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The Women’s Championship could be renamed Women’s Super League 2 from next season onwards, the Guardian can reveal, in a move that will see the second tier of the English women’s game revert to its previous name.
The division, which sits just below the Women’s Super League in the English pyramid, was originally known as WSL 2 when it was first introduced in 2014 and retained that title until it was renamed the Women’s Championship ahead of the 2018-19 campaign , when the housewives’ calendar switched from summer to winter season, but it may soon be back.
It is understood that no final decision on such a name change has yet been ratified, but the proposal was first tabled more than a month ago, multiple sources said, and is believed to have the provisional support of a majority of shareholders after a meeting in October.
Since July, it has been known that the names of the first two leagues are subject to change. It is believed that the name of the top tier, the WSL, will remain unchanged, unlike between 2014 and 2014. and 2018, when the top tier was designated as WSL 1 alongside WSL 2 – under the latest plan, the ‘1’ would not be a return.
The proposed new combination of the WSL and WSL 2 from next summer is said to have been brought forward because it would “unify the brands”, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
Any such name change to the second tier would have to go through further legal hurdles before it could be rubber-stamped by the new company that runs the division – temporarily known as Women’s Professional Leagues Limited – but it is understood to have passed its first key hurdle , when the first shareholders’ meeting was held in October. The member clubs are essentially the main shareholders in the new entity, which took over from the Football Association in the management of the top two tiers in August.
According to sources, it has also been proposed that the long-term name of the company running the Women’s Super League and the second tier would be Women’s Super League Ltd, under the plans being discussed. Similarly, no final decision has yet been finalized on this potential change, but it would be another move to put emphasis on the WSL from a branding perspective. League officials have said publicly before that the name WPLL is just a temporary company name. The company was originally called “Newco”. The company name is relevant for administrative purposes only.
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There are 11 teams in the second tier, following Reading’s 11th-hour withdrawal from the league in June for financial reasons, but that number is due to return to 12 teams next summer. Crystal Palace won the division last season and Birmingham City are top of the table this season. The Guardian also exclusively revealed on Monday that every match in the second tier will be streamed live on YouTube from next season.
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