The club was formed in 1982, under the name 'Barnsley Ladies Football Club’. The club used this name for 34 years until the end of the 2016/17 Season, when it changed its name to 'Barnsley FC Ladies’ for the following two seasons until the end of 2018/19. On 16 March 2018, Barnsley Women's Football Club Limited took over the club and changed its name to 'Barnsley Women’s Football Club’.
In 2019/20 Barnsley Women had their best ever FA Cup run when they reached the fourth round of the Women's FA Cup, losing 5-0 away to professional side Tottenham Hotspur Women in an exciting match on Sunday 26 January 2020.
On Sunday 27 November 2022, Barnsley Women played against Newcastle Women at St. James' Park in the 2nd Round of the Women's FA Cup in front of a crowd of 28,585. This was the largest attendance for a Women's FA Cup match, other than for Finals played at Wembley.
