FA Women's National League

Before the National League, women's teams nationally had competed in the WFA Cup (Women's FA Cup) since 1970, and there were English regional leagues, but this was the first regular nationwide competition of its kind.

The Women's National League was inaugurated in the 1991–92 season by the Women's Football Association (WFA),[1] with a monetary grant from the Sports Council.[2] Eight teams played in the top flight in that year. From the League's foundation, it consisted of a national premier division and two lower divisions, the Northern and Southern Divisions, whose winners each season were promoted to the top flight.

Doncaster Belles were the champions of the first WFA Women's Premier Division in 1991–92

After the League's third season, the Football Association assumed responsibility for the competition and renamed it, beginning with the 1994–95 FA Women's Premier League (FA WPL).[3]

The FA Women's Premier League National Division remained the top tier of women's football until the end of the 2009–10 FA WPL season.

From the WPL National Division's origins in 1991–92 until its disbandment after the 2012–13 season, the division was above the Northern and Southern Divisions. Since 1991–92, the Northern and Southern Divisions have run on an equal basis (with their teams usually seeking promotion), and this continues today. The terms Women's Premiership and Ladies Premiership were generally used for the National Division only.

From 2000 until 2008, the Women's Premier League champions usually competed in the annual FA Women's Community Shield against the FA Women's Cup winners.

The WPL National Division lost several clubs prior to the 2010–11 season and the division was demoted to level 2, due to the creation of the FA WSL in 2011.[4] (Note that the WSL was a summer league for its first six years, as opposed to the WPL's winter format.) Strangely, the lower divisions were still given the name "Premier League" for eight more seasons.

After the WPL National Division seasons at level 2, from 2010–11 to 2012–13, that division was scrapped due to the FA's decision to add another WSL division, WSL 2, for its 2014 season, which included some clubs that moved from the WPL. The only divisions in 2013–14 with WPL branding were the Northern and Southern Divisions at league level 3.

For the 2014–15 season, the Women's Premier League incorporated the four existing Combination Women's Football Leagues (level 4), as the Premier League's "Division One", with four groups of Division One leagues: North, Midlands, South East and South West.[5] The FA proposed rebranding the WPL collectively as the Women's Championship League,[6] but instead the six divisions kept the name Women's Premier League until 2018.

At level 3 in the pyramid now, the winners of the Northern and Southern Divisions have played each other since 2014–15 in a one-off play-off at a neutral venue for an opportunity to be promoted into the level 2 division, the first instance of promotion from the WPL to the WSL. The first play-off was contested between Portsmouth and Sheffield F.C. at Stratford FC's ground, with the latter winning through a stoppage time goal.

The level 3 and 4 divisions were renamed the Women's National League from 2018–19.

Regional Premier Division champions

Level 2 champions:

Season	Northern Division	Southern Division
1991–92	Bronte	Arsenal
1992–93	Aston Villa	District Line
1993–94	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Bromley Borough
1994–95	Aston Villa	Maidstone Tigresses
1995–96	Tranmere Rovers	Southampton Saints
1996–97	Bradford City	Berkhamsted
1997–98	Ilkeston Town	Southampton Saints
1998–99	Aston Villa	Reading Royals
1999–2000	Sunderland	Barry Town
2000–01	Leeds United	Brighton & Hove Albion
2001–02	Birmingham City	Fulham
2002–03	Aston Villa	Bristol Rovers
2003–04	Liverpool	Bristol City
2004–05	Sunderland	Chelsea
2005–06	Blackburn Rovers	Cardiff City
2006–07	Liverpool	Watford
2007–08	Nottingham Forest	Fulham
2008–09	Sunderland	Millwall
2009–10	Liverpool	Barnet

Tottenham won the Southern Division and the 2016–17 promotion playoff

Level 3 champions:

Season	Northern Division	Southern Division
2010–11[lower-alpha 1]	Aston Villa	Charlton Athletic
2011–12	Manchester City	Portsmouth
2012–13[lower-alpha 2]	Sheffield	Reading
2013–14	Sheffield	Coventry City
2014–15[lower-alpha 3]	Sheffield	Portsmouth
2015–16	Sporting Club Albion	Brighton & Hove Albion
2016–17	Blackburn Rovers	Tottenham Hotspur
2017–18	Blackburn Rovers	Charlton Athletic
2018–19	Blackburn Rovers	Coventry United[lower-alpha 4]
2019–20	Not awarded[lower-alpha 5]

1. 2010–11 runners-up Cardiff City and Coventry City also promoted to National Division, due to formation of WSL
2. In 2013 the National Division ended; no automatic promotions but Reading, Millwall and Yeovil were elected to WSL 2
3. From 2014–15 onwards, the club marked in bold was promoted to WSL 2/Women's Championship via a play-off between the Northern and Southern Division champions, and was overall champion of the WPL/National League.
4. Blackburn won the Championship play-off but both teams were promoted as part of an increase in the number of WSL teams.
5. 2019–20 season was curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic; no titles awarded; no promotion or relegation at level 3.

Currently there are two tiers and a total of six divisions that make up the National League: the two third-tier divisions, the Northern and Southern Premier divisions, as well as four regional fourth-tier divisions: Division One North, Division One Midlands, Division One South East and Division One South West.[7]

Seventy-two clubs throughout England and Wales compete in the Women's Premier League, with six divisions of twelve teams, though this number has varied historically due to the changing structure of women's football. Following the formation of the FA Women's Super League, the number of clubs competing in the national division decreased from 12 to 8. Likewise the number of teams in both the Northern and Southern Divisions decreased from 12 to 10, resulting in the total number of team's in the Women's Premier League decreasing from 36 to 28.

Following the expansion of the WSL with the addition of a second division, the National League was abolished. As a result, both the Southern and Northern Divisions increased to 11 teams each. Several clubs which had previously been competing in the National Division were moved into the Southern Division including Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City, Portsmouth and Coventry United (formerly Coventry City).

For the 2014/15 season, the Combination Leagues were incorporated into the newly rebranded FA Women's Premier League, as a result, the WPL now consisted of 72 teams in 6 divisions.

The main cup competition of the National League is the FA Women's National League Cup, a knock-out competition involving all of the teams within the six divisions that make up the National. Due to the changing structure of women's football, this competition has historically varied from a straight knock-out competition to a competition with a preliminary group stage before reaching the knock-out stage.

During the 2014–15 season, the FA Women's National League Plate was introduced. Under the current format, the teams that are eliminated from the opening round of the League Cup are entered into the Plate.

• AXA (until 2004)
• Nationwide Building Society (2004–2007)
• Tesco (2007–present)

• List of association football competitions
• FA Women's Premier League National Division
• FA Women's Premier League Northern Division
• FA Women's Premier League Southern Division
• FA Women's Premier League Cup

• The Football Association – Women's Premier League official site
• TV-Channel