2019–20 FA WSL
![]() FA WSL trophy | |
Season | 2019–20 |
---|---|
Champions | Chelsea |
Relegated | Liverpool |
Champions League | Chelsea Manchester City |
Matches played | 87 |
Goals scored | 259 (2.98 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Vivianne Miedema (16 goals) |
Biggest home win | Arsenal 11–1 Bristol City (1 December 2019) |
Biggest away win | Birmingham City 0–6 Chelsea (24 November 2019) |
Highest scoring | Arsenal 11–1 Bristol City (1 December 2019) |
Highest attendance | 38,262 - Tottenham 0–2 Arsenal (17 November 2019) |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → |
The 2019–20 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010.[1] It was the second season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football and the twelve teams contesting the season was the greatest number in the league's history to date, following a steady increase from the original eight.[2] It is the first under the new Barclays title sponsorship following a landmark multi-million pound investment.[3]
On 13 March 2020, in line with the FA's response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced the season was initially suspended until at least 3 April 2020.[4][5] After further postponements, the season was ultimately ended prematurely on 25 May 2020 with immediate effect.[6] On 5 June 2020, Chelsea were named as champions, moving them up one place ahead of Manchester City on sporting merit after The FA Board's decision to award places on a points-per-game basis. Manchester City were awarded the second Champions League place and Liverpool were relegated using the same method.[7][8]
Broadcasting
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, the FA launched a new comprehensive streaming service available on desktop or mobile app that would broadcast every FA WSL game live internationally for free,[9] except in Australia where Optus Sport held exclusive rights,[10] Central America where Sky México held exclusive rights, and Scandinavia where NENT held exclusive rights.[11] The FA Player also streamed the majority of WSL games in the United Kingdom alongside the one game per weekend televised by BBC Sport digitally on their red button service and website[12] while subscription channel BT Sport held the rights to televise a select number of matches which were geo-blocked from the FA Player in the UK.[11][13]
Teams
After the WSL's restructure going into the 2018–19 season, membership of the league returned solely to performance in the previous season, though the league expanded from eleven teams to twelve as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were both promoted after finishing first and second respectively in the Championship during the 2018–19 season[14] while only Yeovil Town were relegated.[15][16]
Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2018–19 season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 | 1st |
Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 | 4th |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium[a] | 6,134 | 9th |
Bristol City | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium[b] | 1,500 | 6th |
Chelsea | Kingston upon Thames | Kingsmeadow[c] | 4,850 | 3rd |
Everton | Liverpool | Walton Hall Park[d] | 10th | |
Liverpool | Birkenhead | Prenton Park[e] | 16,587 | 8th |
Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium[f] | 7,000 | 2nd |
Manchester United | Manchester | Leigh Sports Village | 12,000 | WC, 1st |
Reading | High Wycombe | Adams Park[g] | 9,617 | 5th |
Tottenham Hotspur | Canons Park | The Hive Stadium[h] | 6,500 | WC, 2nd |
West Ham United | Romford | Rush Green Stadium[i] | 3,000 | 7th |
- ^ Match v Birmingham moved to Falmer Stadium
- ^ Opening weekend match v Brighton & Hove Albion held at Ashton Gate
- ^ Tottenham rivalry match held at Stamford Bridge
- ^ Opening six home fixtures played at Haig Avenue
- ^ Merseyside derby held at Anfield
- ^ Manchester derby held at City of Manchester Stadium
- ^ Match v Bristol City moved to Madjeski Stadium
- ^ North London derby held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- ^ Match v Tottenham Hotspur moved to London Stadium
Stadium changes
In response to the record viewing figures during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, three select fixtures were initially moved to Premier League grounds: The Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium, Chelsea v Tottenham at Stamford Bridge and the North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.[17][18] In total, eight of the twelve teams have moved FA WSL fixtures to the larger grounds of their men's affiliate teams: Bristol City later announced their opening game would be played at Ashton Gate,[19] Reading moved one of their league fixtures (as well as all three League Cup games) to the Madjeski Stadium[20] and West Ham announced they would host Spurs at the London Stadium.[21] Brighton & Hove Albion moved their match against Birmingham to the Falmer Stadium to coincide with the FA's Women's Football Weekend, held during a men's international break.[22] Liverpool later moved their Merseyside derby, held on the same weekend, to Anfield and Everton scheduled the reverse fixture in February at Goodison Park[23][24] (the match was ultimately left unplayed when the season was suspended and then cancelled).
