Women's Super League clubs to vote on scrapping the relegation system ahead of the 25/26 season

✍️Maddie Walker

On the 27th of February earlier this year, it was announced that the Women’s Super League are potentially scrapping the relegation system as a part of a proposal to expand England’s top league, with a vote taking place at the end of the season. The proposal would come into place from the 2026-27 season, and states that the relegation would be scrapped for four seasons to increase the WSL to 16 teams (according to The Guardian). 

📸via Emily Murphy [snapsfromthestands]

Currently, there are 12 teams competing in the WSL, with one relegation spot and three potential champions league positions. The current system works as follows: the Championship winner is promoted to the WSL, with the last placed team in the WSL relegated to the Championship. Looking at recent years, specifically the past two seasons, newly promoted teams from the Championship have been relegated instantly in the same season that they got promoted. This shows that it is a tough task to try and stay up in what is said to be one of the most competitive leagues in Europe for smaller clubs. By scrapping relegation, it gives promoted teams a chance to develop and improve their standards, with the hope of potentially becoming a mid table or top 4 club like Arsenal and Chelsea - of which they don’t currently have the chance to do so, due to the competitiveness.

Who’s in favour of the idea and who isn’t?

Ex-Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor stated that “promotion and relegation are always going to be what supporters and teams play for” and that he thinks it is going to be “difficult to move away from”. Fans also hold similar viewpoints to Taylor as they see the relegation battle in the WSL as an extra bit of competition and excitement. In the Championship, promotion is also seen in a similar sense, with the Hammers’ manager Rehanne Skinner saying it provides an “incentive” for teams involved. Furthermore, some fans believe it would be going against the fundamental values of English football - the promotion and relegation battles. On an episode from the Stick to Football podcast, Gary Neville also spoke out against it, saying that he thinks “it’s an absolute scandal”, with Ian Wright adding “you’re taking away one of the core fundaments of [football]” and “what it’s about”.

However, according to sources at mid-table teams in the WSL believe that the abolishment of relegation would encourage owners to invest more in academies for girls and the club’s facilities, due to their future in the WSL being secure. As well as this, it allows said clubs to offer their players longer contracts due to the security of their position in the league. Tottenham’s head coach Robert Vilahamn said that he is a “very big fan of adding more teams to the league”. 

What ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ come with the change?

The proposal comes with many positives and negatives - some already mentioned - for both the fans and the players involved. The relegation battle provides added competition and tension to the league structure, making it more enjoyable and exciting, but getting rid of this will erase the excitement it brings. From an outside perspective, it could make the WSL look a lot less competitive; opening it up to more criticism from people who don’t support women’s football. Having said this, it could reverse the criticism as more teams join the league, making it larger and more competitive. After the four seasons, the league would have 16 teams, only four less than the Premier league which could increase the support from fans. It will also allow newly promoted teams to develop further and give them a bigger chance of being able to compete at the top of the WSL. By allowing these lower teams to develop without the risk of relegation, it will make the league even more competitive as there won’t be huge performance gaps between the top four and the bottom four. These are the main pros and cons of this new change, with the pros seemingly outweighing the cons. 

What does it mean for the growth of women's football?

By introducing this change, other leagues around the world could follow, creating even more competitive leagues. This process, over time, could influence the competitiveness of the Champions League as well, increasing the variation of teams involved. This variation would lead to an increase in viewers, boosting the profile and profit of the UWCL.

If lower teams are able to develop without the risk of relegation, investors are more likely to put money into them, therefore increasing the income of the club and also its support. If mid-table to bottom-table teams receive more money, they can better their facilities which would increase performance of their players. These said teams would also gather a larger fanbase which would lead to greater revenue for the league as well, through ticket sales. This revenue can be used in implementing VAR and goal line technology or building bigger stadiums for the women’s team and increasing the standard of refereeing. 

Overall, this change could see a lot of positives brought to the women’s game, both from a fans perspective and a player’s perspective.