On an August day in 2024, 5,165 fans gathered at Vanløse Idrætspark to watch FC Copenhagen play B73 Slagelse in their first league match. For Denmark’s most successful men’s club, the owners of 16 league titles, it was the realisation of a long-held desire to establish a women’s team, built in collaboration with the existing FC Damsø and framed as an ambitious project with wide-reaching impact on and off the pitch.
The 26 months since have delivered back-to-back promotions and a place in the A-Liga. FCK are now, in the words of their head of women’s football Romaney Pinnock, “playing with the big dogs” — and the challenge has shifted from climbing into the top division to staying there.
“The plan was always to get here as soon as possible,” Pinnock says, “with a bit of breathing space in case that didn’t happen … Now we have to figure out how to establish ourselves. I think the massive opportunity here is to join something so new but under the umbrella of a very established strong brand and club. It feels as if it’s startup-like but there’s a nice safety net.”
That safety net takes visible form. FCK have leaned on the wider club’s marketing and commercial expertise to build a distinct identity for the women’s team, giving them a different kit, bringing in their own sponsors and establishing a unique matchday experience. Their most recent derby against Brøndby drew 8,047 to Parken, an A-Liga record.
On the pitch, the transition has been harder. Operating in a semi-professional environment, FCK parted ways with head coach Kasper Klarskov Nielsen after three matches and sit second from bottom after 10 fixtures, with many players still juggling football alongside work or study while adapting to the physical demands of the top flight.
“It’s been tough so far,” says the forward Maria Hovmark. “It’s our first year in the league and we have to get used to that. Around 80-90% of the girls have never played in the top league so it’s a challenge … It’s also a huge challenge for the club because they’ve never been through this as well. It’s a chance for all of us and we’re slowly getting there.”
FCK’s rise is unfolding in a league still working to establish itself. Denmark has produced highly technical players such as Pernille Harder, and the Danish Football Association is attempting to strengthen the domestic game through greater investment, increased exposure and the introduction of minimum standards, while also competing in Europe. The champions, HB Køge, have returned to the main Champions League for the first time since 2022, and Brøndby will feature in the Europa Cup last 16.
Pinnock, who is South African and previously head of women’s football at Bristol City, admits the landscape surprised her. “I expected more of an egalitarian setup because of the politics of Denmark and what I’ve found is actually women’s football is still at the early stages of a journey,” she says. “There are a few clubs who are really pushing the envelope but the majority need to lift their game. That is also an opportunity. It’s exciting to see how we can look to our neighbours and say: ‘How are they doing it?'”
That question matters because FCK’s model differs from Køge’s, with the champions able to invest immediately on the pitch. FCK’s longer-term ambition is to challenge for trophies, compete in Europe and become players in the global transfer market, while developing homegrown players who see staying in Denmark as attractive and bringing experienced talent such as Hovmark back home. “The league is going more professional in terms of some teams being more full-time now,” Hovmark says. “It is getting more serious and I think that attracts people. That also brings the level higher.”
The club’s wider societal impact is central to the project. Their “Hall of Femmes” campaign with main partner Andel gives young female footballers the chance to be featured on banners at Parken and offers two annual scholarships for players aged 14-19. FCK are also testing an academy model in which girls and boys train together according to age, ability and development needs rather than by gender.
For now, the priority is survival in the A-Liga, though patience will not last indefinitely. “We’re going to get a grace period of two or three seasons,” Pinnock says. “Then we’ve really got to embrace the FCK model, which is that we’ve got to be winners and we’ve got to head for the top.”