Argyle Women have undergone a key and positive restructuring ahead of the 2025/26 FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division campaign.
The mission is clear – to become a sustainable team in the FAWNL with Championship aspirations.
After the recruitment of new Head Coach Marie Hourihan, we have made some exciting signings, bringing players to Home Park, on top of retaining some very important players from last season’s squad.
Defenders Arabella Suttie and Roisin Kivel, both key members of Hourihan’s Stoke City squad that claimed a top-three finish last year in the Northern Premier Division, have made the move to the South West. With 60 combined appearances last season, the duo bring league experience that will help Argyle push for victories and more.
Goalkeeper Hermione Cull has joined Argyle, having most recently played for newly-promoted Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses. Last season, Cull featured for Watford on loan and was outstanding in her short spell for the Hornets, keeping six clean sheets in nine fixtures.
Layla Proctor and Phoebie Poole have also joined the Greens, having most recently played for Lewes and Oxford United respectively. Proctor, a hard-working midfielder, came through the Manchester United Academy and has several years of Women’s football experience under her belt, whilst Poole is a prolific goal scorer and notched 18 goals in 27 appearances last campaign in all competitions.
Alongside the addition of multiple players, we have retained several key squad members, with many signed to contracts. Player of the Year Charlotte Whitmore and Young Player of the Year Ella Stephens; club captain Giota Papaioannou; midfielders Imy Crawford and Lulu Jarvis; and defender Katie Dickson have all penned deals with the club.
The comprehensive restructure of the squad also means that some players have departed the club ahead of the opening game of the season. Georgia Wilson, Ava Kuyken and Ellie Sara were all offered contracts with the club, but have chosen to pursue opportunities outside of Argyle. Jade Berrow, Lois Edwards, Chloe McMahon, Erin O’Shea and Taya Pomfret have also departed the club. We thank them for all they have done in Green.
This restructure is made possible thanks to our generous sponsors for the upcoming campaign. J2O will adorn the front of the shirts this season, thanks to a multi-year deal with Carlberg Britvic. We have also been able to secure support across a variety of different brands, both local and national partners, on multi-year agreements. These include Wrigleys, Plymouth Marjon University, TallyHo Coaches, Bidfood, Biffa and more. Having these partnerships in place allows us to forge a way to become the sustainable long-term team we intend to be. CLICK HERE to learn more.
We’ve also teamed up with key city institutions to offer both employment and educational opportunities for all players. Many thanks to Plymouth City College, Marjon and the University of Plymouth, for all providing important support to the squad.
Alongside the addition of Marie Hourihan, the Argyle coaching staff has seen some new faces join the team, complementing several key team members, some of whom are increasing their roles.
Assistant Head Coach Matt Green is now employed on a full-time basis, and will also oversee the talent pathway in place, with Jon Dawe and Rob Mowat assisting as team coaches. Dene Field and Jack Frith also join Argyle as Goalkeeping and Analysis Lead and Medical Lead respectively, whilst Janina Augustynowicz comes in as Kit and Equipment Lead. Finally, Katie McManus joins as player-care lead, a role which we see having key importance both immediately and for the future.
The addition of members of staff also ensures that more contact time can take place both on and off the pitch with players. Last season, the squad had four-and-a-half hours of contact time a week; this year we are increasing to seven-and-a-half hours, to be in line with our league opponents. The additional training hours are also possible because of our various training locations of Harper’s Park, Marjon and – soon – Foulston Park. The £21 million investment will provide a home for the team in the coming months and will be the central base for all activities.
Finally, we have made some key changes and updates to our Talent Pathway, to ensure all exciting prospects have the chance to progress into the Argyle first-team. The Saturday Morning Centres will help feed into our Development Centres across Devon and Cornwall (Under-6s to -16s). The Advanced Development Centre then follows as the final stop before joining our Junior Premier League Under-16s, who reached the national finals of the competition last year, and under-18s sides respectively. The latter has been brought in to better support the development of players through the pathway and set them up in a stronger place to make the jump to the first-team than in previous years.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors and supporters for all of their support last season, and for helping us make these important changes to place us in the best position for success this season.
