Plymouth Argyle have told the vast majority of their women’s first-team players their contracts will not be renewed this summer, the Guardian has learned, just weeks after they narrowly missed out on promotion to Women’s Super League 2.
In an email sent to almost all of the senior squad, Plymouth’s chief executive, Paul Berne, explained that the “difficult decision” to let the players go reflected “the direction of the squad for next season” and went on to thank them and offer them job references.
According to multiple sources, the club’s decision to let so many players go is primarily a financial one, coming amid plans to significantly reduce the women’s team’s playing budget in the summer. Plymouth were contacted for a comment in response on Sunday morning.
The news follows the resignation of the team’s head coach, Marie Hourihan, on 28 May, and it is believed that the club’s budget cuts were a contributing factor towards her decision to resign. The coach was understood to be popular with the players and the supporters.
Berne’s email said: “Hi all. Following our end-of-season review and planning for 2026-27, we wanted to let you know that we won’t be renewing contracts for the players included in this message.”
The email went on to say the decision was “not a lack of appreciation for the effort, commitment and professionalism you’ve shown” and expressed the club’s “gratitude for the time you’ve given Argyle”, before offering support to find new opportunities and wishing the players “all the very best moving forward”.