At the end of the 2025-26 season, the first women’s playoff final in nearly two decades saw Leicester face Charlton Athletic in an all-or-nothing contest for the final place in the WSL.
After a goalless 120 minutes, a penalty-saving masterclass by goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse sent Charlton into the top flight for the first time since 2008.
Ashleigh Neville and Emily van Egmond were both on the losing side for Leicester that day, but have found their way back to the WSL thanks to summer moves to south London. They will bring a wealth of experience to a squad stepping into unfamiliar territory — about 70% of Charlton’s current squad is under the age of 27, making WSL experience invaluable.
That playoff final was almost a spark of inspiration, especially for Neville: “Together, collectively as a team, they found a way to win, and that’s a massive mentality to have. That’s something I want to be part of.”
“Charlton is such a different group. The culture they have made for themselves is incredible, and joining it has opened my eyes to how much they never give up.”
That mentality has given Neville confidence that Charlton can stay up, despite their relatively small budget.
“I think, personally, people expect us to go straight back down, but that’s only more fuel to the fire to show them and prove that we’re here to compete. We know that being new to a league is quite hard. I’ve done it myself at Spurs, where the first year you just want to survive and then you build on it from there, but for me, I prefer to be the underdogs.”
Another considerable deciding factor for Neville was a reunion with manager Karen Hills. Hills signed Neville for Spurs in 2017, where Neville played for nine years, and managed the club as they were promoted into the WSL.
It is a relationship that Neville already feels comfortable with: “Karen was very honest with me. I wasn’t being sold a dream. She believes in the team and believes in me which is all you want as a player. I really respect her as a coach.”
For van Egmond, whose career has taken her through the NWSL, A-League and WSL, she views the English top flight as the benchmark: “The NWSL and the WSL are constantly competing back and forth with each other and international football has a bit to do with it, but the WSL is a really exciting league. What the clubs have to offer here, from facilities to investment to the competition is second to none. That’s credit to the investment and the sponsors for making that happen.”
Van Egmond also holds the impressive title of being the most capped Australian female footballer ever, and she joins two other Matildas in the squad, Leah Davidson and Grace Johnston.
Speaking about her Aussie teammates, she says: “I think it’s awesome for them to come out of their comfort zone. They were both in the A-League and then switched. [The A-League] is having its difficulties at the moment in terms of a league trying to establish itself but as individuals, it shows their ambition to be part of this club.”
“With the World Cup coming up next summer, we want people playing consistent minutes, being challenged every day in top environments. It is naturally going to help the team have success. If the Matildas have more people overseas at the moment, it’s definitely a good thing.”
On the pitch, Neville expects Charlton to bring its attacking identity to the WSL.
“We want to play with the ball, and we have young forwards who are fast and direct. But we need to be sensible about what we’re coming up against because a lot of teams play with aggressive press now so we need to know when to play.”
“Our main focus is on the league but we have three-game weeks coming up which will be new for many players. We would like to have a good run in the cup as well.”
Van Egmond has already identified two players who could make their mark this season: French forward Lorena Azzaro, on loan from Paris FC, and Jodie Hutton, whom she describes as an “underrated dark horse”.
Charlton got a taste of top-tier competition last Wednesday, losing 5-1 to Arsenal in a pre-season friendly at Meadow Park. However, their WSL opener against Liverpool at The Valley this weekend will provide the Addicks with a more familiar test.
The game will be a repeat of last season’s FA Cup quarter-final, which saw Charlton lose 1-0 in extra time after a 115th-minute winner from Liverpool midfielder Zara Shaw.
Van Egmond’s verdict on Charlton’s promotion was straightforward: “Charlton have definitely earned the right to be in the league.”
Sunday will bring an examination of whether Charlton play well enough to stay there.