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2020–21 FA Women's National League

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FA Women's National League
Season2020–21
Championsnot awarded
PromotedSunderland (awarded)
Watford (awarded)
Relegatednone

The 2020–21 FA Women's National League was the 29th season of the competition, and the third since a restructure and rebranding of the top four tiers of English football by The Football Association. Starting in 1992, it was previously known as the FA Women's Premier League.[1] It sits at the third and fourth levels of the women's football pyramid, below the FA Women's Championship and above the eight regional football leagues.[2]

The league featured six regional divisions: the Northern and Southern divisions at level three of the pyramid, and below those Division One North, Division One Midlands, Division One South East, and Division One South West. The league consisted of 71 teams, divided into six divisions of twelve teams apart from Division One South West which contains 11 teams. At the end of the season the winners of the Northern and Southern Premier divisions would have both qualified for a play-off match to decide the overall National League champion. Both teams were due be promoted to the FA Women's Championship.

On 4 January 2021, the National League was suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown.[3] On 15 March, all tiers of the National League were curtailed for a second consecutive season.[4] Although there was no promotion and relegation between the tiers, including promotion from tier 3 into tier 2 and relegation from tier 6 into tier 7, an alternative method of upward club movement via application and based on set criteria was suggested in order to support the stability and integrity of the women's football pyramid. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[5] As a result, Sunderland and Watford were awarded promotion to the FA Women's Championship ahead of the 2021–22 season.[6]

Premier Division

Northern Division

Changes from last season:

  • Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Burnley Arbories Memorial Sports Ground, Padiham 5th
Derby County The Don Amott Arena, Derby 2nd
Fylde Mill Farm, Wesham 9th
Huddersfield Town The Stafflex Arena, Kirkburton 6th
Hull City Dransfield Stadium, North Ferriby 11th
Loughborough Foxes Loughborough University Stadium, Loughborough 10th
Middlesbrough Bedford Terrace, Billingham 8th
Nottingham Forest Eastwood CFC, Eastwood 3rd
Sheffield F.C. Home of Football Ground, Dronfield 12th
Stoke City Clayton Wood, Stoke-on-Trent 4th
Sunderland Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, Hetton-le-Hole 1st
West Bromwich Albion Walsall Wood, Walsall 7th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Huddersfield Town 10 8 1 1 31 15 +16 25
2 Fylde 8 6 1 1 29 11 +18 19
3 West Bromwich Albion 9 5 1 3 24 14 +10 16
4 Derby County 9 5 1 3 27 20 +7 16
5 Sunderland 9 5 0 4 17 17 0 15
6 Nottingham Forest 9 4 2 3 22 12 +10 14
7 Stoke City 8 3 2 3 15 22 −7 11
8 Burnley 7 3 1 3 11 11 0 10
9 Middlesbrough 9 2 1 6 15 24 −9 7
10 Sheffield F.C. 9 2 0 7 11 29 −18 6
11 Hull City 7 1 2 4 9 17 −8 5
12 Loughborough Foxes 8 0 2 6 8 27 −19 2
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Southern Division

Changes from last season:

Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Cardiff City CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach 6th
Chichester & Selsey The High Street Ground, Selsey 12th (as Chichester City)
Crawley Wasps The New Defence, Horley 1st
Gillingham Maidstone Road Sports Ground, Chatham 9th
Hounslow Honeycroft, West Drayton 11th
Keynsham Town The AJN Stadium, Keynsham 10th
MK Dons Stadium MK, Milton Keynes 8th
Oxford United Marsh Lane, Marston 3rd
Plymouth Argyle Manadon Sports Hub, Plymouth 4th
Portsmouth Westleigh Park, Havant 7th
Watford CRY Community Stadium, Kings Langley 2nd
Yeovil United Huish Park, Yeovil 5th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Watford 8 6 1 1 28 6 +22 19
2 Oxford United 7 6 0 1 22 6 +16 18
3 Portsmouth 8 5 1 2 21 8 +13 16
4 Milton Keynes Dons 8 5 0 3 23 11 +12 15
5 Crawley Wasps 7 5 0 2 14 5 +9 15
6 Cardiff City Ladies 4 3 0 1 17 6 +11 9
7 Chichester & Selsey 6 3 0 3 14 10 +4 9
8 Yeovil United 5 2 2 1 9 8 +1 8
9 Keynsham Town 7 2 0 5 13 15 −2 6
10 Gillingham 7 2 0 5 10 14 −4 6
11 Plymouth Argyle 7 0 0 7 2 42 −40 0
12 Hounslow 8 0 0 8 0 42 −42 0
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Division One

