Women’s game given a make-over
– The English Football Association (FA) announced a major revamp of women’s football this week, with a top tier of 14 full-time teams planned for the start of next season in a bid to boost standards.
The current Women’s Super League was set up in 2011 and a second tier, Super League Two, was added in 2014. There are 10 teams in each but several are still part-time.
Following a review of the structure, the FA now wants to make a clear distinction between full-time and parttime teams in order to raise standards and boost the popularity of women’s football.
Below the new top flight will be a national league of up to 12 semi-professional sides, with the current FA Women’s Premier League sitting beneath that in tiers three and four as regional competitions featuring promotion and relegation.
The revamp comes at a time of uncertainty at the top of the sport after England Women’s manager Mark Sampson was sacked last week for “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” in a previous role as a club manager.
In a statement, the FA’s head of women’s leagues and competitions Katie Brazier said: “Providing an elite performance environment will produce more and better players, increase the interest and excitement via more competitive leagues, attract a greater number of fans and, in turn, deliver improved commercial viability for clubs and the leagues.”
Reigning Women’s Super League champions Chelsea started the new campaign on Sunday with a 6-0 win over Bristol City, while Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Sunderland also gained victories over the opening weekend. – AFP