A takeover of the Women’s Super League has been planned for some time and looks set to finally be completed next year with a target date of August 2024 now in place.
The Football Association has overseen the growth of professionalism in the WSL since 2010 and introduced a second tier – now called the Women’s Championship – in 2014.
An independently club-owned, club-run body is poised to takeover over those two leagues next year as the English women’s game looks to capitalise on its rapid rise, accelerated by the Lionesses’ success at Euro 2022.
Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, said there had been “a real acceptance that the women’s game needs to be managed differently, run differently and we’ve had some really honest and exciting conversations”.
BBC Sport looks at what changes could be made and how the takeover will happen.
What does the process look like?
The FA revealed in 2018 that it had no intention to run the professional leagues in the long-term so it welcomed proposals – including from the Premier League – before settling on the creation of an independent body, which they had originally planned to give the reins to last summer.
With help from the FA Board, it formed a working group of 10 chief executives from clubs in the top two tiers of English women’s football.
The group, chaired by Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, includes Manchester United director Patrick Stewart, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish and Lewes chief executive Maggie Murphy.
Selected from more than 100 applicants, former Nike director Nikki Doucet was appointed consultant to lead the takeover discussions and has overseen four workshops with club executives.
The first of these meetings took place in February and addressed the question “what is the ultimate ambition for the WSL?”
Doucet has since gathered feedback from current players within both leagues and has met with the Professional Footballers Association to get their views.
The latest meeting with executives from all 24 clubs in the top two tiers will take place this month.
What key decisions need to be made?
Over the next year the group will discuss areas in which they can improve the WSL and Women’s Championship, as well as highlighting the priorities for growth.
The FA celebrated a successful 2022-23 WSL campaign which saw record attendances and an average increase in season ticket sales at most clubs – but it knows more can be done.
Encouraging a friendly fan environment and improving matchday facilities is one area the new company hope to address in a bid to increase attendances.
Doucet is also keen to “sell the distinctiveness” of the women’s game to potential investors and sponsors, while Campbell has often described the management of the WSL as “unique” in comparison to the men’s game.
Recommendations from a report chaired by ex-England midfielder Karen Carney, examining issues affecting the women’s game at elite and grassroots levels, is being considered. That includes the controversial idea of a closed league, voiced by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, scrapping promotion and relegation.
A range of ongoing issues including prize money, academy structures and the professionalism of officials will also be discussed.
It is understood the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) has been proposed for the start of the 2024-25 season.
A new broadcast deal will need to be sorted with Sky Sports and the BBC’s current agreement ending next summer. The working group are said to be leading those discussions.
While most of the discussions centre around long-term plans for the new company, there are also short-term considerations including the role of shareholders and voting rights for clubs.
What do WSL players and staff want?
Former England international Izzy Christiansen retired at the end of last season and believes there should be a push for clubs to improve their environments to allow elite-level training.
“Players and clubs should be able to produce the best possible environment. If we’re a professional league, every club should be operating at a professional level daily,” Christiansen told BBC Sport.
“The most important thing for me is also regular planning of the schedule to avoid things like three week gaps in the league. We need regular WSL fixtures.
“The format of the League Cup needs to be looked at so WSL fixtures become the priority. We can look at broadcast schedules so we maximise viewing numbers. Friday night games for example.
“Having a bigger winter break would benefit the product of the league in the long-term so players can recharge and fixtures will be more regular afterwards.”
Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has previously voiced concern over the points-based system for international players requiring a visa, which was introduced in January 2021 and will be adapted next year.
“There are excellent players overseas you just can’t get into the country,” said Skinner. “We should call for the structure of how we allow players in to [change] – the points tally is too high.
“If we want our league to be the very best then we need to look at the ceiling of the points.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall wants to address long-term requirements for clubs on facilities and pitch quality to avoid fixture postponements.
“Our long-term plan is to be at the Emirates Stadium permanently,” said Eidevall. “When we have re-scheduled games, it has so far been at other clubs for different reasons.
“I don’t think the league is at a stage where you can have a requirement on all clubs. If you have newly-promoted teams from the Championship, how quickly can they meet those requirements?
“That’s not something we can do tomorrow. It’s something that could be done in the next five years or so.
“You could say ‘these are the requirements’ and everybody has a set amount of time to meet them. I think that’s sensible as all professional leagues around the world have stadium requirements.”
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