Newcastle United Women get promotion to English third-tier

Newcastle United Women earned their promotion to the third tier of English football after beating Barnsley 2-0 on the road last Sunday.

The promotion will have NUFCW playing in the FA Women’s National League Northern Premier Division next season, with the ladies clinching the title of their current tier.

The squad needed to win four consecutive games in a row to close the season and earn their desired promotion... so that’s what they just did, overtaking Durham Cestria on goal difference when all was said and done. As simple as it sounds, folks.

The promotion-clinching goal, scored by Katie Barker, arrived as late as in the 87th minute of the game against Barnsley when everybody was about to die of a heart attack caused by anxiety. But, it arrived!

The 2-0 win nullified Durham’s own 8-0 effort, which is ridiculous to write about but very real. Even though that was a monster win by Durham, they would have needed to score 12 goals (with NUFCW winning 2-0) to edge the Lady Magpies on their way up a tier.

Newcastle Women had operated independently from NUFC until this season, spending a year outside of the PIF influence after the Oct. 2021 takeover. After the Saudi-backed board took over NUFCW too, though, the side have played multiple times at St James’ Park—it never happened under Mike Ashley’s run of terror—earning solid victories on their home turf.

After getting this promotion, the ultimate challenge and final aim of the board and the club are for the team to become fully professional on their way up the English football pyramid.

Amanda Staveley, co-owner of all things NUFC, has made it clear that she’s determined to see NUFCW reach the Women’s Super League eventually, even proposing an “internal competition” between the club’s men and women sides to see which team can lift a trophy first.

So far, the ladies lead the way. And that’s more than a good reason for us to celebrate!

Howay!