2019–20 FA WSL

The 2019–20 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010.[1] It was the second season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football and the twelve teams contesting the season was the greatest number in the league's history to date, following a steady increase from the original eight.[2] It is the first under the new Barclays title sponsorship following a landmark multi-million pound investment.[3]

FA WSL
FA WSL trophy
Season2019–20
ChampionsChelsea
RelegatedLiverpool
Champions LeagueChelsea
Manchester City
Matches played87
Goals scored259 (2.98 per match)
Top goalscorerVivianne Miedema (16 goals)
Biggest home winArsenal 11–1 Bristol City
(1 December 2019)
Biggest away winBirmingham City 0–6 Chelsea
(24 November 2019)
Highest scoringArsenal 11–1 Bristol City
(1 December 2019)
Highest attendance38,262 – Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Arsenal
(17 November 2019)

On 13 March 2020, in line with the FA's response to the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced the season was initially suspended until at least 3 April 2020.[4][5] After further postponements, the season was ultimately ended prematurely on 25 May 2020 with immediate effect.[6] On 5 June 2020, Chelsea were named as champions, moving them up one place ahead of Manchester City on sporting merit after The FA Board's decision to award places on a points-per-game basis. Manchester City were awarded the second Champions League place and Liverpool were relegated using the same method.[7][8]

Teams

After the WSL's restructure going into the 2018–19 season, membership of the league returned solely to performance in the previous season, though the league expanded from eleven teams to twelve as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were both promoted after finishing first and second respectively in the Championship during the 2018–19 season[9] while only Yeovil Town were relegated.[10][11]

Locations of the 2019–20 FA WSL teams
TeamLocationGroundCapacity2018–19 season
ArsenalBorehamwoodMeadow Park4,5021st
Birmingham CitySolihullDamson Park3,0504th
Brighton & Hove AlbionCrawleyBroadfield Stadium[lower-alpha 1]6,1349th
Bristol CityFiltonStoke Gifford Stadium[lower-alpha 2]1,5006th
ChelseaKingston upon ThamesKingsmeadow[lower-alpha 3]4,8503rd
EvertonLiverpoolWalton Hall Park[lower-alpha 4]2,200 10th
LiverpoolBirkenheadPrenton Park[lower-alpha 5]16,5878th
Manchester CityManchesterAcademy Stadium[lower-alpha 6]7,0002nd
Manchester UnitedManchesterLeigh Sports Village12,000WC, 1st
ReadingHigh WycombeAdams Park[lower-alpha 7]9,6175th
Tottenham HotspurCanons ParkThe Hive Stadium[lower-alpha 8]6,500WC, 2nd
West Ham UnitedRomfordRush Green Stadium[lower-alpha 9]3,0007th
  1. Match v Birmingham City moved to Falmer Stadium
  2. Opening weekend match v Brighton & Hove Albion held at Ashton Gate
  3. Match v Tottenham Hotspur held at Stamford Bridge
  4. Opening six home fixtures played at Haig Avenue
  5. Merseyside derby held at Anfield
  6. Manchester derby held at City of Manchester Stadium
  7. Match v Bristol City moved to Madjeski Stadium
  8. North London derby held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
  9. Match v Tottenham Hotspur moved to London Stadium

Stadium changes

In response to the record viewing figures during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, three select fixtures were initially moved to Premier League grounds: The Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium, Chelsea v Tottenham at Stamford Bridge and the North London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.[12][13] In total, eight of the twelve teams have moved FA WSL fixtures to the larger grounds of their men's affiliate teams: Bristol City later announced their opening game would be played at Ashton Gate,[14] Reading moved one of their league fixtures (as well as all three League Cup games) to the Madjeski Stadium[15] and West Ham announced they would host Spurs at the London Stadium.[16] Brighton & Hove Albion moved their match against Birmingham to the Falmer Stadium to coincide with the FA's Women's Football Weekend, held during a men's international break.[17] Liverpool later moved their Merseyside derby, held on the same weekend, to Anfield and Everton scheduled the reverse fixture in February at Goodison Park[18][19] (the match was ultimately left unplayed when the season was suspended and then cancelled).

