Newcastle set to appoint Crystal Palace's Grace Williams as new director of women's football
Newcastle United are set to appoint Grace Williams as their new director of women's football as they target promotion to the Women's Super League (WSL).
After achieving back-to-back promotions under Becky Langley's management, rising from the fourth to the second tier, Newcastle finished fifth in their first-ever Championship campaign, nine points adrift of league winners London City.
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Paul Mitchell, the sporting director, has continued to provide substantial backing to the women's set-up since his appointment last year and he is further bolstering the off-field operations by bringing in Williams from Crystal Palace.
Williams oversaw Palace's Championship-winning campaign in 2023-24, her first season in south London as head of women's football, having joined from Bristol City, where she was general manager for two years. She previously worked for the Welsh FA as the women's league and club development manager and Watford, as general manager.
Palace spent a solitary season in the WSL, suffering relegation back to the Championship after finishing bottom of the top-flight table, 10 points adrift of 11th-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Williams will be tasked with building a squad at Newcastle which is capable of emulating Palace by reaching the WSL, but then also eclipsing the south London club by staying there and looking to challenge at the very top of women's domestic football in England.
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Newcastle's influential head of women's football, Su Cumming, who has played a pivotal role in the expansion of the women's game in the north east, is expected to leave her role this summer.
She will, however, retain a consulting role at Newcastle, where she has overseen the club's development into a fully professional full-time outfit, and will continue to pass on her knowledge to Langley and her players.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Sports Business, UK Women's Football
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