The Guardian exclusively revealed this week that the WSL is considering the possibility of abolishing relegation as part of a radical proposal to grow the sport. The 23 WSL and Championship clubs were called to a meeting by Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd on Friday whereby they were asked to explore a range of options to increase the profile, sustainability and profitability of women’s football. The outcome of that meeting is yet to be revealed.
What are your thoughts on the proposal? Feel free to get in touch this afternoon. I want to hear from you!
Manchester United are missing Jayde Riviere, Elisabeth Terland and Simi Awujo today due to injuries picked up during the international break. Lisa Naalsund and Anna Sandberg are also unavailable for the hosts.
As for Leicester, Deanne Rose is back in the matchday squad, while Lena Petermann Noemie Mouchon and Jutta Rantala remain absent. Karla Torres has dropped out of the squad.
Manchester United starting line-up: Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Gabby George, Maya Le Tissier (C), Millie Turner, Aoife Mannion; Grace Clinton, Dominique Janssen, Ella Toone; Celin Bizet, Melvine Malard, Leah Galton. Substitutes: Safia Middleton-Patel, Kayla Rendell, Scarlett Hill, Tamira Livingston, Mared Griffiths, Hinata Miyazawa, Geyse, Rachel Williams.
From managerial incomings and outgoings to proposed format changes that would alter the pyramid completely, it feels like we’ve seen it all. We’ll talk about those things a bit later, but for now the focus is on today’s six Women’s Super League fixtures.
To kick things off, Manchester United host Leicester City at Leigh Sports Village. Then, Aston Villa take on Everton while Tottenham face Manchester City. Brighton go head-to-head with league leaders Chelsea before Arsenal meet West Ham for a London Derby this evening.
Perhaps the most interesting fixture of the day, however, is Crystal Palace vs Liverpool. Both clubs sacked their respective managers earlier this week, which came as a huge shock to fans. While Liverpool are yet to find a permanent successor to Matt Beard, Norwegian coach Leif Smerud has replaced Laura Kaminski at Palace. The question is - will the London side get that ‘new manager bounce’ this afternoon?