Manchester City Women’s Football Club has a long and proud history in the game. Based in Manchester, Northern England, this outstanding side competes at the top end of the table in the Women’s Super League. On this page, we will delve into the history of Man City ladies, discussing their most accomplished players and giving you an insight into where they play and train.

History of Man City Ladies

Man City ladies was born in 1988. Despite being one of the first affiliated women’s clubs in the North West of England, the team struggled to produce consistency in their early years. With a lack of finances and heavy reliance on the men’s team, the Citizens could not compete with the resources of rival clubs. Enthusiasm for the ladies’ team waned, and there was talk that they would have to integrate with local rivals Stockport City to keep the team alive.

Following stints in the lower leagues and the rise of the WSL, the Citizens took their chance in 2013 and joined the top flight (teams, in theory, could apply to join the league as opposed to competing on merit). The team gradually improved, and with serious investment from their Abu Dhabi owners in the club as a whole, they reached the top of the WSL in the following years.9

Success in Major Domestic Competitions

As explained earlier, Man City Women’s team wouldn’t become a truly competitive outfit until the inception of the Women’s Super League in 2010. Since joining the competition, the citizens have been crowned champions once in 2016 and have finished runners-up on six occasions. They have been more successful in cup competitions. The team have won 3 Women’s FA Cups and 4 League Cups, including cup doubles in the 2016 and 2018-2019 seasons.9

The table below highlights some of Manchester City Women’s major domestic titles and cup wins. For reference, we have only included data for top flight titles, FA cup and League Cup wins.

Man City Ladies Title and Cup Wins in Domestic Competitions9 (Data taken 02.10.2022)
Title Total Wins Years
Women’s Super League 1 2016
Women’s FA Cup 3 2016–17, 2018–19, 2019–20
Women’s League Cup 4 2014, 2016, 2018–19, 2021–22

European Competitions

As European competitions are concerned, it has been a case of nearly moments. The Man City ladies team have yet to reach a final in the Women’s Champions League, going close on two separate occasions in 2017 and 2018. Agonizingly, they lost to Olympique Lyon in both fixtures by the narrowest of margins.

Despite this, the team regularly qualify for this competition through league position. Be sure to keep updated on their progress on the official Man City Women’s page, as if they maintain this level of consistency, there is a likely chance they will compete in a continental final soon.9

Manchester City Women’s Squad: 2022-23 Season

With the English women’s leagues in full flow, most women’s football teams are settled at this stage. Here, we break down the current Man City ladies’ squad for the 2022-2023 season, dividing the list by position. For clarity, we are not including players currently out on loan at other clubs and there could be squad changes during the season.

Manchester City Women’s Squad for the 2022-2023 Season5 (Data taken 02.10.2022)
Position Players
Goalkeepers Ellie Roebuck, Khiara Keating, Sandy Maciver
Defenders Kerstin Casparij, Demi Stokes, Laia Aleixandri, Alex Greenwood, Steph Houghton, Esme Morgan, Leila Ouahabi, Ruby Mace, Alanna Kennedy
Midfielders Laura Coombs, Filippa Angeldahl, Vicky Losada, Keira Walsh, Julie Blakstad
Forwards Marry Fowler, Chloe Kelly, Deyna Castellanos, Lauren Hemp, Hayley Raso, Jess Park, Khadija Shaw

Manager and Notable Players

As with most top-flight sides, the Man City women’s team is full of highly experienced international footballers. Below, we will give you the lowdown three players in the ranks to watch out for this current season and the manager in charge of the team.

Steph Houghton

  • Position: Defender
  • Born: 19th June 1988
  • Nationality: English

The top player on our list is the brilliant Steph Houghton. This Highly experienced northerner has lifted eight trophies in her time at the club, accumulating over 200 appearances. Steph’s versatility at the back is an essential part of her game. She is also a leader on the pitch and gives the City team someone to look to when the game requires cool heads.4

Alex Greenwood

  • Position: Defender
  • Born: 23rd April 1993
  • Nationality: English

Another defender on our list, Alex Greenwood is a Rolls Royce of a player! Boasting over 50 caps for the England Lionesses and being a former captain at other clubs, she’s someone that you’d kill for in your dressing room. Alex possesses good technical abilities and a sturdy defensive output, making her an excellent fullback in the modern game.2 What is also

