Southampton Women have had their budget cut significantly after what head coach Simon Parker described as a challenging summer, and will play most home matches at Eastleigh’s Silverlake Stadium rather than St Mary’s. The club denies the cuts are connected to the men’s team’s recent spying scandal, but the reduced funding and stadium move underline a major change in strategy before the new WSL 2 season.

Parker said Southampton now have the smallest budget in WSL 2 and have had to alter plans to retain key players after finishing fifth last season, their best league placing since reforming nine years ago. Goalkeeper Fran Stanton, captain Atlanta Primus, Aimee Palmer and Tara Bourne have left, while director of football Marieanne Spacey-Cale is also departing; Silverlake holds just over 5,000 spectators compared with St Mary’s 30,000-plus, though at least three games will still be played there.