The FA has today announced its decision in respect of the naming of tiers 1 to 4 of the restructured women’s football pyramid from 2018-19 onwards.
Following extensive research commissioned as part of the restructure process, the following decisions – approved by The FA Women’s Football Board - have been made:
- Tier 1 – FA Women’s Super League (currently FA Women’s Super League 1)
- Tier 2 – FA Women’s Championship (currently FA Women’s Super League 2)
- Tier 3 – FA Women’s National League - Northern Premier Division / Southern Premier Division (currently FA Women’s Premier League Northern Division / Southern Division)
- Tier 4 – FA Women’s National League – Division 1 North, Midlands, South East, South West (currently FA Women’s Premier League Division 1 North, Midlands, South West, South East).
The merging of the winter and summer pyramid in 2017, resulted in a single competition structure.
Research identified there was a need for greater clarity to the positioning of the leagues. The rebrand provides a clear separation between the top two tiers - full-time professional and part-time semi-professional - while also providing a more appropriate name for the third and fourth tier league, which reflects in its scale and national reach.
The branding of the leagues will be unveiled at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season.
Licenses to participate in tier 1 and tier 2 were granted in December to current FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) clubs who applied.
The application process has now moved to an open application phase where applications from clubs outside of The FA WSL or from those who didn’t apply in the first phase are being accepted for both tiers until Friday 9 March 2018.
