Portsmouth Women post £470,000 losses as cost of competing in Women's Super League 2 laid bare
2024-25 Accounts released after Blues compete in Women’s Super League 2 for the first time
Pompey Women posted losses of £465,486 for their first season in Women’s Super League 2.
Jay Sadler’s side secured promotion to the second tier of the women’s game after capturing the Women’s Premier League Southern Division title in 2023-24.
And accounts filed last month at Companies House for the year ending June 30, 2025, partially detail the financial performance of the Blues’ women’s team for the 2024-25 season.
Pompey’s losses more than doubled after making the step up to WSL2, rising from £201,425 in their title-winning campaign to £465,486 last term as they finished ninth.
That was primarily influenced by the necessity to meet league requirements and guidelines in terms of infrastructure and going full-time as the women’s game focuses on expanding.
Increase in staff, but reduction in players
As a consequence, staffing levels rose to 35 for the 2024-25 season, with office and football management staff increasing from one to 15.
However, the number of players on Pompey’s books was actually reduced by two to 22 as a result of going full-time in the WSL2.
Elsewhere, £15,540 was spent on recruiting players, in this instance, Pompey Women paying compensation to sign footballers rather than splashing out transfer fees.
The accounts also detail an additional £708,717 provided by Tornante. This is part of the owners’ initial £8m loan, which was included in Pompey’s accounts when published last month.
The club have stated that, in future, such funding will be paid directly to Portsmouth Women’s Community Football Club Limited.
However, a statement in Pompey Women’s accounts admits additional funding from Tornante will be required - and is expected to be granted.
It said: ‘PWCFC acknowledges that further financial resources will be required from the owners, and although such funding is not contracted at this time, the directors believe that sufficient funds will be made available as required.’
Also worth noting is that, with Pompey Women classed as a small company, an income statement has been omitted from the financials, while, according to a statement within the accounts: ‘The directors of the company have elected not to include a copy of the profit and loss account’.
Therefore, Pompey Women’s submitted accounts are not as detailed as those registered by Pompey, who posted their financial results on March 18, with £4.3m losses.
Crucial relegation battle
Meanwhile, Sadler’s side host Nottingham Forest at Fratton Park on Sunday (2pm) as they battle to remain in WSL2.
Pompey Women are two points adrift at the foot of the table with two matches remaining, following another season of struggle.
Forest are positioned seventh in the 12-team league, while the season concludes with a tough trip to third-placed Crystal Palace on Saturday, May 2.
Last season, the Blues pulled off the Great Escape, remarkably winning three of their final six matches, including a last-day 4-0 thumping of relegation rivals Blackburn, to stay up.
However, failure to beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday, coupled with how rivals Durham, Ipswich and Sheffield United fare, could see Pompey Women relegated this weekend.
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