Wire flash
SportsBirmingham City sign goalkeeper Katie Startup on free transfer
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
Birmingham City have signed goalkeeper Katie Startup on a free transfer following her departure from Manchester City after her contract expired. The 27-year-old was part of the City squad that won the Women's Super League and FA Cup double in 2025-26, though she did not make an appearance for the club. Startup, who previously played under Birmingham manager Amy Merricks and director Hope Powell at Brighton, joins the newly promoted WSL side on a two-year deal. She expressed excitement about reuniting with the coaching staff and being part of a new era at the club. Merricks praised Startup's professionalism, experience, and ability to drive standards. Startup began her career at Chelsea's academy and has had spells at Charlton Athletic, Brighton, Liverpool, and Everton.
Source report
Image caption: Katie Startup ended last season at Manchester City with a domestic league and cup Double
By Emma Sanders BBC Sport women’s football news reporter
Birmingham City have signed goalkeeper Katie Startup following her departure from Manchester City after her contract expired.
The 27-year-old was part of the City squad that won their first Women's Super League title in a decade and the Women's FA Cup in 2025-26.
Startup did not make an appearance for the club after joining from Brighton in 2024, but became a fan favourite due to her professionalism and support for the goalkeeping group in training.
She joins newly promoted Birmingham City on what is believed to be a two-year deal, as they hope to cement their place in the WSL next season.
"Coming up from the WSL 2 off the back of an impressive season and being part of a new era for the club is really exciting," said Startup.
"I've worked with [manager] Amy Merricks and [director] Hope Powell before, for four years at Brighton, and I know they share the same values that I do.
"I'm really excited to work with them again and that was a really big deciding factor for me."
Having graduated from Chelsea's academy, Startup joined Charlton Athletic in 2017 before a move to Brighton in the top tier three years later.
She had loan spells with Charlton Athletic, Liverpool and Manchester City, eventually joining the champions permanently in 2024.
Startup also began last season on loan at Everton before being recalled by City in November for their title run-in.
"Having worked with Katie previously, I know exactly the qualities she'll bring to this football club," added Birmingham boss Merricks.
"She's a dedicated professional, a brilliant team-mate and someone who is always looking to improve.
"She drives standards every day and brings experience from a number of environments across the WSL, which will be invaluable for this group."
Related Topics
- Women's Football
- Football
- Women's Super League
- Birmingham City sign Canada defender Levasseur
Find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed
Source
BBC SportWestern
Part of this Story
Birmingham City sign goalkeeper Katie Startup on free transfer