London Bees
| File:Londonbeeslogo.png | |||
| Full name | London Bees | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Bees | ||
| Founded | 1975 (as District Line Ladies F.C.) | ||
| Ground | The Hive Stadium, Canons Park | ||
| Capacity | 6,500 (5,419 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Anthony Kleanthous | ||
| Manager | Daniel McKimm | ||
| League | FA Women's National League Division One South East | ||
| 2024–25 | FA Women's National League Division One South East, 4th of 12 | ||
| Website | https://www.londonbeesfc.com/ | ||
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London Bees is an English women's football club affiliated with Barnet F.C. They play in the FA Women's National League Division One South East, the fourth tier of the English women's football pyramid. The club has been in existence under several names since 1975, originally being called District Line Ladies F.C. The team were re-branded as London Bees after joining the new WSL 2 for the 2014 season. The club have a first team and a youth academy; both train and play at the Hive Stadium.
History
[edit | edit source]The club began in 1975 as District Line Ladies FC, then merged with Wembley FC in 1993 to become Wembley Ladies FC. In 1996 Wembley won the League Cup by defeating Doncaster Belles. In 1997 Wembley reached the FA Women's Cup final after defeating Arsenal in the semi-final. However they were unable to beat Millwall Lionesses and lost 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground.[1] In 1997 the club moved to play at Hanwell Town FC but kept the Wembley Ladies name. In 1998, the club became affiliated with Barnet FC, amalgamating with the existing Barnet Ladies FC from the Greater London League to form Barnet FC Ladies.
In March 2010 Barnet F.C. Ladies were announced as an unsuccessful bidder for the FA Women's Super League.[2][3] In 2013, they were successful in their bid to join the WSL under their new name of London Bees for the 2014 season.
In the 2016 FA WSL summer season, London Bees became the first WSL 2 club to reach the semi-finals of the FA WSL Cup, after notable wins against Chelsea Ladies on penalties and Sheffield Ladies in their quarter-final fixture. They were later defeated in the semi-final by Birmingham City Ladies.
In the 2020–21 season, London Bees finished bottom of the Championship and were relegated to the third tier of English women's football.
In the 2024–2025 season, London Bees finished fourth[4] in the FA Women's National League Division One South East, the fourth tier of English women's football.
Current squad
[edit | edit source]- As of 27 August 2025[5]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Current technical staff
[edit | edit source]As of 27th August, 2025.[6]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| First Team Coach | Dan McKimm |
| Goalkeeping Coach | James McKimm |
| Assistant Coach | Tim Abramyan |
| S & C Coach | Harry Garrod |
| Physiotherapist | Ali Jaweed |
| Nutritionist | Georgia Ridgeway |
| Sports Psychologist | Kate Chesser |
| Media & Communications | Abhishek |
Notable former players
[edit | edit source]Players who played for District Line Ladies, Wembley Ladies, Barnet FC Ladies or London Bees and received recognition at full international level
- Bulgaria Evdokia Popadinova
- England Natasha Dowie
- England Carol Harwood
- England Lesley Higgs
- England Kim Jerray-Silver
- England Justine Lorton
- England Kristy Moore
- England Danielle Murphy
- England Sarah Reed
- England Kelly Smith
- Republic of Ireland Emma Beckett
- Republic of Ireland Jemma Connor-Iommi
- Republic of Ireland Jan Mooney
- Israel Ayala Liran
- Wales Naz Ball
- Wales Eleri Earnshaw
- Wales Sydney Hinchcliffe
- Wales Danielle Oates
- Wales Sally Wade
- Wales Laura-May Walkley
- Republic of Ireland Ruesha Littlejohn
- England Rachel Unitt
- Wales Charlie Estcourt
- Wales Helen Ward
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Former managers
[edit | edit source]| Manager | Dates |
|---|---|
| Lee Burch | May 2019 – February 2021 |
| Rachel Yankey | February 2019 – May 2019 |
| Luke Swindlehurst | July 2017 – February 2019 |
| David Edmonson | February 2016 – May 2017 |
| Julian Broomes | August 2014 – October 2015 |
Honours
[edit | edit source]- FA Women's Premier League Southern Division:
- Winners (2): 1992–93 (as District Line), 2009–10 (as Barnet F.C. Ladies)
- FA Women's Premier League Cup:
, 2010–11
- FA WSL Cup:
- Semi-Finalist: 2016, Continental Cup
Player honours
[edit | edit source]- FA WSL 2 Golden Boot Award
- Winner: Jo Wilson with 10 League goals in 2016
- FA WSL 2 Player of the Month (April 2017/18)
- Winner: Katie Wilkinson
- FA Championship Player of the Month (January 2019/20)
- Winner: Sarah Quantrill
Manager honours
[edit | edit source]- LMA Women's Championship Manager of the Month (September 2019/20)
- Winner: Lee Burch
- LMA Women's Championship Manager of the Month (January 2019/20)
- Winner: Lee Burch
References
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