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WSL, Women's FA Cup, WPL & lower leagues 2017-18

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    WSL, Women's FA Cup, WPL & lower leagues 2017-18

    Probably the earliest for a winter season 2017-18 football thread, but although the season proper won't begin until September, there is a special one-off Spring Series between February and May, where teams play each other once only, to bridge to move from summer football. The opening round of WSL 2 fixtures will be on Saturday 11 February, with the full fixture list coming out next week.

    With this calendar change, as well as the Women's Euros taking place from 16 July – 6 August, 2017 looks to be a crucial year for women's football in England. If Man City can go further in the UWCL it would only help further.
    Last edited by Kevin S; 18-09-2017, 12:54.

    #2
    FA Women's Super League 2017-18

    How did I miss the switch to a winter league?

    Anyway, bad new from the North East.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38525966

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      #3
      FA Women's Super League 2017-18

      WSL1 side Notts County have folded, the day before the Spring Series kicks off.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39667392

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        #4
        FA Women's Super League 2017-18

        The switch from Lincoln proving a huge success I see.

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          #5
          FA Women's Super League 2017-18

          I shan't miss the nickname 'Lady Pies', either.

          Debts of £1m and now all those players and staff without contracts. Wonder if the Glazers could just buy the whole lot as a going concern and get a Man United women's team straight into WSL1?

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            #6
            FA Women's Super League 2017-18

            Kevin S wrote: I shan't miss the nickname 'Lady Pies', either.

            Debts of £1m and now all those players and staff without contracts. Wonder if the Glazers could just buy the whole lot as a going concern and get a Man United women's team straight into WSL1?
            Operating costs, mainly made up of player and coaching staff salaries, £500,000. Revenue from attendances and sponsorship £28,000. On what planet was that ever going to work?

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              #7
              FA Women's Super League 2017-18

              That's nothing. The shortfall for, say, Chelsea's men's team is somewhere between £50m and £200m. The WSL, like the top men's leagues, is dependent on tv money. Plus WSL teams get a grant from the FA.

              The WSL's main problem is the same as the men's league's: a small handful of very rich owners taking on enormous debts to purchase proven players, driving up wages and forcing the rest of the league to spend money they don't have in order to stay even remotely competitive. When the WSL franchises were distributed, the successful bidders were supposed to have proven they had a plan for an academy-type structure in place; but at the highest level the money has instead gone towards signing and paying overseas players and established stars. Manchester City won the title while making six-figure losses last year. Of course that also means women's teams are as dependent as ever on the financial stability of men's football. When a team like Notts County gets a new owner, the women's set-up is the first thing to get chopped.

              As the new owner admits, Notts County invested precious little in developing its own players, which underlines that Notts was the kind of club that should never have been awarded a franchise in the first place. But the FA thinks it can best market women's football downwards, starting at the top by building a successful national team, and encouraging people to go to watch their local team on the back of that. There's no evidence that it will work; the 'international effect' on attendances for top-tier women's football seems not to last for more than one week, maybe two.

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                #8
                FA Women's Super League 2017-18

                The Spring Series is throwing into sharp relief the step up needed from WSL2 to WSL1. Yeovil have lost all three of their matches so far, conceding 13 goals in the process.

                Man City have done the decent thing and given Chelsea and Liverpool a head start.

                Highlights available on the Women's Football Show on iPlayer,
                http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04073t0/episodes/player
                episode 2 of which includes Man City's win in Lyon (which wasn't enough on aggregate).

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                  #9
                  FA Women's Super League 2017-18

                  Priorities.

                  Following Notts County folding their women’s team, [...] FA WSL 2 clubs are now able to apply for the remaining place in FA WSL 1.

                  As clubs had not been aware at the start of the FA WSL Spring Series that a place in FA WSL 1 would become available, along with the importance of clubs being equipped on and off the pitch to compete in the top division, it was decided that a full application process should take place.

                  The five elements of the application will be weighted for assessment purposes as follows: finance and business management (30 per cent), players, staff and youth development (30 per cent), facilities (20 per cent), marketing and commercial (15 per cent) and 2016 and Spring Series on-pitch performance (5 per cent).

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                    #10
                    FA Women's Super League 2017-18

                    5 per cent?! Jesus wept.

                    I wish I could say I was surprised, mind.

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                      #11
                      Everton get the nod and will play in WSL1 in its first winter season.

                      Toni Duggan won't, though - she's signed for Barcelona.

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                        #12
                        And at least Everton are the team who actually won the Spring Series WSL2, so that's grand.

                        Chelsea and Man City both were 6-1-1 and Chelsea won it on goal difference. Yeovil's best result in the seven games was a 0-0 at Birmingham.

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                          #13
                          Brighton, who won the Women's Premier League playoff final what is now over a year ago (due to the restructuring) are going to make their WSL 2 debut with a new manager.

                          Hope Powell.

