FA Women's Championship

FA Women's Championship
Founded 2014
Country  England
Number of teams 11
Level on pyramid 2
Promotion to FA Women's Super League
Relegation to National League North
National League South
Domestic cup(s) FA Women's Cup
League cup(s) FA WSL Cup
Current champions Doncaster Rovers Belles (1st title)
(2017–18)
Most championships Sunderland
Reading
Yeovil Town
Doncaster Rovers Belles
(1 title each)
Website womenscompetitions.thefa.com
2018–19

The Football Association Women's Championship is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as "FA Women's Super League 2" (WSL 2), before being renamed in 2018.[1]

History

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.[2][3][4][5] The new WSL 1 licence was awarded to Manchester City. Doncaster Rovers Belles were relegated to the WSL 2, with nine new licences awarded to London Bees, Durham, Aston Villa, Millwall Lionesses, Yeovil Town, Reading, Sunderland, Watford, and Oxford United.[6] Doncaster Belles appealed against their demotion, but were unsuccessful.[7]

In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand WSL 1 from an eight to ten-team league. Two teams will be promoted from WSL 2, while one team will be relegated to WSL 2.[8][9] Also, for the first time, a team from the FA Women's Premier League earned promotion to WSL 2, effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of the English women's football pyramid.[10]

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.[8] In addition to being able to prove their financial solvency, clubs applying for entry to the WSL must show they will attract an average of 350 spectators in 2016, increasing to at least 400 in 2017.[11]

Clubs

2018–19 Women's Championship
Club Established Location Stadium Capacity
Aston Villa 1973 Boldmere Boldmere St Michael's 2,800
Charlton Athletic 1991 Bexley The Oakwood 1,180
Crystal Palace 1992 Bromley Hayes Lane 5,000
Durham 2013 Durham New Ferens Park 3,000
Leicester City Women 2004 Quorn Farley Way Stadium 1,400
Lewes 2002 Lewes The Dripping Pan 3,000
London Bees 1975 Edgware The Hive 6,418
Manchester United 2018 Leigh Leigh Sports Village 12,000
Millwall Lionesses 1972 Dartford Princes Park 4,100
Sheffield United 2018 Sheffield
Tottenham Hotspur 1985 Cheshunt Cheshunt Stadium 3,500

Winners

Year Winner Runners-up Third Top scorers Goals
2014SunderlandDoncaster Rovers Belles aReadingFran Kirby (Reading)24
2015ReadingDoncaster Rovers BellesEvertonCourtney Sweetman-Kirk (Doncaster Rovers Belles)20
2016Yeovil TownBristol CityEvertonIniabasi Umotong (Oxford United)
Jo Wilson (London Bees)		13
2017[lower-alpha 1]EvertonDoncaster Rovers Belles bMillwall LionessesCourtney Sweetman-Kirk (Doncaster Rovers Belles)9
2017–18Doncaster Rovers Belles cBrighton & Hove AlbionMillwall LionessesJessica Sigsworth (Doncaster Rovers Belles)15

Notes
Unless noted, teams in first and second were promoted to the FA WSL.

a.^ Not promoted
b.^ Promoted
c.^ Withdrew from league and relegated

Attendances

In the 2014 season there were 251 fans at a WSL 2 match on average. In 2015 it increased to 341 with thirteen matches reaching attendances of more than 500 spectators.[12]

Notes

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

References

  1. ↑ FA Women's Championship: New name chosen for England's second tier BBC Sport, 26 February 2018
  2. ↑ "FA WSL 2014: Applications". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "FA WSL 2014-2018 brochure". thefa.com. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "The FA WSL Club Development Plan". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Clubs bid for WSL spot". thefa.com. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "FA Selects Clubs for WSL". WSL. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Baber, Mark. "Doncaster Belles lose appeal over demotion from Women's Super League". Inside World Football. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  8. 1 2 "FA WSL 2 promotion announcement". Faws1.com. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "BBC Sport – Women's Super League to be expanded from 2015". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "Sheffield FC beat Portsmouth in Women's Premier League play-off". BBC. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Katie Brazier: FA head of women's leagues targets WSL expansion". BBC Sport. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  12. ↑ "WSL 2 attendances up 36% in 2015". shekicks.net. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
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