Promising young midfielder Abi Loydon has signed her first Wolves contract ahead of an exciting 2025/26 FAWNL season for the women’s first-team.
Loydon was Dan McNamara’s first acquisition of last summer and the 20-year-old has shown plenty of potential in her first year in gold and black to earn herself a part-time contract with the club.
Having rose through the ranks with local rivals West Bromwich Albion, the England youth international – who previously turned out for her country’s under-17, under-18 and development phase squads – went on to amass well over 80 appearances for the Baggies.
After crossing the Black Country divide last summer, Loydon quickly became a popular member of the Old Gold squad off the pitch, while racking up 26 appearances and scoring three times on it, as she provided her quality often from the bench in her debut Wolves campaign.
Her goals helped the team to cup wins over AFC Fylde and Asfordby Amateurs, before finding the net in the league for the first time in February at home to Sporting Khalsa in a 4-0 victory, and McNamara is delighted to have secured her services for another 12 months.
“She came in last season from across the Black Country and we’ve really been impressed with her application and her attitude towards football,” McNamara said.
“She found it tough at parts last year because she wants to be on the pitch more, but she’s still a young player, she’s still only 20, but she’s ready for that next step, which is to really impose herself on the first-team squad, and she definitely deserves that reward after last season’s performances.
“We often talk about bringing the right people into Wolves and we’ve got a good reputation of recruiting the right people, and that’s one of the big things Abi has – her character, and what she brings to the dressing room.
“She’s already a favourite within the dressing room because she’s quirky, she’s a little bit different, and the girls love that about her. She’s embedded herself well within the group but to get this contract, it’s not just down to who she is as a person, it’s about her ability on the pitch.
Abi's signed up for '25/26 ✍️
— Wolves Women FC (@WolvesWomen) July 8, 2025
“When I came into Compton yesterday, she was there on the pitch training, trying to get extra work in before pre-season. She’s a great person who really wants to improve and I think that goes a long way when we were looking at who we’re going to reward with, with contracts going into the new season.”
Now the midfielder is signed up for another year in gold and black – but this time on contracted terms – McNamara hopes having Loydon at the club part-time will help push her on to become a regular member of his starting 11.
“She’s definitely got the potential to go and play in the league above. We’ve got to keep her grounded, but if she can continue at the rate she has been doing, then we’re going to end up with a fantastic player.
“Being part-time should help her develop even further, but it’s up to her as an individual and how much she wants to put into it. A lot of players have their personal life and careers away from football, and I know Abi is really focusing on football, and this contract will allow her to really put football first.
“I know she’ll be wanting more minutes this year, so that’s got to be her aim. She’s got to try to break into what is a tough 11 and really impose herself on the team. But she’s got all the attributes to go on and be a top player, and hopefully she continues with her great attitude as that will certainly help her out on the pitch.”
