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Women's Championship (England)

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Women's Championship
First season2014
CountryEngland
Number of teams11
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toWomen's Super League
Relegation toNational League North
National League South
Domestic cup(s)Women's FA Cup
League cup(s)FA Women's League Cup
Current championsCrystal Palace (1st title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsAston Villa, Sunderland, Reading, Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Manchester United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, (1 title each)
Websitewomensleagues.thefa.com
Current: 2024–25 Women's Championship

The Women's Championship (formerly The FA Women's Championship) is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as the FA Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2).

WSL 2 replaced the previous level 2 division, the FA Women's Premier League (WPL) National Division, which ended after the 2012–13 season. The WPL's last national division champions, Sunderland A.F.C. Women, were not promoted and also became the first winners of WSL 2 in the 2014 season. In addition to Sunderland, other WPL clubs that joined WSL 2 in 2014 were Watford and Aston Villa.

From 2014 to 2016, WSL 2 ran a summer-based season calendar before reverting to the winter season in 2017–18, the same as WSL 1.

FA WSL 2 was renamed the FA Women's Championship prior to the 2018–19 season.[1] Ahead of the 2022–23 season the top two tiers unveiled a new visual identity, dropping "The FA" from the league names as part of the long term strategy for the leagues to be under new ownership in the future.[2] Having sponsored the first tier since the 2019–20 season, it marked the first season of Barclays as the title partner of the Women's Championship.[3]

In November 2023, all 24 Women's Super League and Women's Championship clubs had unanimously agreed to form a new organisation, named NewCo, to run the women's professional game in England, taking over from the FA.

For the 2023/24 season, changes were made meaning that two clubs would be relegated from the league allowing one team each from National League North and South to be promoted to the Championship rather than having to play a season end playoff. This change resulted in two teams being relegated from the Championship at the end of the season. No changes were made to promotion from the league to the WSL with still only one promotion and one relegation respectively. [4]

For the 2024/25 season, the league was reduced to eleven teams, due to Reading’s withdrawal from the Championship, citing financial issues.[5] The FA confirmed two relegation spots would reduce to one. The league will return to a twelve team league at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.[6]

History

Sunderland AFC Ladies won the FA WSL 2 in 2014

For the 2014 season, the FA Women's Super League was expanded to create a second division with nine new teams added and one team being relegated from the WSL 1. WSL 1 remained as eight teams, with one new team inserted, with the WSL 2 having ten teams.[7][8][9][10]

The new WSL 1 licence was awarded to Manchester City in 2014. Doncaster Rovers Belles were relegated to WSL 2, with nine new licences awarded to London Bees, Durham, Aston Villa, Millwall Lionesses, Yeovil Town, Reading, Sunderland, Watford, and Oxford United.[11] Doncaster Belles appealed against their demotion, but were unsuccessful.[12]

In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand WSL 1 from an eight to ten-team league. Two teams would be promoted from WSL 2, while one team would be relegated to WSL 2.[13][14] Also, for the first time, a team would earn promotion to WSL 2 from the Women's Premier League (now National League), effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of the English women's football pyramid.[15]

This left WSL 1 with nine teams and WSL 2 with ten teams for the 2016 season, and with the process repeated the following year, both WSL 1 and WSL 2 consisted of ten teams each for the 2017–18 season.[13] In addition to being able to prove their financial solvency, clubs applying for entry to the WSL had to show they would attract an average of 350 spectators in 2016, increasing to at least 400 in 2017.[16]

FA WSL 2 was renamed the Women's Championship prior to the 2018–19 season.[1]

In May 2020 the Championship season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] In 2022 the league was renamed to simply the Women's Championship, with the FA part being dropped.[18]

In November 2023, it was announced that all 24 Women's Super League and Women's Championship clubs had unanimously agreed to form a new organisation to run the women's professional game in England, taking over from the FA. The organization is called NewCo, and Nikki Doucet has been named CEO.[19][20]

On 13 October 2024, Sunderland A.F.C. Women and Newcastle United W.F.C. set a new attendance record of 15,387 for the Women's Championship in their first meeting in the league, a Wear–Tyne derby match played at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.[21] The previous record had been an attendance of 11,137, set in 2022.[22]

Clubs

The following eleven clubs are competing in the 2024–25 season.

