‘It was horrendous’: Durham captain relieved WSL2 club survived after fears of folding

The Durham captain, Sarah Wilson, has spoken of her relief over the fresh investment that saved the club this summer, after what she recalled as a “horrendous” period worrying that the Women’s Super League 2 club could fold.

Durham finished 10th in England’s second tier last term and have been ever-present in WSL2 since 2014 but their ability to remain in the division was in major doubt when the club released a statement on 8 June warning that they would have to “cease operations” if they could not find fresh investment within 21 days. Later in June they were rescued when the local businessman and South Shields FC co-owner Geoff Thompson, together with his co-investor, agreed to acquire a majority stake in the club.

Wilson has played for Durham for 12 years and, recalling that mid-June period of uncertainty, she said: “There’s no way to sugarcoat it. It was horrendous. [For] a couple of weeks we didn’t know if we were coming or going or what was going on. And then all of a sudden we got the news that we had been saved and then within a couple of weeks we’ve got a new manager coming in so it’s just really exciting and it honestly feels now like nothing’s ever happened. It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s incredible.

“Going from a really difficult time to where we are now in such a short space of time is an absolute credit to the club. We all kind of found ourselves in a really difficult position, waiting for answers. I was trying to support the team as much as I could [as captain], just reassuring [teammates] and keeping in contact with everyone. And I must say, we were well looked after and information was shared when it could be shared. [But] it was just such an awful time. So when we found out the really good news, it was just like a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.

“There are so many jobs and young kids coming through that would have been massively affected and it would have been a massive shame for the north-east and for the club. Now it’s just really, really positive and really exciting to move forward with everything.”

Durham begin the new campaign at home to Southampton on 6 September, with what will be Durham’s new head coach Willie Kirk’s first match in charge, following his appointment in July.

It is the former Bristol City, Everton and Leicester manager’s first managerial job in English football since he was sacked by Leicester in March 2024. In the intervening years he has managed the Swedish sides Linköping and Djurgårdens IF.

Wilson has nothing but praise for the former Manchester United assistant manager, saying of Kirk: “[He’s been] brilliant, he’s just brought the club to a completely different new standard. When you’ve got someone who comes from that elite background, they bring all of those experiences.

“As soon as we found the news, it was like: ‘Right, OK, when do we start?’ He’s got some incredible experience working with some really top players. So he’s been fantastic.”

Reporting from The Guardian contributed to this story.