The names of the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship could be changed once the top two divisions in the English women’s game are run separately from the auspices of the Football Association.
It is understood there are no immediate plans to alter the names but the company that will run both divisions from the 2024-25 season will be keeping an open mind and is not ruling out such tweaks beyond next summer.
NewCo – the temporary name for the entity that will oversee both divisions – is on track to formally take over the WSL and Championship before the start of the new season in September, after months of work on legal paperwork for the handover.
The leagues have been run by the FA but the governing body has made no secret of its long-held desire to hand over their running to a standalone body akin to the men’s Premier League or the EFL. NewCo will be owned and operated by the 23 WSL and Championship clubs, and has the former Nike director Nikki Doucet as its chief executive. The FA will have a golden share in the company, the percentage of which has not been disclosed.
It is understood the NewCo board is poised to meet for the first time in September, and the first shareholders’ meeting is likely to be in October. It is expected that a fan advisory group and player advisory group will be created.
NewCo has hired a chief revenue officer – revealed by the Guardian in June to be Chelsea’s commercial director, Zarah Al-Kudcy – and is on the verge of appointing a chief football officer and head of communications.
The WSL began in 2011 as a single-tier, breakaway league. The Championship had a name change before the 2018-19 campaign, having been called WSL 2 after launching in 2014. NewCo is understood to be planning no major changes for the upcoming season to allow for a smooth transition, but beyond 2025 and into the longer-term future, after an extensive review, changes to both leagues could be on the table.
A name for NewCo is closer to being finalised. A reference to 1971 – when a 50-year ban on women playing football on affiliated pitches in England was lifted – was considered but that option has been ruled out.
