by Alyce Collett (6/9/26)
Above: Crystal Palace are back in the WSL after only one season away from the top flight, but will things go better this time around? Photo: via WSL Football.
It is a historic day for Crystal Palace, because after only one season away from the top flight of English women’s football the Eagles are back.
If you talk to anyone in the Crystal Palace camp, they are ambitious and certainly not overawed by the challenge in front of them this season as they get set to take on Everton this afternoon.
Crystal Palace stalwart Molly-Mae Sharpe spoke to the media ahead of the new season, and she noted that her side has taken plenty of lessons from the last time they were in the Women’s Super League, back in 2024/25.
“We obviously want as many points on the board as we can in the early days” Sharpe said.
“But I think it’s also a lot going to be about our performance. You’ve seen in the WSL a lot of times where teams might be pinned in and they get out with a one-nil win or they end up drawing against the big teams, and I think results like that are going to be really important.
“But we are looking to make a statement in this league. We’re not here to make up the numbers. We certainly don’t think that. So we want to do well, and we want to get as many points on the board early as we possibly can.”
Sharpe also confirmed that the team’s past WSL experience has helped them prepare slightly different for this campaign compared to last time.
“I think this year we’re not taking anything for granted” Sharpe explained
“We know that it’s going to be a fight every single week, every single day in training. You’re fighting against your teammates to make them better and make yourself better, and I think that’s something we’re all taking very seriously this year.
“Also when it comes to analysis, stuff like that, pre-season, everything’s been very professional and well set out for us, and everything’s thought out from the minute we get here till the minute we leave.
“So I think that’s all been really good. But I think, like I said, the main part is not being naive this year. We know it’s going to be a fight. We know we’re going to win games, we’re going to lose games, we’re going to draw games, but it’s just about getting them results and making sure we can, whatever the result is, let it go quickly and move on to the next week.”
Normally the promoted side really struggles to stay in the top flight for more than one season in a row – the notable exception being London City – but Sharpe agreed that trying to stay up is made easier this time around because Palace are not the only newly promoted team.
“We are in the same boat as Birmingham and Charlton, but I think we probably have a little bit of edge that we’ve been there, done that, and we didn’t do it clearly very well enough to stay up” Sharpe said.
“So I think now we’ve got that experience. We know what it takes to stay in this league, and it’s something we’re certainly going to do and going to try our best to do.
“But I think having Birmingham and Charlton coming up as well, they’re the games we’re going to look at and think ‘Girls, we want the points from these games.’ That’ll help bump us up in the league, definitely.”
Crystal Palace have been ambitious in their offseason signings, bringing in a number of experienced players like Molly Bartrip and Beth England.
“I think obviously bringing Molly and Beth in, already they’ve already showed leadership skills in and around training and games that we’ve played so far” Sharpe explained.
“I think especially Beth brings a wealth of experience, national team level as well, which I think will help, and at the end of the day, we need to score goals to win.
“Molly’s going to help us not let goals in, and Beth’s going to help us score goals, and I think at the end of the day, that’s what we need. We need to score goals, and we need to get points on the board.”
Crystal Palace’s return to the Women’s Super League kicks off later today when they host Everton at the VBS Community Stadium.
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