MY ACCOUNT
After England’s success at Euro 2022, attention now turns to the Women’s Super League.
Attendances are expected to rise as 19 of Sarina Weigman’s Lionesses return to their clubs looking for more glory.
Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming 2022-23 campaign.
When does the Women’s Super League start?
Manchester United’s trip to Tottenham kicks off the WSL season on Saturday, September 10.
The other 10 top-flight teams get their campaigns under way a day later as champions Chelsea host West Ham, Everton meet Leicester, Brighton face Aston Villa and Reading clash with Liverpool.
Manchester City against Arsenal is the final game of the weekend.
There is a winter break between December 19 and January 13, 2023 with the season due to draw to a close on the weekend of May 27-28.
Which clubs play in the league?
There are 12 teams in the WSL: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brighton, Chelsea, Everton, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Reading, Tottenham and West Ham.
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea won the league last term, with Arsenal finishing one point behind them in second and Manchester City in third — all three of them qualified for the Champions League.
Birmingham City finished bottom of the table and were relegated, with Liverpool winning the FA Women’s Championship to earn promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.
Where do they play?
Arsenal: Meadow Park, Borehamwood (Capacity: 4,502)
Aston Villa: Bescot Stadium, Walsall (11,000)
Brighton: Broadfield Stadium, Crawley (6,134)
Chelsea: Kingsmeadow, Kingston (4,850)
Everton: Walton Hall Park, Liverpool (2,200)
Leicester: King Power Stadium, Leicester (32,261)
Liverpool: Prenton Park, Birkenhead (16,857)
Manchester City: Academy Stadium, Manchester (7,000)
Manchester United: Leigh Sports Village, Leigh (12,000)
Reading: Select Car Leasing Stadium, Reading (24,161)
Tottenham: Brisbane Road, Leyton (9,271)
West Ham: Victoria Road, Dagenham (6,078)
All of the top-flight clubs are likely to announce games at their men’s stadiums throughout the season, with those already confirmed including Chelsea and Aston Villa’s opening games, as well as the Merseyside, Manchester and North London derbies.
Which England stars are in action?
Euro 2022 final match-winner Chloe Kelly plays her football for Manchester City alongside fellow Lionesses Lauren Hemp, Ellen White, Keira Walsh, Alex Greenwood, Demi Stokes and Ellie Roebuck.
Player of the Tournament and Golden Boot winner Beth Mead is an Arsenal star, as are skipper Leah Williamson, Nikita Parris and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
Starters Fran Kirby and Millie Bright are both at champions Chelsea, where Jess Carter and Beth England also play.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps is joined by super subs Ella Toone and Alessio Russo at Manchester United and Hannah Hampton is the Aston Villa stopper.
Veteran midfielder Jill Scott is currently without a club, Rachel Daly plays for Houston Dash in the USA and both Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway have moved abroad this summer — to Barcelona and Bayern Munich respectively.
How can you watch it on TV?
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, the WSL was boosted by a brand new TV deal with Sky Sports and the BBC.
Sky will show at least 35 games, while the BBC broadcast one match per round of fixtures.
And any fixture not shown on live TV will be streamed through the FA’s website, as was the case last season.
How can I get tickets?
All tickets for games are available via each club’s official website — and at a fraction of the cost of men’s top-flight games.
Clubs are already reporting a boost in sales with Reading announcing they have sold more season tickets than ever before and Brighton boss Hope Powell revealing they were up more than 200%.
