Wrexham AFC Women have announced the signing of two former Newcastle United players: Katie Barker and Jodie Bartle.
24-year-old Barker left the WSL2 side this summer and has signed a contract until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
“There’s just such an exciting buzz around the club,” Barker said to the club website.
“I was sold straight away.
“It was always going to be a difficult decision to move away from Newcastle having been born and bred there, but coming to Wrexham just seemed right and with the family feel around the club and the town itself, it’s perfect for me.”
Wrexham head coach Jenny Sugarman added: “Katie is a really exciting signing for the club. She’s got some fantastic experience already at the age of 24 in the English system and is a talented attacking player that we hope will add goal contributions.
“I’m sure that the fans will enjoy her one-on-one duels and her absolute enjoyment and love of playing is something that will add some great energy to the team.”
Bartle, aged 33, has previously played for Celtic in the Scottish top tier.
“I’ve known Jenny for quite a while, and I think it’s the perfect time to be a part of the project,” she told the club website.
Wrexham Women’s league status
Wrexham play in the top flight of the Welsh domestic league, the Adran Premier.
They finished fourth last season, and third the season before, having been promoted from the Adran North in 2022-23, beating Briton Ferry Llansawel 1-0 in the promotion play-off.
They begin their campaign this time round away to Briton Ferry on Sunday, September 7th.
Katie Barker’s record-breaking time at Newcastle United
When Katie Barker’s departure from the Magpies was announced in June, the club described her as a “legend”.
“I don’t think I could ever have imagined how it has gone,” she said in a video. “When I joined the club, we were in Tier 4, and basically there wasn’t much hope. It was Newcastle, I wanted to be here because it was my club. I could never have imagined how things have changed, and the direction that the club was going to go in. I’m just so proud to have been able to be a part of it.”
She is Newcastle’s record goalscorer, with 67 goals, which helped them to two consecutive promotions, and her strike against Alnwick Town in May 2022 made her the first woman to score at St James’ Park.
She turned full-time professional in June 2023, and leaves Newcastle with 120 appearances to her name, the second-most in the club’s history thus far.