After originally planning to permanently relocate to their new Walton Hall Park stadium in October 2019 following their opening two home games, delays meant Everton had to postpone the move until February 2020 and eventually scheduled six of their 11 home league games at Haig Avenue in Southport.[25][26][27]
Personnel and kits
- As of 23 February 2020
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | ![]() |
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Adidas | Fly Emirates |
Birmingham City | ![]() |
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Adidas | Maple from Canada |
Brighton & Hove Albion | ![]() |
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Nike | American Express |
Bristol City | ![]() |
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Bristol Sport | Yeo Valley |
Chelsea | ![]() |
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Nike | Yokohama Tyres |
Everton | ![]() |
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Umbro | SportPesa |
Liverpool | ![]() |
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New Balance | BetVictor |
Manchester City | ![]() |
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Puma | Etihad Airways |
Manchester United | ![]() |
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Adidas | Chevrolet |
Reading | ![]() |
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Macron | YLD |
Tottenham Hotspur | ![]() ![]() |
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Nike | AIA |
West Ham United | ![]() |
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Umbro | Betway |
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manchester City | ![]() |
Signed with New York City FC[28] | 2 February 2020 | 1st | ![]() |
3 February 2020 |
Birmingham City | ![]() |
Mutual separation[29] | 3 March 2020 | 11th | ![]() |
3 March 2020 |
League table
Results
Season statistics
- As of 23 February 2020
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Arsenal | 16 |
2 | ![]() |
Chelsea | 14 |
3 | ![]() |
Manchester City | 10 |
4 | ![]() |
Everton | 9 |
5 | ![]() |
Manchester United | 6 |
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Chelsea | ||
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Manchester City | ||
8 | ![]() |
Arsenal | 5 |
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Liverpool | ||
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Manchester City | ||
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West Ham United | ||
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Arsenal | ||
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Arsenal | ||
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Chelsea | ||
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Bristol City | ||
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Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
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Reading | ||
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Manchester United |
Top assists
Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Arsenal | 8 |
2 | ![]() |
Manchester City | 7 |
3 | ![]() |
Reading | 6 |
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Chelsea | ||
5 | ![]() |
Chelsea | 5 |
6 | ![]() |
Arsenal | 4 |
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Arsenal | ||
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Manchester City | ||
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Manchester City | ||
10 | ![]() |
Chelsea | 3 |
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Chelsea | ||
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Manchester United | ||
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Chelsea | ||
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Arsenal | ||
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Manchester City | ||
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Birmingham City | ||
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Manchester City |
Clean sheets
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Manchester City | 10 |
2 | ![]() |
Arsenal | 6 |
3 | ![]() |
Manchester United | 5 |
4 | ![]() |
Chelsea | 4 |
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Everton | ||
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Tottenham Hotspur | ||
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Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
8 | ![]() |
Bristol City | 3 |
9 | ![]() |
Birmingham City | 2 |
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Reading | ||
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Arsenal | ||
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Chelsea |
Awards
Monthly awards
Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
September | ![]() ![]() |
Tottenham Hotspur | ![]() |
Everton | [30][31][32][33] |
October | ![]() |
Chelsea | ![]() |
Manchester United | [34][35] |
November | ![]() |
Everton | ![]() |
Chelsea | [36][37] |
December | ![]() |
Arsenal | ![]() |
Arsenal | [38][39] |
January | ![]() |
Chelsea | ![]() |
Chelsea | [40][41] |
February | ![]() |
Chelsea | ![]() |
Chelsea | [42][43] |
Prize money
An FA WSL prize fund was put in place for the first time, following the new Barclay's sponsorship deal, with the entire pot totaling £500,000. The money was awarded in decreasing increments with the champions winning £100,000 and the last placed team being awarded £6,000.[44][45]
Finish | Prize money |
---|---|
1st | £100,000 |
2nd | £67,000 |
3rd | £60,000 |
4th | £55,000 |
5th | £49,000 |
6th | £43,000 |
7th | £36,000 |
8th | £30,000 |
9th | £24,000 |
10th | £18,000 |
11th | £12,000 |
12th | £6,000 |
See also
- 2019–20 FA Women's League Cup
- 2019–20 FA Women's Championship (tier 2)
- 2019–20 FA Women's National League (tier 3 & 4)
References
- ^ "The History of Women's Football". Football Association. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ The Football Association (26 February 2018). "Women's league restructure". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Association, The Football. "Barclays unveiled as title sponsor of FA Women's Super League". www.thefa.com.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Decision made to postpone professional football until Friday 3 April at the earliest". www.thefa.com.
