The FA Unveils New Plans For Wsl

27 Sep 2017 | tshego

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The FA has announced plans that will see a restructure and new licensing criteria for the highest performance tiers of the women’s football pyramid.

The top tier of English women’s football will be for full-time clubs from 2018/19, with the announcement following a detailed review of women’s and girls’ football competitions conducted for The FA by Wharton Consulting.

As part of the restructure, all clubs must re-apply for places and new teams can earn licenses to join the top tier which will be comprised of eight to 14 teams.

A new national league will be established at tier two of the pyramid, providing a semi-professional, part-time environment allowing for a maximum of 12 teams.

Tiers three and four, the current FA Women’s Premier League (FA WPL), will maintain a regional structure with promotion and relegation applicable across all tiers of the pyramid.

Current FA WPL teams have until 10^th November to submit their applications which will be reviewed by the FA women’s board in December. Teams outside tier one will be invited to apply in March 2018.

The restructure is central to The FA’s ‘Gameplan for Growth’ strategy which outlined the approach to transform the future of the women’s game via three core goals: to double participation, double the fanbase and for England teams to achieve consistent success on the world stage.

Following this news, The FA’s head of women’s leagues and competitions, Katie Brazier, answered some key questions: https://t.co/65YSIvhSQ9

— The FA (@FA) September 27, 2017

Criteria includes; a minimum 16 contract hours per week, rising to 20 hours by 2020/21; a minimum level of financial investment; Financial Fair Play regulations and squad cap; and an academy at each club, compulsory as part of its license.

Katie Brazier, The FA’s head of women’s leagues and competitions, said: “This announcement is a landmark moment for women’s football in this country. The changes will continue our journey to transform key elements of the women’s game.

“Providing an elite performance environment that will produce more and better players, increase the interest and excitement via a more competitive league, attract a greater number of fans and in turn deliver improved commercial viability for clubs and the leagues.

“The decision was made following a full review of women’s and girls’ football competitions and extensive and valuable dialogue with the clubs, who have been really supportive of the changes being introduced.”