Plymouth Argyle have stated they “did not take lightly” the decision to significantly reduce their women's team's budget and inform the squad via email that their contracts would not be renewed. The vast majority of players received a letter, sent via email, which began abruptly with: “Hi all. Following our end-of-season review and planning for 2026-27, we wanted to let you know that we won't be renewing contracts for the players included in this message.”
Club's Response and Player Reaction
In a statement released on Monday evening, Plymouth acknowledged “concerns regarding the way this news was communicated, internally and externally, and will review this.” This followed the players issuing a joint statement condemning the email as “cold, impersonal and lacking empathy.” The club, which competes in the third tier of English women's football and narrowly missed promotion to the Women's Super League 2 in May, commented publicly for the first time on the matter.
Financial Decisions and Future Plans
Plymouth stated: “The football club has had to make some very tough decisions regarding the Argyle Women's team. We remain committed to women's football, and we will work on and share our visions for next season, and beyond. After a lengthy, thorough review, we made the decision that, from next season, we would need to change our approach as regards the women's team setup. Last season, to get to a cup final and to a playoff game, was a superb achievement, but it came at a cost; a higher financial cost than we had previously thought.”
The club explained that had they achieved promotion to WSL2, with central funding, they would have continued backing at similar levels. However, in tier three, considering proposed administrative changes to women's football governance and the club's overall financial state, they decided not to renew any players' contracts. “This was not taken lightly. It was done with a view to sustainability, and with the club's long-term interests in mind,” the statement added.
Head Coach Resignation
The club confirmed they will remain in the Women's National League South. The statement also revealed that former Chelsea and Manchester City goalkeeper Marie Hourihan resigned as head coach on 28 May after learning of the planned budget decrease: “We informed head coach Marie Hourihan of our decision, at which point she made the decision to step down.”
Plymouth reached the playoff decider for a place in WSL2 on 4 May but lost 1-0 to Wolves, who were promoted.
