Becky Langley: The right fit at London City

“A hugely ambitious club, very forward-thinking and very women-centred in terms of its approach.”

 

Becky Langley is talking about London City Lionesses, the Women’s Super League club she joined as assistant coach to Eder Maestre in January 2026. It is the first time she has worked in the top tier, and she describes it as “a really exciting start”.

 

On the pitch, they have smashed the usual pattern for a newly-promoted team, rapidly becoming part of the furniture towards the top of the table rather than struggling against relegation – and putting together a Women’s FA Cup run to reach the fifth round.

 

“We’re all really, really ambitious and the plans for next season will be even more ambitious than this season,” she says. 

 

And off the pitch, Becky is inspired by London City Lionesses’ owner, the billionaire businesswoman Michele Kang.

 

“There’s no limits to her excitement and ambition to drive the project forward, and there’s a real commitment to keep doing so. I’m very lucky, but also really enthusiastic to be a part of that.”

 

Becky’s time at Newcastle United

But it has also been a time of immense change for Becky. She moved from Northumberland down to the south-east to take the role, meaning she is away from her usual support network that she has built over a number of years.

 

After beginning her coaching career at Nottingham Forest, she moved into the higher education sector, coaching at Loughborough University and then at Northumbria University – a role that ultimately developed into becoming Newcastle United manager. She steered the Magpies into the second tier and a fully professional era.

 

After taking Newcastle United from a part-time outfit to a professional one in the WSL2, Becky says that she was “heartbroken” to not be able to take that extra step and lead them in the top flight as well.

 

“When I first joined Newcastle, it wasn’t a full-time job,” she adds, explaining that it had been a role that evolved from a collaboration with Northumbria University, where she was coaching the students. “It was quite the learning curve when I was so young.”

 

And since leaving the club, she says she has been able to see what an impact her work created in the region.

 

“To start a team where there would be 20 to 30 people watching the women’s team to then playing in front of 38,500 at St. James’s Park against Sunderland and understanding the difference I’ve made to women’s football in that region is probably more important to me than actually taking it to that WSL1 next stage. The legacy I’ve left is more important than actually anything else. 

 

“At the same time, it’s been a good learning curve for me because navigating not being there has made me reflect of what I could have done better. I navigated so much change so quickly. 

 

“I’m really proud of the job I’ve done there.”

 

But at London City Lionesses, Becky found her opportunity at WSL1 level.

 

“In football it’s massively about relationships that you build on and off the pitch with people. So when I understood that London City were interested in another coach coming on board the project and given that female-centred approach, which I’d given a lot of commitment to at Newcastle, I think it probably just was the right fit.”