London City Lionesses have this morning confirmed that 11 players will be leaving the club when their contracts expire this summer.
First team players Freda Ayisi, Leanne Cowan, Flo Fyfe, Juliette Kemppi, Chantelle Mackie, Ellie Mason, Ylenia Priest, Lucy Thomas, Nina Wilson and Poppy Wilson are all moving on while youngster Eden Bailey is also being released.
Defender Priest and midfielder Mason started the season as leaders of the team after being elected co-captains by former boss Lisa Fallon. Priest lost her place in the side after starting a number of games early on in the campaign while Mason featured just twice in the FA Women’s Championship after having some bad luck with injuries.
Other notable departures include left-back Cowan who has impressed for the club in previous years and Finnish international forward Kemppi who played in all-but-one of the Lionesses’ 20 league fixtures this season. Poppy Wilson and Ayisi were also regulars in the side.
London City Lionesses head coach Melissa Phillips thanked the players for their efforts. She said “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with each of these players over the past year. Their commitment to the club has been tremendous and will always be a part of the foundation. Change can be tough but always presents an opportunity to grow and we wish each of them the best on the journey ahead.”
Phillips is now expected to work with assistant coach Cori Daniels to bring in new players to bolster the squad ahead of the new season.