After originally planning to permanently relocate to their new Walton Hall Park stadium in October 2019 following their opening two home games, delays meant Everton had to postpone the move until February 2020 and eventually scheduled six of their 11 home league games at Haig Avenue in Southport.[20][21][22]

Personnel and kits
As of 23 February 2020
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Joe Montemurro Kim Little Adidas Fly Emirates
Birmingham City Charlie Baxter (interim) Kerys Harrop Adidas Maple from Canada
Brighton & Hove Albion Hope Powell Danielle Buet Nike American Express
Bristol City Tanya Oxtoby Loren Dykes Bristol Sport Yeo Valley
Chelsea Emma Hayes Magdalena Eriksson Nike Yokohama Tyres
Everton Willie Kirk Danielle Turner Umbro SportPesa
Liverpool Vicky Jepson Sophie Bradley-Auckland New Balance BetVictor
Manchester City Alan Mahon (interim) Steph Houghton Puma Etihad Airways
Manchester United Casey Stoney Katie Zelem Adidas Chevrolet
Reading Kelly Chambers Natasha Harding Macron YLD
Tottenham Hotspur Karen Hills
Juan Amoros		 Jenna Schillaci Nike AIA
West Ham United Matt Beard Gilly Flaherty Umbro Betway

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Manchester City Nick Cushing Signed with New York City FC[23] 2 February 2020 1st Alan Mahon (interim) 3 February 2020
Birmingham City Marta Tejedor Mutual separation[24] 3 March 2020 11th Charlie Baxter (interim) 3 March 2020

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 Chelsea (C) 15 12 3 0 47 11 +36 39 2.60 Qualification for the Champions League
2 Manchester City 16 13 1 2 39 9 +30 40 2.50
3 Arsenal 15 12 0 3 40 13 +27 36 2.40
4 Manchester United 14 7 2 5 24 12 +12 23 1.64
5 Reading 14 6 3 5 21 24 −3 21 1.50
6 Everton 14 6 1 7 21 21 0 19 1.36
7 Tottenham Hotspur 15 6 2 7 15 24 −9 20 1.33
8 West Ham United 14 5 1 8 19 34 −15 16 1.14
9 Brighton & Hove Albion 16 3 4 9 11 30 −19 13 0.81
10 Bristol City 14 2 3 9 9 38 −29 9 0.64
11 Birmingham City 13 2 1 10 5 23 −18 7 0.54
12 Liverpool (R) 14 1 3 10 8 20 −12 6 0.43 Relegation to the Championship
Source: FA WSL, BBC
Rules for classification: Initially: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored. After abandonment of season: 1) Points per game
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated.

Results
Home \ Away ARS BIR BHA BRI CHE EVE LIV MCI MNU REA TOT WHU
Arsenal — 2–0 4–0 11–1 1–4 – 1–0 1–0 – – – 2–1
Birmingham City – — – 0–1 0–6 0–1 2–0 0–2 – – 1–1 –
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–4 3–0 — – 1–1 1–0 1–0 – 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–3
Bristol City – 0–2 0–0 — 0–4 – 0–1 0–5 – – 1–2 –
Chelsea 2–1 2–0 – 6–1 — – – 2–1 1–0 3–1 1–0 8–0
Everton 1–3 – 2–0 2–0 – — – 0–1 2–3 3–1 3–1 –
Liverpool 2–3 – – 1–1 1–1 0–1 — – – 0–1 – 1–1
Manchester City 2–1 3–0 5–0 1–0 3–3 3–1 1–0 — 1–0 – – 5–0
Manchester United 0–1 – 4–0 0–1 – 3–1 2–0 – — 2–0 3–0 –
Reading 0–3 1–0 – 3–3 – 3–2 – 0–2 1–1 — 3–1 2–0
Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 – 1–0 – – 2–2 1–0 1–4 0–3 – — 2–1
West Ham United – 1–0 2–1 – 1–3 – 4–2 – 3–2 2–3 0–2 —
Source: The FA
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics
As of 23 February 2020

Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Vivianne Miedema Arsenal 16
2 Bethany England Chelsea 14
3 Pauline Bremer Manchester City 10
4 Chloe Kelly Everton 9
5 Lauren James Manchester United 6
Ji So-Yun Chelsea
Ellen White Manchester City
8 Daniëlle van de Donk Arsenal 5
Rachel Furness Liverpool
Lauren Hemp Manchester City
Adriana Leon West Ham United
Kim Little Arsenal
Jordan Nobbs Arsenal
Guro Reiten Chelsea
Ebony Salmon Bristol City
Aileen Whelan Brighton & Hove Albion
Fara Williams Reading
Katie Zelem Manchester United

Top assists
Rank Player Club Assists
1 Vivianne Miedema Arsenal 8
2 Janine Beckie Manchester City 7
3 Fara Williams Reading 6
Guro Reiten Chelsea
5 Jonna Andersson Chelsea 5
6 Daniëlle van de Donk Arsenal 4
Lisa Evans Arsenal
Lauren Hemp Manchester City
Keira Walsh Manchester City
10 Erin Cuthbert Chelsea 3
Bethany England Chelsea
Leah Galton Manchester United
Fran Kirby Chelsea
Beth Mead Arsenal
Jill Scott Manchester City
Lucy Staniforth Birmingham City
Ellen White Manchester City

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets
1 Ellie Roebuck Manchester City 10
2 Manuela Zinsberger Arsenal 6
3 Mary Earps Manchester United 5
4 Ann-Katrin Berger Chelsea 4
Tinja-Riikka Korpela Everton
Becky Spencer Tottenham Hotspur
Megan Walsh Brighton & Hove Albion
8 Sophie Baggaley Bristol City 3
9 Hannah Hampton Birmingham City 2
Rachael Laws Reading
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin Arsenal
Carly Telford Chelsea

Records

The match between Arsenal and Bristol City on 1 December 2019 ended 11–1, setting a new WSL record scoreline, surpassing the 9–0 win of Liverpool Ladies over Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2013.[25]

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Ref.
Manager Club Player Club
September Karen Hills
Juan Amorós		 Tottenham Hotspur Chloe Kelly Everton [26][27][28][29]
October Emma Hayes Chelsea Kirsty Hanson Manchester United [30][31]
November Willie Kirk Everton Millie Bright Chelsea [32][33]
December Joe Montemurro Arsenal Vivianne Miedema Arsenal [34][35]
January Emma Hayes Chelsea Bethany England Chelsea [36][37]
February Emma Hayes Chelsea Bethany England Chelsea [38][39]

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
Barclays FA WSL Player of the Season Bethany England[40] Chelsea
Barclays FA WSL Manager of the Season Emma Hayes[40] Chelsea
PFA Players' Player of the Year Bethany England[41] Chelsea
PFA Young Player of the Year Lauren Hemp[42] Manchester City
FWA Footballer of the Year Vivianne Miedema[43] Arsenal
PFA Team of the Year[44]
Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea)
Defenders Maren Mjelde (Chelsea) Leah Williamson (Arsenal) Millie Bright (Chelsea) Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea)
Midfielders Caroline Weir (Manchester City) Kim Little (Arsenal) Ji So-yun (Chelsea)
Forwards Bethany England (Chelsea) Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) Chloe Kelly (Everton)

Prize money

An FA WSL prize fund was put in place for the first time, following the new Barclay's sponsorship deal, with the entire pot totaling £500,000. The money was awarded in decreasing increments with the champions winning £100,000 and the last placed team being awarded £6,000.[45][46]