- ^ Flood, George (13 March 2020). "Women's Super League and Championship suspended due to coronavirus". Evening Standard.
- ^ "Statement: FA Barclays WSL and Women's Championship season ended". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- ^ "Chelsea named Women's Super League champions, Liverpool relegated". BBC Sport. 5 June 2020.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Chelsea Women awarded Barclays FA WSL title and Aston Villa win Women's Championship". www.thefa.com.
- ^ "New streaming service for Barclays FA WSL". www.fawsl.com.
- ^ Optus, Singtel. "optus sport kicks off new investment in women's football". www.optus.com.au. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ a b "FA WSL on TV". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- ^ "FA Player: Football Association to launch women's football live streaming app". 6 August 2019.
- ^ "FA wants Women's Super League on terrestrial TV". The Times. 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Tottenham Hotspur won promotion to the Women's Super League with a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa which confirmed they will finish second in the Championship". BBC news. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Women's Super League: New full-time, professional era - all you need to know". 9 September 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Yeovil Town Ladies hope for 'new chapter', after avoiding administration". BBC Sport. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ^ "WSL: Etihad Stadium & Stamford Bridge to host 2019-20 season openers". 8 July 2019.
- ^ "Women's Super League: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host Spurs v Arsenal in November". BBC. 10 July 2019.
- ^ "City Women open season at Ashton Gate". Bristol City.
- ^ "Women set for 3 Madejski matches as Conti Cup fixtures finalised". www.readingfc.co.uk.
- ^ "West Ham United to host historic match at London Stadium". www.whufc.com.
- ^ "WSL action returns to the Amex". www.brightonandhovealbion.com.
- ^ "Liverpool Women v Everton Women: Anfield to host Merseyside derby for first time". 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Everton To Host Liverpool In First Goodison WSL Derby". www.evertonfc.com.
- ^ Association, The Football. "Everton Ladies Set For New Walton Home". www.liverpoolfa.com.
- ^ "Everton Ladies' 2019/20 WSL Fixtures Confirmed". www.evertonfc.com.
- ^ "New Date And Venue For Women's Clash At Home To Reading". www.evertonfc.com. 20 December 2019.
- ^ "NICK CUSHING TO JOIN NEW YORK CITY FC". Manchester City FC. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "CLUB STATEMENT - MARTA TEJEDOR". Birmingham City FC. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "September Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 12 October 2019.
- ^ "Karen and Juan scoop Manager of the Month prize". Tottenham Hotspur.
- ^ "September Player of the Month". Barclays football. 12 October 2019.
- ^ "Everton Star Kelly Lands WSL Prize". www.evertonfc.com.
- ^ "October Manager of the month". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- ^ "October Player of the month". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- ^ "November Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 14 December 2019.
- ^ "November Player of the Month". Barclays football. 14 December 2019.
- ^ "December Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 4 January 2020.
- ^ "December Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 4 January 2020.
- ^ "January Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 1 February 2020.
- ^ "January Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 1 February 2020.
- ^ "February Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 7 March 2020.
- ^ "February Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Prize fund". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
- ^ "Women's Super League: Barclays agree multi-million sponsorship deal". 20 March 2019.