What is also interesting about this player is that she has had a taste of both sides of Manchester. She played for fierce local rivals Manchester United Women back in 2018-2019 before heading to France for a brief spell at Olympique Lyonnais and then back to the North West.2

Lauren Hemp

  • Position: Attacker
  • Born: 7th August 2000
  • Nationality: English

Lauren Hemp completes the all-English lineup (I promise there are no biases here!). What can we say about Lauren Hemp? Despite her age, she shows the maturity of a veteran every time she steps out onto the pitch, and the three PFA Young Player of the Year awards she has accumulated already back this theory up. She is an exciting young talent with the best years ahead of her.3

Gareth Taylor – Manager

  • Games Managed: 103*
  • Games Won: 77*
  • Born: 25th February 1973

*Data taken as of 30.11.20226

A former player of the Citizens: Gareth Taylor came back to the club in 2011. During his time at City, he has had various roles at the club, mainly focusing on the youth setup. He managed both the U16s as well as the u18s before joining the women’s team in 2020. He has guided Manchester City women’s team to one FA cup and league cup in his time here, and we expect him to add more titles to that list soon.1

Where Do the Team Play?

As with most of the top clubs in the English game, Man City ladies have the best facilities to play and train. Below we will give a brief description of the resources that they have at their disposal.

Academy Stadium

Merely a stone’s throw away from the Etihad Stadium, the ladies’ team play football at the impressive Academy Stadium, a 7,000-capacity structure inside the highly-impressive Etihad Campus. They share this stadium with the youth development sides.9

Etihad Campus

The Etihad campus is one of the most sophisticated training complexes in the world. This ultra-modern facility is used by all teams under the Manchester City Football Club umbrella, including the first team, women’s and youth development sides. It is spread over 80 acres and includes a variety of top-tier facilities, including 16 indoor and outdoor pitches, an educational college for the academy players and the Manchester Institute for Health and Performance (MIHP): an exceptional facility for the health and recovery of the club’s athletes.7,10

FAQs – All the Important Questions, Answered!

Do you still have questions about Man City Ladies that we have not quite covered? Below, we have answered some commonly asked questions about the team and other relevant topics.

When was Manchester City Women's Football Club founded?

Manchester City football club was founded in 1988. They became one of the first North-Western sides in England to form an affiliated club to the main team and have been an integral part of the setup at Manchester City to this day.9

How many Man City Players are in the Women's England team?

In the current England squad (as of 4th October 2022), 6 players represent Manchester City Women, including stars Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp. The team may change throughout the season due to injuries, suspensions and the eventual squad selection for the World Cup.8

Where do Man City Ladies play?

Man City ladies play at the Academy Stadium, in the magnificent Etihad Campus in Manchester. This impressive 7000-capacity stadium was built in 2014 and has been the home of the women's and youth development squads ever since.9

Sources

  1. Manchester City Football Club. (n.d). Gareth Taylor. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://www.mancity.com/players/gareth-taylor
  2. Manchester City Football Club. (n.d). Alex Greenwood. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://www.mancity.com/players/alex-greenwood
  3. Manchester City Football Club. (n.d). Lauren Hemp. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://www.mancity.com/players/lauren-hemp
  4. Manchester City Football Club. (n.d). Steph Houghton. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://www.mancity.com/players/steph-houghton
  5. Manchester City Football Club. (n.d). Manchester City Women’s Players. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://www.mancity.com/players/womens
  6. FootyStats. (n.d). Gareth Taylor Manager Stats. Accessed on November 30, 2022 from https://footystats.org/managers/wales/gareth-taylor
  7. British Study Centres. (n.d). Manchester City Football Academy. Accessed on October 2, 2022 from https://bsc-holidayprograms.mancity.com/facilities/
  8. The Football Association. (n.d). England Women’s Senior Squad. Accessed on October 4, 2022 from https://www.englandfootball.com/womens-senior-team/squad
  9. Manchester City W.F.C. (2022, September 25). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manchester_City_W.F.C.&oldid=1112283631
  10. Etihad Campus (2022, June 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Etihad_Campus&oldid=1091869112