requiring a new owner) and ongoing funding (which will cease at the end of next season).
Couhig further explained that when he initially tried to buy the club some 18 months ago, they “planned to bring in someone [new] Who can help women and keep them where they are” (at the time, this would be in the championship).
When he finally completed the takeover, the women’s team was already under the administration of a community trust and the continued funding seemed to surprise him:
“Unbeknownst to me, the club has agreed to use my money to sponsor the women’s team. We agreed from day one that the sponsorship would continue this year and I imagine next year as well.”
My understanding is that while the club will continue to provide some funding into the 2026/27 season, the level will be significantly reduced and nowhere near sufficient to support the ongoing costs required to operate the team. On finding a new owner:
“Ultimately, this is what has to happen [Reading Women] We’re prepared to do that…when the right person (or people) comes along, we’ll allow them to use the right trademark* and build a club…but right now, we can’t [turn our attention to this]”.
*My understanding comes at a price.
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If I read the atmosphere music correctly, I guess playing the game at SCL Stadium is also out of the question. The home game against Wycombe Wanderers felt like a missed opportunity to raise awareness and interest, and I’m sure the number of fans through the turnstiles was probably in the hundreds (similar to – or exceeding – the recent Under-21 and Under-18 games).
This season the Community Trust has been actively seeking additional funding from local businesses or individuals, including sponsorship of matchdays, individual players and/or staff. It’s all made more difficult when Reading play their home games in another town, Arbor Park in Slough. GK Services has stepped up to sponsor the Man of the Match award and some fans have also generously sponsored individual players.
SCL remains the kit sponsor, although, as the team photo shows, the home kit will suffice, with the team still wearing last season’s teal third strip. This appears to be a prudent decision, coupled with the fact that this season’s beer-coloured second kit and bulb-green third kit do not have the alternative of white shorts.
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Whether the new owners are willing to become an integral part of the existing organization (and pay the trademark fees) or take a more controversial approach and form an independent 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 who want to buy or fund football clubs, there is little they can do but continue to turn up, support the team and regularly fly the Reading flag to raise awareness of the untapped potential and opportunities.
However, fans can also look back and remember some of the highlights of the past 12 months, including a long-awaited first-ever fifth tier win over Selsey in mid-January. It’s a weight lifted off everyone’s shoulders, the start of an upward trajectory, and a reward for the continued hard work of the team and coaching staff.
One of the highlights of my season was the 0-0 draw away to Wycombe Wanderers in December – Reading became the first team to not only take a point from the league leaders, but also the first team to keep a clean sheet against the Chairwomen in all competitions. They were also unlucky not to get the win.
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Of course, we can all look forward to promotion ambitions, cup prospects and warmer weather in the second half of the season. It all starts when Winchester City Flyers visit Arbor Park on Sunday, January 11, with kick-off at 2pm.
See you there.