Winners

Unless noted, only teams in first were promoted to the WSL.
Year Winner Runners-up Third Top scorers Goals
2014 Sunderland Doncaster Rovers Belles Reading Fran Kirby (Reading) 24
2015 Reading Doncaster Rovers Belles p Everton Courtney Sweetman-Kirk (Doncaster Rovers Belles) 20
2016 Yeovil Town Bristol City p Everton Iniabasi Umotong (Oxford United)
Jo Wilson (London Bees)		 13
Spring Series[a] Everton Doncaster Rovers Belles Millwall Lionesses Courtney Sweetman-Kirk (Doncaster Rovers Belles) 9
2017–18 Doncaster Rovers Belles r Brighton & Hove Albion p Millwall Lionesses Jessica Sigsworth (Doncaster Rovers Belles) 15
2018–19 Manchester United Tottenham Hotspur p Charlton Athletic Jessica Sigsworth (Manchester United) 17
2019–20 Aston Villa Sheffield United Durham Katie Wilkinson (Sheffield United) 15
2020–21 Leicester City Durham Liverpool Katie Wilkinson (Sheffield United) 19
2021–22 Liverpool London City Lionesses Bristol City Abi Harrison (Bristol City) 17
2022–23 Bristol City Birmingham City London City Lionesses Melissa Johnson (Charlton Athletic) 12
2023–24 Crystal Palace Charlton Athletic Sunderland Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace) 16

Notes

p.^ Second place team was also promoted
r.^ Withdrew from league and relegated

Notes

  1. ^ The shortened 2017 edition was known as the Spring Series and ran from February to May 2017.

References

  1. ^ a b FA Women's Championship: New name chosen for England's second tier BBC Sport, 26 February 2018
  2. ^ "Barclays Women's Super League rebranded". www.mancity.com.
  3. ^ "New look for BWSL and BWC". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. 10 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Statement: 2023-24 promotion and relegation".
  5. ^ "Reading withdraw from Championship". Reading FC. 30 June 2024.
  6. ^ Veevers, Nick (30 June 2024). "FA and Women's Professional Game statement on Reading FC Women". The FA.
  7. ^ "FA WSL 2014: Applications". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  8. ^ "FA WSL 2014-2018 brochure". thefa.com. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  9. ^ "The FA WSL Club Development Plan". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Clubs bid for WSL spot". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  11. ^ "FA Selects Clubs for WSL". WSL. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  12. ^ Baber, Mark. "Doncaster Belles lose appeal over demotion from Women's Super League". Inside World Football. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  13. ^ a b "FA WSL 2 promotion announcement". Faws1.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  14. ^ "BBC Sport – Women's Super League to be expanded from 2015". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Sheffield FC beat Portsmouth in Women's Premier League play-off". BBC. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  16. ^ "Katie Brazier: FA head of women's leagues targets WSL expansion". BBC Sport. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  17. ^ Stonelake, Anthony (15 May 2020). "Women's Super League Season to End". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  18. ^ Reja, Arpan (15 May 2020). "Women's Super League and Women's Championship to be rebranded ahead of 2022/23 season". Sports Mint Media. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  19. ^ Simmons, Kelly (25 January 2024). "Get the big decisions right and this can be a landmark year for women's football". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Nikki Doucet appointed as NewCo CEO". The FA. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  21. ^ Taylor, Louise (13 October 2024). "Newcastle and Sunderland striving to give WSL north-eastern outpost". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Women's Championship: Sunderland vs Newcastle to break attendance record". BBC Sport. 11 October 2024. Archived from the original on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
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