The first women’s football club in Southampton was formed in 1970 by female fans of the men’s Southampton FC, but the two clubs were unaffiliated. Southampton Women’s FC went on to great success in England, winning the WFA Cup (Women’s FA Cup) eight times between 1971 and 1981, second only to Arsenal with 14 titles. They also reached every WFA Cup Final in the competition’s first nine seasons, losing only twice.

Another team, Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies FC, were formed in 1979 as Red Star FC, who were founder members of the WFA Women’s National League in 1991. The club adopted the name Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies on affiliating to Southampton FC in 1995, and was absorbed by the club in 2001. However, the club faced financial difficulties in 2005, when the men’s senior side were relegated from the Premier League, and Southampton FC withdrew support for the female side. Southampton Saints Girls & Ladies continued without major club support for another 14 years, before announcing their demise due to financial difficulties in 2019.

The revival of Southampton FC Women

By 2016, Southampton FC, under new ownership, saw the need for a competitive senior women’s team as the profile of women’s football in the UK grew. With the club’s Regional Talent Centre, a Southampton Under-16 team was formed, and an Under-21 side in May 2017. The club formed an adult women’s side for the 2017–18 season and were admitted to the Hampshire Women’s League Division 1.

In March 2018, Southampton unsuccessfully applied to enter the FA Women’s Championship (Tier 2), but they did not give up on their ambition. In June 2018, after winning the Hampshire Women’s League Division 1, the senior team was listed for the following season’s Southern Region Women’s Football League First Division South. In July 2018, the club appointed former England international Marieanne Spacey-Cale as head of Women’s and Girls’ Football. Spacey-Cale has 91 senior England caps and brought a wealth of experience and expertise to the club.

In the 2018–19 season, the club played in the Southern Region Premier Division, and won the title with a perfect record of 18 wins, earning promotion to the FA Women’s National League Division One. They also beat Oxford City Women in the League Cup, achieving a domestic Double.

In both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, the club were top of the FA Women’s National League Division 1 South West at the point when the season was curtailed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The club applied for, and were granted, upward club movement in the summer of 2021, being placed in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division for the 2021–22 season.

In the 2022–23 season, the club finished sixth in the FA Women’s Championship, the second tier of English women’s football, after winning promotion from the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division.

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