Wolves Women are on the brink of making history—and it's a storyline that seemed impossible just 12 months ago.
On Monday, the team could take the biggest leap in their 51-year existence, moving one step closer to the domestic elite. But to understand just how remarkable this moment is, you have to rewind to a time when the club was on the verge of falling apart.
In early May 2025, Wolves Women were reeling. They had narrowly missed out on their divisional championship title, but the real gut punch came when they learned that even winning the trophy wouldn't have mattered. Wolverhampton Wanderers, the parent club, and former chairman Jeff Shi had decided not to apply for the license needed to join the second tier of English women's football—then called the Women's Championship, now known as Women's Super League 2 (WSL2).
The team had been chasing promotion all season, only to discover the door was locked from the inside. The feeling of betrayal was so deep that head coach Dan McNamara and several players seriously considered walking away.
Fast forward to today, and the script has flipped completely. Wolves Women are now just one win away from reaching WSL2—and with it, full-time professional status for the first time since the club was founded in 1975.
"Nine months ago, I don't think we even had a team with everything that was going on," McNamara said ahead of Monday's single-leg promotion play-off against Plymouth Argyle Women at Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium. "Now we're heading into Monday full of confidence."
The turnaround has been nothing short of extraordinary. Last season, Wolves took their title race with Nottingham Forest all the way to the final weekend. After a dominant 6-0 win over Liverpool Feds, the players were told the crushing news: even finishing top wouldn't have earned them promotion. The club's hierarchy had simply not applied for the necessary license.
That moment could have destroyed the team. Instead, it forged them. "I think the pressure's a little bit more off us this time round because of the adversity we came through last summer," McNamara added. "I'm really, really fortunate to have such a fantastic group that have really pulled together. Hopefully on Monday we can finally achieve that ultimate dream."
For a team that nearly lost everything, this is more than a play-off. It's a chance to write a new chapter in Wolves Women's history—and prove that some comebacks are worth the wait.