The 25-year-old has signed a two-year contract with Manchester City that will keep her at the Club until 2026.
Startup, who will wear the number 40, joins Manchester City from Brighton & Hove Albion following an emergency six-week loan with City at the end of last season.
Startup started her senior career at Charlton Athletic in 2017, where her performances earned her an England Under-19s call up.
She then signed with Brighton in the summer of 2020, making her first appearance for the club and earning a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over West Ham in the 2021/2022 season following loans to Charlton and Liverpool.
Startup said: “It feels great, I’m really excited to be back. A bit longer this time, hopefully, and I’m excited to see what’s next.
“I just knew that when the opportunity did arise, I really enjoyed my time here and I felt really welcome, valued and I settled into the team well.
“I just want to learn off everyone, it’s such a high standard of a group, I’ll probably be facing some difficult shots I suspect. You’re not light on star quality strikers so I’m excited to test myself with the group”
Managing Director Charlotte O’Neill said: “It’s important to build a squad that is competitive in every area of the pitch.
“Katie’s short spell with us last season showed us she has the potential to become an established member of our team and help us compete across all competitions.
“We are delighted to welcome her back to the club.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Katie’s talent was clear to see during her time with us last season.
“She has the right attitude and mindset to develop herself and help us compete for all honours.”
COMPOSED STOPPER
Katie Startup joins the Club following her emergency loan spell at Manchester City during the final six weeks of last season.
With Ellie Roebuck and Sandy MacIver sidelined for the remainder of the term, the 25-year-old arrived at the Joie Stadium during our relentless push for the Barclays Women’s Super League title to provide expert competition to Khiara Keating.
A daunting role, but one that she was tailormade for thanks to her strong education in English football and her exposure of fighting for titles.
After progressing through Gillingham and Chelsea’s academies, she began her senior career with Charlton Athletic in 2017 where she helped the Addicks to promotion to the Women’s Championship in her maiden term in the capital.
That success exposed her to battling for league titles early in her career which she has used to fuel her development and ambitions to date.
Startup then cemented her place as Charlton’s starting goalkeeper the following season by making 20 appearances during a season where they finished third in the second tier – only two places away from WSL promotion.
However, the 2019/20 season proved to be one of learnings for the Londoners and the goalkeeper as they were unable to win any of their first 12 assignments before the campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the on-field difficulties, that season would be significant for Startup as she switched her number to 40 to raise awareness for mental health charities – a cause she’s still a huge advocate of.
Due her sparkling displays in the Women’s Championship, though, which also earned her England Under-19s outings, Brighton swooped for her services in the summer of 2020.
She rejoined Charlton on a short-term loan at the start of the 2020/21 season before returning to the Seagulls ahead of a temporary move to Liverpool the following season.
However, midway through the loan on Merseyside, she was recalled by Brighton before being given her debut for the club in March 2022 – keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over West Ham.
After continuing to progress and develop on the south coast, she was – almost unexpectedly – thrown into a title battle last term when City acquired her loan services for the 2023/24 run-in.
But that experience will no doubt prove invaluable for Startup who rejoins our goalkeeping union of Khiara Keating, Ayaka Yamashita, Sandy MacIver and Eve Annets (with the latter joining Portsmouth on loan for the upcoming campaign).
