Women's football in England

For more in depth, albeit general information see Football in England.

While women's football has been played in England for over a century, it has only been in the 1990s that the game has seen a large increase in female players, as well as in female spectators, culminating in England hosting the Women's European Championships in 2005.

In the period from early in the First World War until the Football Association's ban on women playing football on the grounds of its affiliates in 1922 (which lasted for 40 years) women's football was very popular and a true rival to the men's game. One match featuring the Dick, Kerr's Ladies team from Preston, played at Goodison Park, Liverpool on Boxing Day 1920, attracted a crowd of 53,000 with another 10,000 - 15,000 reported turned away because the ground was full.

Today, the FA runs directly the top women's competitions. The most significant national competition is the national cup, the FA Women's Cup, followed by the top national league, the FA WSL (Women's Super League). Before the formation of the WSL in 2011, the top flight was the FA Women's Premier League National Division, which has now become the second-level league. Originally, the Premier League champion was the only English representative allowed in Europe. When the UEFA Women's Cup was relaunched as the UEFA Women's Champions League for the 2009–10 season, England became one of eight nations with two Champions League places, a status it has retained ever since. In the first two seasons of the new Champions League, England's two places were filled by the Premier League champion and the FA Women's Cup winner. For 2011–12, the two finalists in the 2010–11 FA Women's Cup earned the Champions League places. Starting with the 2012–13 Champions League, the two berths were initially planned to go to the WSL and FA Women's Cup champions, but the FA chose instead to send the top two teams from the WSL. Women's football also has two significant secondary cup competitions. The FA WSL Continental Cup, contested by the WSL teams, is held after the league season. The Premier League Cup, limited to the teams in the Premier League and its regional third divisions, is held during the league season.

To promote women's football, the FA allows cup finals to be held at various men's Premier League/Football League stadia throughout the country (as opposed to men's finals which are usually held at the national stadiums). In the 2010–11 season, the FA Cup final was held at Coventry City's Ricoh Arena, the Continental Cup final at Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium, and the League Cup final at Wycombe Wanderers' Adams Park.

League system

Main articles: FA WSL and FA Women's Premier League

The national league system in women's football in England is currently operated by The FA, with the WSL at the top. For its first two seasons (2011 and 2012), the WSL is operating on a licence system with no promotion or relegation, similar to the system used in rugby league's Super League. The WSL replaced the FA Women's Premier League at the top of the system. Its teams also compete for the Continental Cup.

The Premier League is split into two levels: the first is the former top flight, the FA Women's Premier League National Division, with relegation to two equal leagues below this: the FA Women's Premier League Northern Division and the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division. Teams in these three divisions compete in the Premier League Cup.

Below the Premier League lie the four Combination Leagues, the South West, South East, Midland and Northern Combinations and below these are eight regional leagues. Below the regional leagues are the county leagues.

As in the men's game, some Welsh women's football clubs compete in the English pyramid. The most successful are Cardiff City and the now defunct Barry Town, both of which have played in the Women's Premiership.

The women's pyramid

Level	League(s)/Division(s)
1	FA WSL (8 clubs)
2	FA Women's Premier League National Division (8 clubs)
3	FA Women's Premier League Northern Division (12 clubs)																																FA Women's Premier League Southern Division (12 clubs)
4	Northern Combination Women's Football League																Midland Combination Women's Football League																South West Combination Women's Football League																South East Combination Women's Football League
5	North West Regional Women's Football League Premier Div								North East Regional Women's Football League Premier Div								West Midland Regional Women's Football League Premier Div								East Midland Women's Football League Premier Div								Southern Region Women's Football League Premier Division								South West Region Women's Football League Premier Div								Eastern Region Women's Football League Premier Division								London & South East Region Women's Football League Premier Div
6	North West Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (North)				North West Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (South)				North East Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (North)				North East Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (South)				West Midland Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (North)				West Midland Regional Women's Football League Div 1 (South)				East Midland Women's Football League Div 1 (North)				East Midland Women's Football League Div 1 (South)				Southern Region Women's Football League Division 1								South West Region Women's Football League Div 1 (North)				South West Region Women's Football League Div 1 (South)				Eastern Region Women's Football League Division 1 (North)				Eastern Region Women's Football League Division 1 (South)				South East Counties Women's Football League Premier Div				London & South East Region Women's Football League Div 1
7	Cheshire & Manchester WFL Div 1		Lancashire WFL Div 1		Liverpool WFL				West Riding WFL Div 1		East Riding WFL		Sheffield & Hallamshire WFL	North Riding WFL	Durham WFL Div 1		Staffordshire WFL Div 1	Worcestershire WFL	Shropshire WFL Div 1		Birmingham WFL Div 1				Leicestershire WFL		Northants WFL		Lincolnshire WFL		Nottinghamshire WFL Div 1		Hampshire WFL Div 1				Thames Valley WFL Div 1				Glouctershire WFL Div 1		Somerset WFL Div 1		Dorset WFL	Devon WFL Div 1	Cornwall WFL Div 1		Norfolk WFL	Suffolk WFL	Cambs & Hunts WFL		Beds & Herts WFL Div 1		Essex WFL Div 1		South East Counties Women's Football League Div 1 (East)		South East Counties Women's Football League Div 1 (West)		Greater London WFL Div 1
8	Cheshire & Manchester WFL (Div 2)		Lancashire WFL (Div 2)						West Riding WFL Div 2						Durham WFL Div 2(2)		Staffordshire WFL Div 2		Shropshire WFL Div 2		Birmingham WFL Div 2										Nottinghamshire WFL Div 2		Hampshire WFL Div 2				Thames Valley WFL Div 2 (North)		Thames Valley WFL Div 2 (South)		Glouctershire WFL Duv 2		Somerset WFL Div 2			Devon WFL Div 2	Cornwall WFL Div 2								Essex WFL Div 2		Kent WFL		Sussex WFL Div 1		Greater London WFL Div 2 (North)		Greater London WFL Div 2 (South)
9									West Riding WFL Div 3																								Hampshire WFL Div 3													Devon WFL Div 3	Cornwall WFL Div 3								Essex WFL Div 3				Sussex WFL Div 2		Greater London WFL Div 3 (North)		Greater London WFL Div 3 (South)

See also

• Football in England
• List of women's football clubs in England and Wales
• England women's national football team
• FA Women's Super League

External links

• FemaleSOCCER.net - Girl's and women's football
• Directory of Women's and Girl's football Teams in the UK
• The English Women's Pyramid at thepyramid.info