| 2020–21 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | King Power International Group | |||
| Chairman | Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha | |||
| Head Coach | Jonathan Morgan | |||
| Stadium | Farley Way Stadium,Quorn | |||
| Championship | 1st (promoted) | |||
| FA Cup | Quarter-final | |||
| League Cup | Semi-final | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:Natasha Flint (17) All: Natasha Flint (21) | |||
The2020–21 Leicester City W.F.C. season was the club's 17th season and their third in theFA Women's Championship, the second level of thewomen's football pyramid. Outside of the league, the club also contested two domestic cup competitions: theFA Cup and theLeague Cup.
It was their first under the official ownership ofLeicester City F.C. parent group,King Power, having previously been an independent club with a formal affiliation to the Foxes.[1][2] The takeover was confirmed on 22 August 2020 with the club immediately becoming fully-professional in the process.[3] On 22 December 2020, the club announced the women's team would move in to the Belvoir Drive training ground before the end of the year after the men's team vacated the facility and relocated to a newly-constructed complex inSeagrave.[4]
On 4 April 2021, Leicester City clinched the league title with a 2–0 win overLondon City Lionesses, their twelfth consecutive league victory dating back to 4–1 defeat at the hands of the same opposition on 1 November 2020. The result earned Leicester their first ever promotion to the top-flightFA WSL.[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 20 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 16 | +38 | 50 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 12 | +20 |
Last updated: 2 May 2021.
Source:FA WSL
| 6 September 20201 | Leicester City | 3–0 | Blackburn Rovers | Quorn |
| 14:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Cristiana Hattersley |
| 13 September 20202 | Sheffield United | 2–2 | Leicester City | Chesterfield |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:Technique Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 4 October 20203 | Leicester City | 2–2 | Durham | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 11 October 20204 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Liverpool | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lucy-Ann Briggs |
| 18 October 20205 | Crystal Palace | 1–4 | Leicester City | Bromley |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:Hayes Lane Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 1 November 20206 | London City Lionesses | 4–1 | Leicester City | Dartford |
| 14:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Princes Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Aaron Farmer |
| 8 November 20207 | Leicester City | 1–0 | Lewes | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Chloe-Ann Anderson |
| 15 November 20208 | Coventry United | 1–9 | Leicester City | Coventry |
| 14:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Butts Park Arena Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lucy Briggs |
| 6 December 20209 | Leicester City | 3–0 | London Bees | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Elizabeth Simms |
| 13 December 202010 | Charlton Athletic | 0–2 | Leicester City | Crayford |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium:The Oakwood |
| 20 December 202011 | Blackburn Rovers | 2–3 | Leicester City | Bamber Bridge |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Irongate Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Declan Brown |
| 10 January 202112 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Sheffield United | Quorn |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 17 January 202113 | Liverpool | 1–2 | Leicester City | Birkenhead |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:Prenton Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Chloe Ann-Anderson |
| 28 February 202114 | Leicester City | 1–0 | Crystal Palace | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 7 March 202115 | London Bees | 0–7 | Leicester City | Canons Park |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:The Hive Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 14 March 202116 | Durham | 0–2 | Leicester City | Durham |
| 12:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Maiden Castle Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 28 March 202117 | Leicester City | 2–0 | Coventry United | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lucy Oliver |
| 4 April 202118 | Leicester City | 2–0 | London City Lionesses | Quorn |
| 14:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Georgia Ball |
| 25 April 202119 | Lewes | 1–0 | Leicester City | Lewes |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:The Dripping Pan Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Lauren Impey |
| 2 May 202120 | Leicester City | 4–0 | Charlton Athletic | Leicester |
| 14:00 | Report | Stadium:King Power Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Amy Barber |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City(C, P) | 20 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 16 | +38 | 50 | Promotion to theWSL[a] |
| 2 | Durham | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 15 | +19 | 42 | |
| 3 | Liverpool | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 37 | 15 | +22 | 39 | |
| 4 | Sheffield United | 20 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 37 | 15 | +22 | 38 | |
| 5 | Lewes | 20 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 22 | −3 | 28 |
As a member of the top two tiers, Leicester City will enter the FA Cup in the fourth round proper. Originally scheduled to take place on 31 January 2021, it was delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.[6][7] Due to the delay, the competition only reached the fifth round before the end of the season. It resumed the following season at the quarter-final stage on 29 September 2021.