Finish Prize money
1st £100,000
2nd £67,000
3rd £60,000
4th £55,000
5th £49,000
6th £43,000
7th £36,000
8th £30,000
9th £24,000
10th £18,000
11th £12,000
12th £6,000

See also

References
  1. "The History of Women's Football". Football Association. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  2. The Football Association (26 February 2018). "Women's league restructure". www.thefa.com. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  3. Association, The Football. "Barclays unveiled as title sponsor of FA Women's Super League". www.thefa.com.
  4. Association, The Football. "Decision made to postpone professional football until Friday 3 April at the earliest". www.thefa.com.
  5. Flood, George (13 March 2020). "Women's Super League and Championship suspended due to coronavirus". Evening Standard.
  6. "Statement: FA Barclays WSL and Women's Championship season ended". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  7. "Chelsea named Women's Super League champions, Liverpool relegated". BBC Sport. 5 June 2020.
  8. Association, The Football. "Chelsea Women awarded Barclays FA WSL title and Aston Villa win Women's Championship". www.thefa.com.
  9. "Tottenham Hotspur won promotion to the Women's Super League with a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa which confirmed they will finish second in the Championship". BBC news. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  10. "Women's Super League: New full-time, professional era – all you need to know". 9 September 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  11. "Yeovil Town Ladies hope for 'new chapter', after avoiding administration". BBC Sport. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  12. "WSL: Etihad Stadium & Stamford Bridge to host 2019–20 season openers". 8 July 2019.
  13. "Women's Super League: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host Spurs v Arsenal in November". BBC. 10 July 2019.
  14. "City Women open season at Ashton Gate". Bristol City.
  15. "Women set for 3 Madejski matches as Conti Cup fixtures finalised". www.readingfc.co.uk.
  16. "West Ham United to host historic match at London Stadium". www.whufc.com.
  17. "WSL action returns to the Amex". www.brightonandhovealbion.com.
  18. "Liverpool Women v Everton Women: Anfield to host Merseyside derby for first time". 24 October 2019.
  19. "Everton To Host Liverpool In First Goodison WSL Derby". www.evertonfc.com.
  20. Association, The Football. "Everton Ladies Set For New Walton Home". www.liverpoolfa.com.
  21. "Everton Ladies' 2019/20 WSL Fixtures Confirmed". www.evertonfc.com.
  22. "New Date And Venue For Women's Clash At Home To Reading". www.evertonfc.com. 20 December 2019.
  23. "NICK CUSHING TO JOIN NEW YORK CITY FC". Manchester City FC. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  24. "CLUB STATEMENT – MARTA TEJEDOR". Birmingham City FC. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  25. "Arsenal Women 11–1 Bristol City Women". BBC Sport. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  26. "September Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 12 October 2019.
  27. "Karen and Juan scoop Manager of the Month prize". Tottenham Hotspur.
  28. "September Player of the Month". Barclays football. 12 October 2019.
  29. "Everton Star Kelly Lands WSL Prize". www.evertonfc.com.
  30. "October Manager of the month". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  31. "October Player of the month". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  32. "November Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 14 December 2019.
  33. "November Player of the Month". Barclays football. 14 December 2019.
  34. "December Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 4 January 2020.
  35. "December Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 4 January 2020.
  36. "January Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 1 February 2020.
  37. "January Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 1 February 2020.
  38. "February Manager of the Month". Barclays football. 7 March 2020.
  39. "February Player of the Month". Barclays FA WSL. 7 March 2020.
  40. "Chelsea duo Emma Hayes and Beth England win Women's Super League awards". BT.com.
  41. "Bethany England named number one by peers". 8 September 2020.
  42. "Hemp scoops second PFA Women's Young Player award". 8 September 2020.
  43. "Vivianne Miedema: Arsenal & Netherlands striker named FWA Women's Footballer of Year". BBC Sport. 1 July 2020.
  44. "De Bruyne named PFA Player of the Year". BBC Sport.
  45. "Prize fund". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  46. "Women's Super League: Barclays agree multi-million sponsorship deal". 20 March 2019.
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