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Arsenal beat Real Madrid in a pulsating Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday - Reuters/Paul Childs
Women’s football is at a critical point when it comes to shaping the game’s future.
In the last month we have seen the standard of pitches in both England and Europe come under fire, changes to the English pyramid mooted and the potential for one of its domestic cups to be scrapped.
Transfer fees and wages are increasing as more money is pumped into the game. But, at the same time, many clubs are making a loss financially and there are concerns around the sustainability of current investment.
So with women’s football in England seemingly at a crossroads, Telegraph Sport assesses what the future of the game should look like.
English pyramid
Keep relegation and introduce play-offs
The Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) took over the running of the Women’s Super League and Championship from the Football Association in the summer.
It is considering various different ways to grow the game with its “Project Pyramid”, including removing relegation from the top two tiers and getting rid of the League Cup, and has been canvassing the opinions of all clubs in the top two divisions.
One of the possibilities discussed with clubs is that promotion from the Championship to the WSL would be maintained without relegation from the top tier, meaning the top division could continue to grow each season. There would also be no relegation from the Championship.
The argument of some clubs who back the proposal and figures at the WPLL is that removing the threat of relegation would encourage more owners to invest. But there is a big risk that it would do the opposite for some, who would view it as a chance to rest on their laurels and tighten their purse strings, knowing they are safe from relegation regardless of what they spend.
Scrapping relegation simply does not feel like the best route forward. While women’s football does not need to retain all the traditions of the men’s game, relegation is an important component and removing it would jeopardise the integrity of the competition.
There is no doubt the WSL needs to expand to make it more competitive, though. That is why two promotion spots from the Championship is crucial. Nottingham Forest look set to be promoted into the second tier from the Northern Premier Division and have clear ambitions to get into the top flight. The same goes for Newcastle, who played in front of a Championship record crowd of 38,502 at the weekend.
Birmingham City and London City Lionesses have both invested more money than some WSL clubs this season but only one of those clubs can be promoted to the top flight.
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The London City Lionesses, playing here in blue, have invested in their Championship side but may not finish in the one promotion spot available - Getty Images/Tom Dulat
Introducing a play-off system in the second tier, where the team who finishes first could be promoted automatically while second to fifth place could battle it out for a second promotion spot, would surely increase excitement and give more clubs something to play for.
There also needs to be an increase in prize money for clubs in the Championship. Clubs are concerned about the amount of money they are being asked to invest, with no assurances over when they will start to get any return in revenue.
The League Cup
Straight knockout and early-season fixtures
It is clear the League Cup needs a revamp but axing it would only remove the problem rather than fix it.
It feels as though the group-stage format has run its course and a return to straight knockout games is the route forward.
The teams competing in Europe also need to enter the competition at the same time as everyone else. It should not be the case that Chelsea can enter at the quarter-final stage and have to play just three games to win a trophy.
The WPLL should consider making the League Cup the curtain-raiser to the start of the WSL season. The first two or three rounds could be played in September to help create interest. There would be new signings for fans to go to watch and the lighter nights would be far more appealing than the cold midweek games played in November and December.
The only potential issue would be working around the third-round qualifying fixtures for the Champions League, which are currently scheduled for September 11 and 18.
The League Cup final should also be played at Wembley. While only 14,000 people turned up at Pride Park this year, there would be a natural uplift if the game was staged at Wembley because of fans wanting to watch a game at the national stadium. It would also give clubs greater motivation to reach the final.
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The League Cup final at Pride Park earlier this month attracted 14,000 supporters but might have had more interest had it been played at Wembley - Getty Images/Catherine Ivill
The FA Cup
More away days for top teams
The FA Cup is harder to revamp. The women’s competition does not produce the shocks that can happen in the men’s game.
For example, the equivalent of Plymouth knocking out Liverpool in the women’s game would be Sheffield United beating Chelsea. Right now, that is not realistic. Given it is difficult for Championship teams to compete with those in the WSL, clubs further down the pyramid stand an even lower chance.
One thing the FA could look at would be to copy what the Spanish and German leagues do. In their domestic cup competition, the bigger teams play away from home in the earlier rounds. This has created the odd shock. This has the potential to level the playing field somewhat but it would also allow the lower-league clubs to make more money from the game.
European football
Make Europa League the best of the rest
Three English teams can currently qualify for the Champions League. Each season it is a battle between Chelsea, Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs. There are clubs outside of the top four who have ambitions of getting into Europe but find it incredibly difficult to compete.
Next season will see the first instalment of a women’s Europa Cup, but the top leagues – France, Germany, England, Spain, Italy and Sweden – will not have any teams in it. The spots will instead go to clubs from countries with a lower coefficient ranking.
Yes, it takes time to add more European competitions and it is good to have more nations involved, but the Europa League should be for the best of the rest from the top leagues, with a Conference League for the other leagues.
That is something Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn would like. He said: “If there are only three teams who are in the Champions League, players want to go to those clubs or they want to go to another league. If we can have more spots in the Europa League or whatever, it’s going to have a big impact on this league.”
As much as it would help the English league for there to be an extra European spot for clubs to compete for, teams like Tottenham and Liverpool should also look at how they can close the gap on the top sides.
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The new Women’s Europa League will not be available to Liverpool Women - Getty Images/Liverpool FC
Football calendar
Listen to players and no new competitions
Several big names, including Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, have previously spoken about the need to address the football calendar so players can get enough rest.
Last year Williamson told Telegraph Sportthat the calendar was unsustainable and that players were driving themselves into the ground. The addition of a women’s Club World Cup, which will begin in 2028, raised further questions about scheduling.
This month a new tournament, World Sevens Football, was launched ahead of the Champions League final. Many players competing in this summer’s European Championship will be afforded little rest between the end of the tournament and the start of their domestic pre-season, with those taking part in Champions League qualifiers having even less recovery time.
The busy calendar has been suggested as one of the contributing factors to the high number of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the women’s game, with as many as 37 players having missed the 2023 World Cup because of it.
When talking about Manchester City’s injury crisis this season, Vivianne Miedema said it was one of the number of reasons players keep asking for a better schedule and more breaks. It is clear the calendar remains a problem and players should be at the heart of those discussions.
There does not appear to be a quick fix, but football should stop adding new competitions until it has sorted out the problems with scheduling those that already exist.
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