Guardian writers’ predicted position: 13th (NB: this is not necessarily Sophie Downey’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 2nd (WSL2)

Prospects

Crystal Palace have been on arollercoaster over the past few seasons. An inaugural Women’s Super League campaign in 2024-25 brought relegation and the club secured top-flight football again a year later. They will hope their WSL experience gives them an advantage with important lessons learned.

The nature of their promotion push under Jo Potter was nothing short of remarkable. An indifferent start had them languishing near the bottom but 12 wins in their last 14 games enabled them to pip Charlton to the second automatic promotion spot on the final day.

They have recruited intelligently over the summer. The arrival of the prolific Bethany England was a statement, as was the loan signing of the France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, and Molly Bartrip brings considerable defensive acumen. In Shannon O’Brien and Lexi Lloyd-Smith, Potter has brought in two young attacking players who have caught the eye and Teyah Goldie and Fuka Tsunoda arrive on loan with the hope of kickstarting their careers.

Faith has also been put in the core of the side that got them back to the WSL, many of whom have been through all the ups and downs. Abbie Larkin, Ashleigh Weerden, Shae Yanez and Molly-Mae Sharpe are a few of those who have stuck by the club and been rewarded. There was, however, a blow at the start pre-season when it was revealed My Cato had sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Palace’s start is a tricky one. Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham make up their opening three games, a real chance to test themselves against seasoned WSL sides and see where they are at.

Off-field picture

The women’s team have been fully integrated into Crystal Palace FC since 2022, rather than being made into a separate entity like some of their WSL counterparts. Woody Johnson, David Blitzer, Josh Harris and Steve Parish continue to invest in and support the women’s side. There is a little uncertainty around the whole club after reports in June that Johnson, Blitzer and Harris are keen to sell their combined stake of 79% but nothing has come to fruition.

The manager

Potter is widely regarded as one of the brightest young managers. The 41-year-old arrived at Palace last summer, joining from Rangers, where she had hit the ground running in her managerial career, winning back-to-back cup doubles and narrowly missing out on the SWPL titles on two occasions. She was widely credited at Rangers for the integration and development of several academy players into the senior setup. Potter had a prolific playing career. She won the FA Cup with Birmingham in 2012 and was part of the England squad that secured bronze at the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Star signing

England’s arrival was a significant coup. The 32-year-old striker brings a wealth of experience, leadership, quality and goals that will surely be invaluable to the team’s chances of survival. England is an out-and-out goalscorer and her WSL tally sits at 87 after spells at Doncaster Belles, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham. She won nine major trophies during her seven-year stint at Chelsea and sparked life into Spurs, proving pivotal to their successful attempt at avoiding relegation from the WSL in 2023.

Stat attack

Palace won one home match in 2024-25 when they finished bottom of the WSL. They maintained more of a fortress last season, topping the second tier for points won at home. Keeping something of that form going will be crucial if they are to stay up.

Set for a breakthrough

Lloyd-Smith will be one to keep an eye on, the England youngster adding more firepower to the team. The 23-year-old gets her first shot at top-flight football, signing a three-year deal after a successful two years with Bristol City, where she finished last season as the WSL 2 top scorer and the club’s young player of the year. A versatile and speedy attacking player, she can thrive anywhere across the frontline.

What they say

“Palace are an ambitious club. They’ve been in the WSL before, they’ve had two amazing promotions now, and I think you can see their investment in the women’s game. They’re really pushing to want to be among the best, and they’ve got amazing facilities … It’s a place where I hope that I can make a lot of good memories, score a lot of goals, and make some good history for the football club” – England on signing for Palace

Where are they playing their home games?

The Eagles will continue at Sutton United’s VBS Community Stadium, where they have played since the 2023-24 campaign. The club continue to work hard to make it an entertaining and affordable matchday for supporters, with a fan zone before the game, affordable pricing and alcohol allowed in the stands, with a dedicated drink-free zone. Select games will be played at Selhurst Park, the first coming against Tottenham on 20 September.