There is a particular cruelty to losing your top-flight status on penalties. After 22 league matches, two wins, and a goal difference of minus 41, Leicester City Women already knew the score. But the chance to survive — one last shootout at The Valley against a Charlton side who had spent the season defying expectation — came and went when goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse turned the game into her personal highlight reel. Five years in the Women's Super League, gone.

It caps a season that manager Rick Passmoor described, with considerable understatement, as a difficult spiral. The problems, though, did not begin in January or even at the first whistle in August. They began ten days before the campaign even kicked off, when former head coach Amandine Miquel was sacked without warning. Miquel had guided Leicester to their highest-ever WSL finish — tenth place — and to safety with ten points to spare the previous season. Her sudden removal left the squad rudderless in their preparation, and Passmoor, initially stepping in on an interim basis, was handed a three-year contract in October to steady the ship that was already listing badly.

The January transfer window offered the clearest chance to course-correct. Passmoor brought in experienced players, but the additions were not enough to close the gap on the teams above them. Between January and March, as Passmoor himself acknowledged, performances merited more points than they earned — and that failure to convert effort into results stripped the squad of the confidence needed to climb the table.

Financial pressure piling up at both ends of the club

The timing of the women's relegation could hardly be worse in terms of the wider picture at Leicester City. The men's team were themselves relegated — to League One, no less — meaning the whole football operation now faces a significantly altered financial reality. The women's team will drop from WSL broadcast revenue to a far smaller pool from the Championship equivalent, which will almost certainly mean reduced player budgets and harder conversations when contracts come up for renewal.

There are also unresolved questions about where the team will actually play next season. Whether Leicester Women will continue to use King Power Stadium in the second tier is reportedly unclear, and captain Sam Tierney had already called for a full review of the club's women's section even before Saturday's penalty shootout. Passmoor echoed that directly after the defeat, calling for a reset of the club's vision and strategy at every level.

Players themselves are said to be in the dark about what the summer holds, with Passmoor confirming that no formal communication about changes had reached the squad as of Saturday. Retaining the better players in the group will be a real challenge — the WSL market moves quickly, and teams coming down rarely keep hold of their most attractive assets for long.

A small lifeline: the World Sevens

One sliver of positive news: Leicester are set to compete in next week's World Sevens series, which carries a prize money pool of £1.1 million. It is a different format from the eleven-a-side game, but Passmoor has spoken warmly about it as a stage for players to express themselves — and with potential investors present, the timing could prove useful for a club that needs friends right now.

As for Passmoor's own future, that too remains an open question. He holds a three-year deal, but the events of a very difficult season leave his position far from guaranteed when the review is completed. He gave the impression of a man who understood the reckoning ahead and was not shying away from it — which, at the very least, shows the kind of self-awareness the club will need if it is going to rebuild properly in the Championship and return to the top flight.

Leicester City Women are a club that reached the WSL's top ten only a year ago. Getting back there is entirely possible. But first, they have a great deal of hard thinking to do.

Frequently asked

Which league will Leicester City Women play in next season?
Following their play-off defeat to Charlton, Leicester City Women have been relegated from the Women's Super League and will compete in WSL 2 — the Women's Championship — next season.
Why were Leicester City Women relegated from the WSL?
Leicester finished bottom of the WSL with only two wins from 22 matches and a goal difference of minus 41. A mid-season managerial change, limited squad depth, and a lack of points in key periods of the season all contributed to their relegation.
Is Rick Passmoor still Leicester City Women's manager?
As of the end of the 2024–25 season, Rick Passmoor remains under contract at Leicester after signing a three-year deal in October. However, the club has said a full review is needed, so his long-term future at the club is uncertain.