Crystal Palace Women parted company with head coach Laura Kaminski on 28 February after just one win in 14 Women’s Super League matches left the Eagles second‑bottom with six points. Kaminski had earned promotion the previous spring but an injury crisis and limited budget undermined her campaign. Chairman Steve Parish called the decision painful yet essential to spark survival. Norwegian Leif Smerud arrived 48 hours later on a contract to 2027, armed with degrees in psychology and a reputation for reviving squads.
He introduced daily resilience workshops and switched from a 3‑4‑3 to a pressing 4‑3‑3 centred on fearless possession. The tweak produced an immediate 2‑1 win at Aston Villa but back‑to‑back defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool underlined the scale of the task. Palace are exploring loan reinforcements and lobbying for WSL reforms that could pause relegation as part of expansion talks. Kaminski departs with gratitude from players who credit her with professionalising the programme.
Smerud now carries the burden of forging a sustainable future for women’s football in SE25 while keeping top‑flight status alive.
