Durham captain Sarah Wilson has opened up about the anguish she and her teammates endured earlier this year as the club fought to avoid folding, before a last-minute investment deal secured its future in the Women's Super League 2.
Durham, who finished 10th in the second tier last season and have competed in WSL2 continuously since 2014, faced an existential crisis in June when the club issued a public statement warning it would be forced to cease operations unless new investment arrived within 21 days. The announcement, made on 8 June, sent shockwaves through the club and its supporters, leaving players uncertain about their futures.
Relief came later that month when local businessman Geoff Thompson, co-owner of South Shields FC, joined forces with a co-investor to take a majority stake in Durham, effectively rescuing the club from collapse.
Wilson, who has represented Durham for 12 years, described the weeks of uncertainty as deeply distressing. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. It was horrendous," she said. "[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."
The Durham skipper praised how quickly the club has turned things around, crediting the organization for handling the crisis with transparency. "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," Wilson said. "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."
Wilson also reflected on the wider implications a potential closure would have had, not just for players but for staff and young players coming through Durham's pathway. "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," she said. "Now it's just really, really positive and really exciting to move forward with everything."
With the immediate crisis resolved, Durham have moved swiftly to rebuild for the new season. The club appointed Willie Kirk as head coach in July, marking his first managerial role in English football since he was dismissed by Leicester in March 2024. Kirk, who has previously managed Bristol City and Everton, spent the intervening period coaching in Sweden with Linköping and Djurgårdens IF, and also served as an assistant manager at Manchester United.
Wilson had glowing words for the new manager's impact so far, noting his elite-level experience has already elevated standards at the club. "[He's been] brilliant, he's just brought the club to a completely different new standard," she said. "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."
Durham will open their WSL2 campaign at home against Southampton on 6 September, a fixture that will also serve as Kirk's competitive debut as the club's new head coach.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.