Division One North

Changes from last season:

  • Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
  • Bolton Wanderers reverted to their original name of Bolton Ladies after dropping their affiliation to Bolton Wanderers F.C.[10]
Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Barnsley Barnsley FC Academy, Barnsley 1st
Bolton Ladies Kensite Stadium, Atherton 9th (as Bolton Wanderers)
Bradford City Plumpton Park, Bradford 12th
Brighouse Town The Yorkshire Payments Stadium, Brighouse 3rd
Chester-le-Street Moor Park, Chester Moor 7th
Chorley Victory Park Stadium, Chorley 11th
Durham Cestria The Graham Sports Centre, Durham 5th
Leeds United Thorp Arch, Wetherby 2nd
Liverpool Feds I.M. Marsh Campus, Liverpool 4th
Newcastle United Druid Park, Newcastle upon Tyne 6th
Norton & Stockton Ancients Norton Teesside Sports Complex, Stockton-on-Tees 8th
Stockport County Stockport Sports Village, Stockport 10th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Chester-le-Street 6 4 2 0 15 7 +8 14
2 Brighouse Town 5 3 1 1 9 3 +6 10
3 Norton & Stockton Ancients 6 2 2 2 9 8 +1 8
4 Leeds United 6 2 2 2 8 8 0 8
5 Durham Cestria 5 2 1 2 10 8 +2 7
6 Liverpool Feds 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
7 Stockport County 4 2 0 2 8 7 +1 6
8 Newcastle United 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4
9 Barnsley 6 1 1 4 10 12 −2 4
10 Chorley 3 1 1 1 1 4 −3 4
11 Bradford City 4 0 3 1 4 5 −1 3
12 Bolton 3 0 0 3 2 16 −14 0
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Division One Midlands

Changes from last season:

Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Bedworth United The Oval, Bedworth 3rd
Boldmere St. Michaels Trevor Brown Memorial Ground, Sutton Coldfield 2nd (as Birmingham & West Midlands)
Burton Albion The Lamb Ground, Tamworth 12th
Doncaster Rovers Belles Oxford Street, Rossington 10th
Holwell Sports Welby Road, Asfordby Hill 7th (as Leicester United)
Leafield Athletic Stockingford Pavilion, Nuneaton 9th
Lincoln City Active Nation, Yarborough, Lincoln 5th
Long Eaton United Grange Park, Long Eaton 6th
Solihull Moors West Midland Sports & Social Club, Birmingham 11th
Sporting Khalsa The Aspray Arena, Willenhall 8th
Wem Town Butler Sports Centre, Wem 4th (as TNS)
Wolverhampton Wanderers CKW Stadium, Castlecroft, Wolverhampton 1st

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6 6 0 0 37 3 +34 18
2 Doncaster Rovers Belles 8 4 3 1 20 12 +8 15
3 Lincoln City 6 4 1 1 27 8 +19 13
4 Solihull Moors 6 3 2 1 20 11 +9 11
5 Long Eaton United 7 3 2 2 15 9 +6 11
6 Boldmere St. Michaels 4 3 1 0 16 4 +12 10
7 Sporting Khalsa 6 2 2 2 9 11 −2 8
8 Bedworth United 7 2 0 5 8 18 −10 6
9 Wem Town 4 1 1 2 4 10 −6 4
10 Holwell Sports 6 1 1 4 9 18 −9 4
11 Burton Albion 7 1 0 6 6 47 −41 3
12 Leafield Athletic 7 0 1 6 6 26 −20 1
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Division One South East

Changes from last season:

  • Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
  • AFC Basildon were renamed Hashtag United after merging with Hashtag United F.C.[14]
Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Actonians Rectory Park, Northolt 7th
AFC Wimbledon War Memorial Sports Ground, Sutton 2nd
Billericay Town AGP Arena, Billericay 4th
Cambridge City The Ellgia Stadium, Ely 11th
Cambridge United Recreation Way, Mildenhall 8th
Enfield Town Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield 6th
Hashtag United Park Lane, Canvey Island 3rd (as AFC Basildon)
Ipswich Town The Goldstar Ground, Felixstowe 1st
Kent Football United Glentworth Sports Club, Kent 12th
Leyton Orient Mile End Stadium, Bow, London 5th
Norwich City Plantation Park, Blofield 9th
Stevenage Hertingfordbury Park, Hertford 10th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Ipswich Town 4 4 0 0 18 0 +18 12
2 Hashtag United 5 4 0 1 16 7 +9 12
3 Enfield Town 6 3 2 1 12 5 +7 11
4 Actonians 4 3 1 0 9 2 +7 10
5 Norwich City 4 3 0 1 10 7 +3 9
6 AFC Wimbledon 5 2 1 2 13 9 +4 7
7 Cambridge United 6 2 1 3 10 20 −10 7
8 Kent Football United 6 1 3 2 7 8 −1 6
9 Leyton Orient 3 1 1 1 5 4 +1 4
10 Cambridge City 7 1 1 5 10 24 −14 4
11 Billericay Town 3 1 0 2 7 7 0 3
12 Stevenage 7 0 0 7 1 25 −24 0
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Division One South West

Changes from last season:

  • Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
Club Home ground Position 2019–20
Brislington Brislington Stadium, Brislington 8th
Buckland Athletic Homers Heath, Newton Abbot 7th
Cheltenham Town Petersfield Park, Cheltenham 4th
Chesham United The Meadow, Chesham 5th
Exeter City Clifford Hill Training Ground, 3rd
Larkhall Athletic Plain Ham, Larkhall 6th
Maidenhead United York Road Stadium, Maidenhead 9th
Poole Town Dorset County F.A. County Ground, Poole 10th
Southampton F.C. Women Testwood Stadium, Totton 1st
Southampton Women's F.C. Gang Warily Recreation Ground, Southampton 2nd
Swindon Town Cinder Lane, Fairford 11th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Southampton F.C. 4 4 0 0 19 2 +17 12
2 Chesham United 5 4 0 1 23 8 +15 12
3 Swindon Town 4 3 0 1 13 8 +5 9
4 Buckland Athletic 5 3 0 2 11 12 −1 9
5 Exeter City 6 2 2 2 16 18 −2 8
6 Cheltenham Town 5 2 1 2 12 8 +4 7
7 Larkhall Athletic 5 1 3 1 15 15 0 6
8 Maidenhead United 3 1 1 1 6 6 0 4
9 Southampton Women's 4 1 1 2 8 9 −1 4
10 Brislington 3 0 0 3 3 16 −13 0
11 Poole Town 6 0 0 6 4 28 −24 0
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

See also

References

  1. ^ "About the FA WPL". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Naming of restructured women's league pyramid confirmed". thefa.com. The Football Association. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Covid in England: Professional sport to continue in national lockdown". BBC Sport. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Women's football: FA ends 2020-21 season for tiers three to six". BBC Sport. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  5. ^ Association, The Football. "FA provides update on tiers 3-6 of the Women's Football Pyramid". www.thefa.com.
  6. ^ "Sunderland and Watford promoted to FA Women's Championship after successful bids". Sky Sports.
  7. ^ "Confused? Don't be! Chichester City Ladies are nothing to do with Chichester City Women". www.chichester.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Club Named Change Announcement". www.pitchero.com.
  9. ^ "Gillingham Ladies Senior Team". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com.
  10. ^ "Bolton Ladies set to go it alone after severing ties with Wanderers". The Bolton News.
  11. ^ "Boldmere St. Michaels Women rebrand". www.themikesfc.co.uk.
  12. ^ Hadley, Craig (4 June 2020). "Leicester United become Holwell Sports ahead of next season". Midland Women's Soccer.
  13. ^ "The New Saints Ladies split from parent club to become Wem Town LFC". BBC Sport. 9 August 2020.
  14. ^ "'Hours from folding' – how AFC Basildon became Hashtag United Women FC". Guardian. 4 May 2020.