Twenty years is a long time to wait. Charlton are back in the top flight and nobody should sleep on what Karen Hills has built here.

Just under two decades after the women's team were unceremoniously disbanded when the men's side dropped out of the Premier League, the Addicks have earned their place in the WSL — and they didn't do it the easy way. A 27-game unbeaten streak last season, the meanest defence in WSL 2, and then a playoff shootout against Leicester at the Valley where goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse saved four penalties to seal the deal. That's not a fairytale — that's a club that means business.

What Hills Has Built

Let's be clear about who is driving this. Hills was appointed in 2021 with reaching the WSL as part of an explicit five-year plan. She's delivered it bang on schedule, and this is the second time in her coaching career she's taken a club into the top flight, having done the same with Tottenham back in 2019. She played for Charlton for six years herself, winning the FA Cup in 2005. When the Addicks walk out at the Valley on 6 September against Liverpool, that will mean something to her in a way that goes beyond the professional. We're fine with that. Sentiment and competence can coexist.

Six players have departed since promotion, including the influential Katie Bradley, but the replacements are interesting rather than worrying. Ashleigh Neville — only three months ago lining up for Leicester against Charlton in that very playoff — has joined on a two-year deal. Over a century of WSL appearances, the majority of them under Hills at Tottenham. She knows the system, she knows the manager, and she'll set the tone in the dressing room. Emily van Egmond adds further experience. Then there's Grace Johnston and Leah Davidson arriving from Australia, the former fresh from winning Perth Glory's best young player award in 2026 and representing Australia's under-23s. The transfer window has had real thought put into it.

The concern — and there is one — sits in attack. Charlton managed only 31 goals in WSL 2 last season, the lowest return of the division's top six. That was fine when you're keeping clean sheets for fun at the second tier. Against WSL opposition, it becomes a problem. The squad will need to find more creativity and end product, or they'll be fighting relegation from January onwards.

[Our Brighton preview](getohedz/football/womens-super-league-2026-27-preview-no-4-brighton) covers a similarly promoted side navigating top-flight expectations — it's a useful comparison for what Charlton are walking into.

Off The Pitch

There are a couple of things worth flagging beyond the football. Haircare brand Sofnfree have become the women's team's official sleeve partner in what's described as a record-breaking deal for the club, with content creation and a new women's-centric TikTok channel part of the push to grow their audience. Smart. But ownership group Global Football Partners have put the club up for sale, which introduces a layer of uncertainty nobody needs heading into a first WSL season in two decades. We'll be watching that closely.

Our Take

The Guardian's writers tip them for 14th — essentially survival by the skin of their teeth, if at all. Honestly? Given the attacking limitations and the step up in quality, that's not unfair. But Hills has defied expectations before, Whitehouse is a legitimate match-winner, and Neville's experience could prove the difference in the tight games this division throws at you. Charlton won't embarrass themselves. Whether they'll stay up is the real question — and we wouldn't rule it out.