In July 2023 Exeter City Women have completed the signing of talented midfielder Zoe Cunningham.

The Plymouth Argyle Captain becomes the first addition to the Grecians squad this summer. Zoe Cunningham began her career at the Arsenal Ladies Centre of Excellence before joining Reading Women. She relocated to Devon in 2016 and signed for Plymouth Argyle. A brief spell at Buckland Athletic, where Cunningham played six times, was interrupted by COVID suspensions and she re-signed for Plymouth in 2021. Since her return, Cunningham has further enhanced her reputation as one of Tier Three’s most complete midfield talents, scoring twenty times in fifty-three appearances. Cunningham was voted the Southern Premier Player of the Season in 2021/22 and was voted the Greens' Player of the Season in 2022/23 following another series of important performances and vital goals. No stranger to City fans; she scored a fantastic free kick when the two sides met in 2021 at St James Park and captained the Pilgrims against the Grecians at the recent Devon County Cup Final. Joint City Manager Abbie Britton is delighted to have added more quality to the team: “It says everything about what we are building here that a player of Zoe’s ability wants to be a part of it. We had targets in mind for the summer and she was high on that list.

"It is great to have her with us and our midfield options are, in my opinion, on a par with any team in the division above. We are really looking forward to working alongside Zoe and helping her maximise her undoubted talent.”

Apperances and goals

Plymouth A	2016/17	10	4
Plymouth A	2017/18	27	18
Plymouth A	2018/19	24	11
Plymouth A	2019/20	14	6
Plymouth A	2020/21	6	4
Plymouth A	2021/22	31	14
Plymouth A	2022/23	22	7
Exeter C	2023/24	26	8
Exeter Res.	2023/24	1	1
Exeter C	2024/25	20	1

In April 2025 Zoe Cunningham announced her retirement from football at the end of this season.
The club wrote
 "The scorer of one of the most important goals in our history -they don't come classier than our 17!

Once a Grecian, always a Grecian.

Zoe wrote 
"I think I have threatened to quit football about 3 times every season since I started playing, but this time I have decided (for real) that I will be retiring from football at the end of this season. Football has been a constant for me since I was 6 years old, it has been my whole life. It's been with me through some of the best and worst times in my life but it has always kept me going. I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I've had, team mates I've played with, coaches I've had & all of the people I have met throughout the years. I am grateful for my family and friends who have always supported me and sacraficed their time for me. I am extremely proud of what I have achieved within football & the challenges I have overcome in order to achieve those things.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey, I am unbelievably sad to be saying goodbye to football but I am equally as excited to make the most of the time I will get back"