From Millwall to the WSL: the rise of London City Lionesses
Credit: SPP Sport Press Photo. /Alamy Live News
Six years ago, London City Lionesses didn’t exist. Now, they’re competing in the top tier of English football. So, who are they?
Each year the WSL welcomes a promoted side, often a familiar yo-yo club or one backed by a men’s giant. London City Lionesses are neither. They’re ambitious, well-backed, and intent on sticking around. So how did they get here?
A quick intro to the London City Lionesses
The London City Lionesses (LCL) are a WSL side based in Bromley, south-east London, fresh off winning the 2024/2025 Women’s Championship (rebranded as WSL2 from 2025/26). Their owner is Michele Kang, a businesswoman with serious ambitions to shake up and grow women’s sport.
What makes London City Lionesses unique?
In a word? Independence. The Lionesses are the only team in the WSL not linked to a Premier League men’s club.
But this was not always the case. In the 1980s, they were the first women’s football team to partner with a men’s football club, Millwall. At the time, Millwall had an infamous reputation for racism and hooliganism, and they hoped that by welcoming a women’s side into their set-up, it would clean up their image somewhat.
The Millwall Lionesses celebrate winning the Womens FA Cup. Credit: PA Images/Alamy
The teams were linked for three decades until things went sour in the late 2010s. When only a last-ditch crowdfunding campaign stood between the women’s team and filing for administration, demands that Millwall would invest more went unanswered. The team got fed up with being treated as an ‘afterthought’, while the men’s side were comfortably in the second tier.
The women’s side broke away and London City Lionesses was born.
Was breaking away the right move?
Initially, yes. The Lionesses held their own, finishing solidly mid-table or better in the second tier despite competition from clubs backed by established men’s teams. They even became genuine contenders for the title.
In a statement about the decision to break away from Millwall in 2019, director Diane Culligan said that financial backing would be crucial to realising the “unbounded” success of the team. But it wasn’t long before funding issues resurfaced for the newly independent team.
At the end of the 2022/2023 season, the Lionesses fell short of the top of the Championship, while financial difficulties and concerns about the club’s commitment to a player’s injury rehabilitation highlighted instability. The team had had enough and wrote to Culligan asking her to invest more money or sell to someone who could.
Enter Michele Kang and her multi-club management group, Kynisca.
Who is Michele Kang?
Michele Kang. Credit: SPP Sport Press Photo. /Alamy Live News
Michele Kang is an American businesswoman who has thrown a lot of support behind women’s sport lately.
She’s invested millions into the US Women’s National Team and IDA Sports, a footwear company specialising in female-specific boots. Apparently, while watching the US Women’s Rugby Sevens team take home bronze in Paris in 2024, she decided then and there to drop $4m into their funding pot. “Yes, that was an expensive game for me,” she would later quip to the Guardian.
With the money to make a big difference in women’s sport, Kang sees investing not as charity, but a sensible long-term business move. She’s putting together a collection of football clubs, having first acquired NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) side Washington Spirit before adding in eight-time Champions League winners Olympique Lyonnais, who compete in the top French tier.
Is owning multiple clubs a good or bad thing?
There’s no short answer to this one.
As yet, multi-club ownership has not been tested within the women’s game. On paper, it has both positives and drawbacks.
The most obvious plus is that if someone is willing to invest money in women’s sport, we should let them. We’re starting to see entrepreneurs switch on to the business potential of the women’s game (like Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who recently put money into Chelsea). But the fact is, there aren’t many people with that kind of money or foresight. So if Kang’s there to stump up the cash, why shouldn’t she?
Shared ownership can mean shared knowledge, too. Kang explains: “Women’s football clubs borrow training manuals from men’s teams because there’s barely any research on female athlete training.” In the past, women’s clubs could barely afford the lights in the changing rooms, never mind research on menstrual cycles and training load. Now, if her Kynisca Innovation Hub, which researches female-specific training methods and science, develops new approaches, it can be shared across clubs, to everyone’s benefit. But then, what happens in three years’ time when Washington Spirit and London City Lionesses come up against each other in the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup? That’s where conflicts of interest could appear.
Recently Crystal Palace’s men’s side complained when their Europa League spot was downgraded to a Conference League place. UEFA took this step because Palace failed to provide evidence that they weren’t controlled by former minority stakeholder John Textor, who also owns part of Olympique Lyonnais.
It’s a bit murky, basically — and women’s football hasn’t had to deal with it yet.
Do London City Lionesses have any players I might have heard of?
Grace Geyoro signing for London City Lionesses
Yes. One of Kang’s first acts as owner and chief financier was to sign Kosovare Asllani, captain of Sweden and former WSL winner with Manchester City.
She also brought in Saki Kumagai, captain of Japan and a 2011 World Cup winner. Summer 2025 saw her pack the team full of experience with England international Nikita Parris (only four players have scored more WSL goals than her), former Manchester United captain Katie Zelem, and Dutch midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk, famed for her quality and character at Arsenal’s 2018/2019 WSL-winning side.
Deadline day saw London City Lionesses pull off a major coup by signing Grace Geyoro, the French international midfielder renowned for her vision, composure, and game intelligence. Not only is Geyoro a proven leader on the pitch, but her transfer also set a new record for the Women’s Super League, signalling just how serious the Lionesses are about challenging at the very top.
Ones to watch? Young forwards Freya Godfrey and Isobel Goodwin could be breakout stars in England’s 2027 World Cup squad. Both have come through the age groups and are part of the England U23 set-up. Then there’s Jana Fernandez, a victim of Barcelona’s recent cost-cutting, and a really exciting prospect.
How can I follow the London City Lionesses?
Go to a game: The Lionesses play at Copperjax Community Stadium on Hayes Lane, Bromley (BR2 9EF). It’s an easy walk from Bromley South or Hayes stations, both on Southeastern rail from London Victoria.
Get a season ticket: Adult tickets start from £70 and include all 11 home league games for the 2025/2026. Family tickets (2 adults, 2 children) start from £180 for the season. There’s more ticket info on their site, here.
Watch from home: This season's matches will be broadcast on BBC One, Sky Sports and the WSL YouTube channel. You can follow us on Instagram for a weekly match schedule, including where to watch each game.
Did you know?
The first-ever Women’s Championship game to be aired live by a broadcast-rights holder featured London City Lionesses after their 2024/2025 title bid went down to the wire.
The final-day decider against Birmingham City, with both teams in with a chance of lifting the trophy, was due to start at 2pm, but kick-off was shifted so that Sky Sports could finish their coverage of the Manchester derby before broadcasting the crunch clash.
Birmingham had to win to take the title, and came close – coming from two goals down to draw level with four minutes left. But the Lionesses held out for the point they needed to be crowned champions and claim their WSL spot for the 2025/2026 season.