| 18 April 2021Fourth round | Leicester City | 1–0 | Liverpool | Quorn |
| 14:00 |
| Report | Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 16 May 2021Fifth round | Manchester United | 2–3 | Leicester City | Leigh |
| 12:00 | Report | Stadium:Leigh Sports Village Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Rebecca Welch |
| 29 September 2021Quarter-final | Manchester City | 6–0 | Leicester City | Manchester |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium:Academy Stadium Referee: Lucy May |
| 4 November 2020Group stage | Leicester City | 5–2 | Blackburn Rovers | Quorn |
| 19:45 | Report | Stadium:Farley Way Stadium Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Georgia Ball |
| 9 December 2020Group stage | Birmingham City | 0–0 (5–6p) | Leicester City | Solihull |
| 14:00 | Report |
| Stadium:Damson Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Sarah Garratt | |
| Penalties | ||||
| Note: Rescheduled from 18 November 2020 following positiveCOVID-19 test by Birmingham player.[8] | ||||
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | WPEN | LPEN | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LEI | BIR | BLB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 | Advanced toknock-out stage | — | — | 5–2 | |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | Possibleknock-out stage based onranking | 0–0 | — | — | |
| 3 | Blackburn Rovers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | — | 0–1 | — |
For the first time in club history, Leicester City reached the knockout stage of the League Cup.[9]
| 14 January 2021Quarter-final | Crystal Palace | 0–1 | Leicester City | Bromley |
| 20:00 | Report | Flint 89' | Stadium:Hayes Lane Attendance: Behind-closed-doors |
| 3 February 2021Semi-final | Bristol City | 1–0 | Leicester City | Bath |
| 19:30 |
| Report | Stadium:Twerton Park Attendance: Behind-closed-doors Referee: Rebecca Welch |
Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | League | FA Cup | League Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||||
| 1 | GK |  ENG | Demi Lambourne | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | DF | ENG | Grace Riglar | 4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 3 | DF | ENG | Sam Tierney | 26 | 3 | 17+2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 4 | MF | ENG | Aimee Everett | 9 | 0 | 2+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 5 | DF | ENG | Holly Morgan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 6 | DF | ENG | Lia Cataldo | 11 | 0 | 2+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 7 | MF | ENG | Charlie Devlin | 24 | 3 | 15+3 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 | 2+2 | 1 | ||
| 8 | MF | ENG | Remi Allen | 23 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Libby Smith | 19 | 0 | 10+4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 11 | FW | ENG | Lachante Paul | 24 | 7 | 14+4 | 7 | 1+1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | ||
| 12 | MF | ENG | Charlotte Fleming | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| 14 | FW |  NED | Esmee de Graaf | 25 | 1 | 17+2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 15 | DF |  SCO | Sophie Howard | 19 | 0 | 14+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 16 | MF | ENG | Freya Thomas | 8 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 17 | FW | ENG | Paige Bailey-Gayle | 18 | 7 | 13+2 | 5+1 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | ||
| 18 | DF | ENG | Sophie Barker | 24 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 19 | FW | ENG | Millie Farrow | 21 | 4 | 6+11 | 4 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | ||
| 20 | FW | ENG | Natasha Flint | 27 | 21 | 14+6 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 21 | FW |  WAL | Hannah Cain | 14 | 5 | 8+1 | 3 | 2+1 | 2 | 0+2 | 0 | ||
| 22 | DF | ENG | Ashleigh Plumptre | 26 | 1 | 18+1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 23 | FW | ENG | Olivia Fergusson | 10 | 0 | 1+7 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 27 | MF | ENG | Shannon O'Brien | 10 | 3 | 5+2 | 2 | 2+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 28 | GK | ENG | Kirstie Levell | 26 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 33 | FW | ENG | Jess Camwell | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 48 | GK | ENG | Sophie Harris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Joined during 2021–22 season but competed in the postponed 2020–21 FA Cup: | |||||||||||||
| 8 | MF | ENG | Molly Pike | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Jessica Sigsworth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 23 | DF | ENG | Jemma Purfield | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 34 | FW | ENG | Mackenzie Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Players who appeared for the club but left during the season: | |||||||||||||
| 10 | FW | ENG | Annabel Blanchard | 8 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | ||
| 24 | MF |  IRL | Ruesha Littlejohn | 7 | 1 | 1+5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | ||
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | From | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 August 2020 | GK | | Kirstie Levell | Everton | [10] |
| DF | | Sophie Barker | Sheffield United | ||
| DF | | Sophie Howard | Reading | ||
| DF | | Sam Tierney | Sheffield United | ||
| MF | | Remi Allen | Reading | ||
| MF | | Ruesha Littlejohn | West Ham United | ||
| FW | | Hannah Cain | Everton | ||
| FW | | Esmee de Graaf | West Ham United | ||
| FW | | Millie Farrow | Reading | ||
| FW | | Olivia Fergusson | Sheffield United | ||
| FW | | Natasha Flint | Blackburn Rovers | ||
| 7 January 2021 | GK | | Sophie Harris | Watford | [11] |
| 21 January 2021 | MF | | Charlotte Fleming | Chelsea | [12] |
| 22 January 2021 | MF | | Shannon O'Brien | Coventry United | [13] |
| Date | Position | Nationality | Name | To | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 June 2020 | MF | | Annie Taylor | Long Eaton United | [14] |
| 18 June 2020 | DF | | Lucy Johnson |  Arizona State Sun Devils | [15] |
| 23 July 2020 | DF | | Georgia Popple | Coventry United | [16] |
| 8 August 2020 | DF |  | Natalie Johnson | Sheffield United | [17] |
| 21 August 2020 | DF | | Rachel Brown | Nottingham Forest | [18] |
| 22 August 2020 | DF | | Hayley James | Nottingham Forest | [19] |
| 22 August 2020 | DF | | Anneka Nuttall | ||
| 16 January 2021 | MF | | Ruesha Littlejohn | Birmingham City | [20] |
| 21 January 2021 | FW | | Annabel Blanchard | Blackburn Rovers | [21] |
