New Changes to the Women’s Super League

The FA has announced changes to the WSL 2018/2019 season. The Women’s Super League will keep its name but the second tier will now be called the FA Women’s Championship, instead of the WSL 1 & 2 designation from the past. The top tier will gain one new team, West Ham United, while the second tier will gain five new teams: Manchester United, Leicester City, Sheffield United, Lewes, and Charlton Athletic. This will be the first year that United has a women’s team and will be coached by former England international Casey Stoney.

Yeovil Town will remain in the Women’s Super League, despite being winless in 2017/2018. Watford FC, Oxford United, and Sunderland were not accepted back into the top two tiers, likely due to known financial issues. Everton Ladies had played Lewes FC in the fifth round of the FA Cup tournament and won 6-0. The club is notable for being the first to pay their female and male players the same salary.

All Tier 1 teams must employ their players full-time while the Tier 2 teams will be semi-professional. The Everton Ladies got a jump start on this by going fully professional in the summer of 2017, before finishing in 9th place in the just ended WSL1 season.

The Women’s Super League hopes to build on their current 11 teams by adding 3 more teams through promotion and relegation. The aim of all of the changes is to make the league more competitive and commercially successful.

Ladies Roundup:

A look back on the season:

Despite a 9th place finish, midfielder Angharad James stated that:

“We have heard it from a lot of sides that they hate playing Everton, and that is credit to us.”

Top 10 Everton Ladies Goals of the Season:

England Lionesses Update:

Manager Phil Neville announced only 20 players for England’s upcoming World Cup qualifier in Russia and, unfortunately, Gabby George has been left off of the roster for the June camp.