Newcastle Women are officially part of Newcastle United for the first time following a restructuring of the club.

The Magpies, who are 80 per cent owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, have formally taken Becky Langley’s side, which previously operated independently with support from the Newcastle United Foundation, under their wing.

With Langley now full-time manager, the Lady Magpies, who play in the FA Women’s National League Division One – the fourth tier of the domestic game – will compete under the same umbrella as the men during the 2022-23 season as the club attempts to harness the appetite for the women’s game generated by England’s Euro 2022 success.

The club’s shareholders said: “From the outset, we have stated and demonstrated our wholehearted commitment to the growth of Newcastle United Women.

“The recent success of the Lionesses has added tremendous momentum behind women’s participation in football everywhere, and we want to create a pathway for all women and girls to be able to enjoy playing the game.

“We are delighted that Newcastle United Women is now formally a part of the Newcastle United family and we look forward to supporting the team as it goes from strength to strength.”

Newcastle will target promotion this season – they launched their campaign with a 4-1 win at Merseyrail on Sunday afternoon – after narrowly missing out at the end of the last campaign, during which a record crowd of 22,134 for a women’s league game in the UK watched them beat Alnwick Town 4-0 St James’ Park.

The club’s owners have signalled their intention to invest in the first team squad and introduce a development squad with Amanda Staveley, who led a successful takeover in October last year, having stated her desire to work with the women’s team from the off.

Langley said: “We are so proud to be part of the Newcastle United family. It gives everyone even more determination to make the club proud and to represent our fans and our city the best we can.”