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Southampton FC Slashes £500k, Demotes Women’s Academy

7/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

Southampton Football Club announced a £500,000 cut to its women’s and girls’ programme for 2026-27.
The cut removes £100,000 from the women’s team budget, demotes the academy to Category 2 and leads to the departure of head Marieanne Spacey-Kale and a team analyst.
2024-25 accounts reveal a £1.97 million pre-tax loss for the women’s programme, a £53.9 million loss, four withdrawn signings and a WSL minimum £26,900 salary for players 23 years and older.

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Story summary

Southampton Football Club announced a £500,000 cut to its women’s and girls’ programme for 2026-27.
The cut removes £100,000 from the women’s team budget, demotes the academy to Category 2 and leads to the departure of head Marieanne Spacey-Kale and a team analyst.
2024-25 accounts reveal a £1.97 million pre-tax loss for the women’s programme, a £53.9 million loss, four withdrawn signings and a WSL minimum £26,900 salary for players 23 years and older.