'We are only going up' - London City in WSL to stay

Among the London City Lionesses' teal shirts emblazoned with the word "winners", a figure in a long white dress, high heels and sunglasses particularly stood out.

Michele Kang has not gone about her business quietly since taking over Lionesses last summer, but with promotion to the Women's Super League now secured she has done so effectively.

The celebrations on the pitch at St Andrew's after Lionesses held on for a dramatic 2-2 draw at Championship rivals Birmingham City to secure promotion to the WSL were somewhat unusual, with club owner Kang allowed to carry the trophy on to the pitch.

She was then front and centre of the trophy lift and post-match interviews, where she talked up the Lionesses' chances of being the first newly-promoted side in three seasons to avoid WSL relegation.

"We have been building a team to be at a minimum, on day one, mid-tier WSL," she told Sky Sports.

"When I first came a lot of people were very concerned for me, asking, as an independent team: 'how can you do this because you don't have a men's team from which you can draw the equity, the brand power and the fanbase?'

"As an independent team, to accomplish this in one year, is proof that with proper investment and resources anything is possible. This is proof, we are only going up."

London City Lionesses are the first team with no affiliation with a men's club to earn a place in the WSL. Since splitting from Millwall in 2019, they have been a fixture in the second tier but have been turbo charged by their wealthy American owner since her arrival in 2023.

Kang, who also owns European football powerhouses Lyon and Washington Spirit in the USA, is a veteran of women's sport and knows how much money talks.

Lionesses made splashy acquisitions last summer, including manager Jocelyn Precheur who coached PSG in the Champions League semi-finals last season.

On the pitch, former WSL winner Kosovare Asllani led several eye-catching arrivals, along with 2011 World Cup champion Saki Kumagai, ex-Barcelona midfielder Maria Perez and experienced Swedish international Sofia Jakobsson.

They have not blown the Championship away, however, with promotion only secured on the final day with this draw at second-placed Birmingham - who came from 2-0 down and pushed hard for a winner until the very end.

Kang's spending has not only been bold but savvy. A state-of-the-art training facility in Kent is planned, with the focus on fitness needs for women. She has previously called for greater investment and research into the impact of sport on women's bodies and has put her money where her mouth is.

She said the recruitment team will meet on Monday morning to plan how to avoid Bristol City last year and Crystal Palace this in dropping straight back out of the WSL.

And it is notable that the two key players at St Andrew's were not headline signings but young British talents.

The first goal was scored by 22-year-old Izzy Goodwin, Championship top scorer this season with 16 strikes from 18 games. Having scored plenty in the second tier for Sheffield United and Lionesses, it will be fascinating to see how she makes the step up.

The second was scored by Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, signed in 2023. She also made a crucial goalline clearance in the first half.

"The WSL is a totally different league but we have the experience, we have the players, we have the support, we have the fans that hopefully keep growing. We take each game as it comes and put ourselves on the map," Boye-Hlorkah said.

"We all love her and what she has done for this club," added Goodwin on Kang. "We're so happy. Hopefully it makes more teams do this."

That mix of investment and existing talent will be crucial for Lionesses as they aim to establish themselves in the top flight. They will want to keep the spirit that saw them over the line in Birmingham and the ability that saw them end the Championship season as joint top scorers.

But the money will have to be spent wisely. Clubs in the WSL get three times the TV money of those in the Championship, from a deal which next season is worth £65m over five years across the WSL and Championship.

The deal is worth about £800,000 to WSL clubs and £270,000 for the Championship teams. Staying up could be essential for Lionesses, given they have no affiliation with a men's Premier League or Championship side, and thus no financial backing.

They have no access to Premier League stadiums for big games, and instead will play all their home matches at 5,000-capacity Hayes Lane, which they share with League Two men's side Bromley.

The highest paid players in the WSL are on about £300,000 a year, which might be more than the whole wage cost for Championship clubs. Kang's chequebook has to be open and blank.

But based on the evidence so far, she and the players are up for the challenge.

"I have a lot of admiration for Michele Kang because I think she is empowering women throughout the game, across all levels," former England international Anita Asante told BBC Sport.

"It's the fact she believes in the value of women's football, and she's driving that investment and she wants to compete at the highest level, and she wants her players to have the opportunity to keep on excelling."

Lionesses' promotion might represent a seismic shift in English women's football, proof that top-flight success is possible without men's club backing. We wait to see what the woman in the white dress will do next.