Palace Women's five best achievements of 2024

Women

31 Dec 2024

Crystal Palace Women have enjoyed a historic 2024 and here are the top five achievements of a year to remember:

1. Promotion to the Barclays Women's Super League (WSL)

The pinnacle of Palace Women's 2024 was undoubtedly our promotion to the WSL, the top tier of English women's football.

Securing the Barclays Women's Championship title with a game to spare, the Eagles showcased consistent quality throughout the season, with highlights including a 9-1 home victory against Durham and a 4-0 away win at Blackburn Rovers.

Promotion was sealed following a goalless draw against Sunderland at Selhurst Park, where 6,796 fans came out to witness history in South London.

2. Elise Hughes' Golden Boot Triumph

Striker Elise Hughes was instrumental in Palace's promotion campaign, finishing as the Championship's top scorer with 16 goals.

The Wales international was in scintillating form in early 2024, firing Palace to promotion with goals against London City Lionesses, Southampton, Durham and Birmingham City.

Hughes unfortunately missed the first half of our historic WSL season due to injury, but with a return to the team getting ever closer, we are excited to see what 2025 has in store for our number 9.

3. Pre-season tour in Utah

August saw Palace Women embark on their first ever overseas tour, travelling to Utah in the USA to play National Women's Soccer League team: the Utah Royals.

Playing at America First Field which sits at 4,450 feet above sea level, this tour allowed Laura Kaminski's team to train under intense conditions in preparation for the WSL season.

Despite a defeat in the sweltering heat to the Royals, the fixture and tour marked an important step in Palace Women’s history.

4. Our first ever win in the WSL

The second away game of our inaugural season in the WSL took Palace to the King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City.

It was a tense first half but Palace took the lead in the second, with Annabel Blanchard finding the net after a great combination with summer signing Katie Stengel.

Things got even better when Blanchard fired home a penalty awarded 13 minutes later, earning Palace a famous 2-0 win in the WSL.

5. A record crowd at Sutton

Our final game of 2024 saw Palace host FA Cup holders Manchester United at the VBS Community Stadium.

A record 1757 fans turned out in Sutton to see Palace go close to causing an upset in South London, whilst enjoying the bustling Fanzone and the many matchday activities that were on offer.

Despite the narrow 1-0 defeat, it was a great finale to a historic year for Crystal Palace Women.

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