Brooks makes Wolves Women move

Wolves Women have bolstered their goalkeeper ranks this summer with the addition of former Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers stopper Alex Brooks.

The 30-year-old brings a wealth of experience of WSL and WSL2 to the Dan McNamara’s squad having represented some of the biggest names in women’s football.

Brooks began her career in the academy of Man City, progressing through the club’s youth ranks and into the first-team where she made her debut in the WSL Cup against Durham in July 2014.

Then 19, Brooks came off the bench to take the place of legendary England keeper Karen Bardsley between the sticks for City. She would go on to make seven appearances – including four in the WSL – over the next 18 months, before gaining further experience with a loan move to Everton.

After time spent in the third tier with AFC Fylde and a stint with Blackburn, Brooks moved permanently from City to Sheffield United in 2018 before heading back up to the WSL the following year with a switch to Birmingham.

Following two seasons with a title-chasing Blues side – where she shared goalkeeping duties with England’s Euro 2025 winner Hannah Hampton – Brooks returned to Blackburn where she produced several key performances in net and was named Players’ Player of the Year in summer 2024.

Now signing for McNamara’s Wolves, the manager is excited to see if Brooks will provide the experience and ability needed to help the team achieve their aims this season.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have signed Alex,” McNamara said. “She was one of the first people we went after over the summer and it’s felt like a long wait, but we’re delighted to finally get her over the line – but sometimes you have to wait for the big players.

“She feels Wolves is the right club for the next stage of her journey and it’s a bit of a statement signing for us to bring a keeper of that ilk, with such good Championship experience, heading into the new season.

“Experience is a big part of what she’ll bring, because we’re a very inexperienced group with regards to age, but we’ve got a lot of experience in regard to what the group have done over the last few years.

“Alex has been operating in the top two levels of the game, with Blackburn Rovers and previously with Birmingham City, so she’ll bring not only the quality with regards to goalkeeping prowess, but also the knowhow in big games as she’s been involved in plenty of those over the last few years.

“Hopefully she can bring some of that to the group and help us achieve our aims this year.”

The signing of Brooks will give McNamara’s side a boost ahead of their 2025/26 FAWNL Northern Premier Division campaign, which is set to get underway for Wolves Women this weekend with a trip to Liverpool Feds.

Sunday’s season opener could see the keeper make her debut for the Old Gold, and with his squad almost set on the eve of the new season, McNamara feels the new additions, together with the existing players who have signed up once again this summer, have put the club in the strongest possible position to secure that long-awaited promotion to the second tier.

“The squad’s nearly there and is shaping up really nicely. It’s the strongest group I’ve ever had the privilege of working with at Wolves, but it’s going to be testing because all 22 players that we’ve put together in the squad are all top, top players, and they’ll expect to be on the pitch.

“Now it’s down to myself and the staff to make sure we’re managing those players right so we can put the best 11 on the pitch that we feel will win each particular game.

“We’ve also got to be really understanding that there’s going to be some outstanding quality not just left on the bench, but out of a matchday squad as well, but this depth is what we need and we’re really happy where we’re at – and we might just have one more surprise heading into Sunday.”

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