Back Y Bencampwriaeth y Merched CY FA Women's Championship Danish Women’s Championship German FA Women's Championship Spanish Championnat d'Angleterre féminin de football de deuxième division French הצ'מפיונשיפ לנשים HE Angol női labdarúgó-bajnokság (másodosztály) Hungarian Kejuaraan Wanita FA ID Women's Championship Italian FA女子選手権 Japanese
 | |
| First season | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Number of clubs | 11 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Women's Super League |
| Relegation to | National League North National League South |
| Domestic cup(s) | Women's FA Cup |
| League cup(s) | FA Women's League Cup |
| Current champions | Crystal Palace (1st title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Aston Villa, Sunderland, Reading, Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Manchester United, Leicester City, Liverpool, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, (1 title each) |
| Website | womensleagues.thefa.com |
| Current: 2024–25 Women's Championship | |
The Women's Championship, also known as Barclays Women's Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in England. It is the second-highest division of women's football in England. The division was established in 2014 as the FA Women's Super League 2 (WSL 2) and renamed the FA Women's Championship prior to the 2018–19 season.[1] "The FA" was subsequently dropped from the league name ahead of the 2022–23 season,[2] prior to new ownership for the 2024–25 season by clubs in the first and second tiers.[3]
WSL 2 replaced the previous level 2 division, the FA Women's Premier League (WPL) National Division, which ended after the 2012–13 season. The WPL's last national division champions, Sunderland A.F.C. Women, were not promoted and also became the first winners of WSL 2 in the 2014 season. In addition to Sunderland, other WPL clubs that joined WSL 2 in 2014 were Watford and Aston Villa. From 2014 to 2016, WSL 2 ran a summer-based season calendar before reverting to the winter season in 2017–18, the same as WSL 1. Having sponsored the first tier since the 2019–20 season, 2022–23 marked the first season of Barclays as the title partner of the division.[4]
For the 2023–24 season, changes were made so that two clubs would be relegated from the league allowing one team each from National League North and South to be promoted to the Championship rather than having to play a season end playoff. This change resulted in two teams being relegated from the Championship at the end of the season. No changes were made to promotion from the league to the WSL with still only one promotion and one relegation respectively.[5] For the 2024–25 season, the league was reduced to eleven teams, due to Reading’s withdrawal from the Championship, citing financial issues.[6] The FA confirmed two relegation spots would reduce to one. The league will return to a twelve team league at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.[7]
- ^ FA Women's Championship: New name chosen for England's second tier Archived 1 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC Sport, 26 February 2018
- ^ "Barclays Women's Super League rebranded". www.mancity.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "New look for BWSL and BWC". womenscompetitions.thefa.com. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ "Statement: 2023-24 promotion and relegation". Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Reading withdraw from Championship". Reading FC. 30 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
- ^ Veevers, Nick (30 June 2024). "FA and Women's Professional Game statement on Reading FC Women". The FA. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2024.