                          Something of a statement of intent, there.

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                            #14
                            Duggan off the mark for Barca.
                            https://twitter.com/WSUasa/status/904414566162939905

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                              #15
                              That was the team's ninth and final goal.

                              The league isn't very deep.

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                                #16
                                Originally posted by Kevin S View Post
                                Brighton, who won the Women's Premier League playoff final what is now over a year ago (due to the restructuring) are going to make their WSL 2 debut with a new manager.

                                Hope Powell.

                                Something of a statement of intent, there.
                                Tony's poker winnings stretch a bit further in the women's game

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                                  #17
                                  Not sure how to change thread titles, as the move to a winter season means this now aligns with the FA Cup (and WPL) so might be better served as a more general thread.

                                  Anyhoo, on that vibe, the second qualifying round of the Women's FA Cup is this weekend. At this point the teams involved are level 5 and below, that is county and regional leagues.

                                  http://www.thefa.com/competitions/wo...a-cup/fixtures

                                  In the third qualifying round, the teams from the fourth tier (which is Women's Premier League Div.1 South-east, Div.1 South-west, Div.1 Midlands and Div.1 North) join the draw, with the third tier (Women's Premier League North and South) joining in the second round proper - which doesn't make logical sense to me. Women's Super League 1 and 2 teams come in at round 4.
                                  Last edited by Kevin S; 14-09-2017, 13:11.

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                                    #18
                                    Former Manchester United director says "[Not having a senior women's team] is something of an embarrassment to them now. Manchester United have to revisit this... There are no excuses and no arguments. They have to make it happen."

                                    There are comments on that article and I haven't dared to look at them.

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                                      #19
                                      Now I have looked at them. Honestly, this country...

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                                        #20
                                        I'm a bit worried for the Belles chances this coming season after they lost two key players before yesterday's transfer deadline. Courtney Sweetman-Kirk - who's scored pretty much a goal a game for the Belles since she joined - has gone to Everton, whilst midfielder Kasia Lipka has gone to Sunderland. I think Lipka is the all-time FAWSL leader in tackles made, or passes made or some such. Stats aside she's a big loss as she's always kept the midfield ticking.

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                                          #21
                                          I know that mens pro clubs have the resources to fund the womens game but is it really good for the game that all the top tier clubs are sibling teams to epl teams?

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                                            #22
                                            Only five of the ten WSL1 teams have a male Premier League team.

                                            Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, Chelsea

                                            and five are lower down the male leagues:

                                            Sunderland, Reading, Birmingham, Bristol City, Yeovil.

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                                              #23
                                              As to whether or not this is good, I used to think not but am coming round to the idea that it is necessary and inevitable that we end up with counterpart teams.

                                              The reason I thought not was to do with attendances. Are people local to Borehamwood going to go and see Arsenal LFC? There might be a large number of Spurs or Chelsea fans who wouldn't, and so you cut off a piece of the customer base. A generic name might have more chance of getting all the locals on your side. Glasgow City are Scotland's leading women's team and I suppose - but don't know - that keeping the Old Firm factor out makes it easier for people to get behind them.

                                              But.

                                              There's the whole coverage and media issue in England. Premier League teams are already household names. People will inevitably - and wrongly - use the performance of the England women's team to beat up the men's team. Having the same team names and colours gives a ready narrative, and that gets the TV folk interested. And the TV folk can help to plough the money in and get more people watching. Then, as you say, there's the effect of bringing Man City Ladies into a rich, professional organisation with a proper stadium, training facilities, marketing and media, and all that. It's got to have a positive effect on their profile. They can also make marquee foreign signings which will improve the WSL standard.
                                              Last edited by Kevin S; 15-09-2017, 10:14.

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                                                #24
                                                If you like detailed match reports - and who doesn't? - you'll enjoy the one from Newmarket v King's Lynn.

                                                Draw for the 3QR is sometime this afternoon, though the FA aren't saying exactly when, or whether it's regional, though I'd guess it will be. The WPL Div.1 teams (level 4) will be joining in this round.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Ahead of the new WSL season starting on Friday with Everton v Liverpool (which is on BT Sport), here's a preview.

                                                  A key paragraph:
                                                  The results of this season could be particularly detrimental however for those clubs that struggle to sustain a full-time playing squad and academy if rumoured plans for a remodelled league by the FA are confirmed later this month. The plans are to have a league with only full-time professional players. Entry will be via a licence system, with a minimum level of spending required by each club on infrastructure, coaching, and squad investment, as well as a salary cap and each club having an academy. The FA hopes that these proposals will promote parity within the league which at present does not exist. As budgets would be matched across the league, the chance for full professionalism would mean that players would not have to leave their clubs to join one of the big 3 or move abroad to become a full-time professional. This will however also threaten established clubs who do operate on a part-time basis and may lead to a smaller club base which would threaten the wider development of the game.

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