| Date: Sunday, 1 October |
| Protection: Watch Aston Villa v Man Utd reside on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport on-line. Hearken to Chelsea v Tottenham on BBC Radio 5 Sports activities Additional & BBC Sounds. Comply with reside textual content protection of the WSL on the BBC Sport web site and app. |
After a four-month hiatus, the Girls’s Tremendous League returns on Sunday and it seems set to be the most important season but following the record-breaking Girls’s World Cup.
A jam-packed opening day will function all of the groups in motion, with final season’s shock bundle Aston Villa internet hosting runners-up Manchester United within the curtain raiser, which will probably be reside on the BBC.
Champions Chelsea face London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge within the night fixture, whereas title challengers Arsenal may set a brand new WSL crowd file after they host Liverpool at Emirates Stadium.
So who’re the favourites this time round? Will the battle for Champions League qualification be probably the most aggressive but? And how will you comply with this season’s motion? Here is every thing you have to know in regards to the 2023-24 WSL season.
How shut will the WSL be this season?
Each the title and relegation race final season went all the way down to the ultimate recreation, whereas Arsenal solely pipped Manchester Metropolis to 3rd and the ultimate Champions League spot on aim distinction.
But when the WSL managers are to be believed, this marketing campaign may very well be even nearer.
“I anticipate it to be probably the most aggressive WSL season that has ever been,” stated Arsenal supervisor Jonas Eidevall. “I feel plenty of squads have been strengthening.”
It is onerous to look additional than Chelsea for the title. Emma Hayes’ aspect are bidding to complete prime for the fifth 12 months in a row, having gained seven of the previous 9 WSL titles and having strengthened their squad over the summer season.
“She’s going for the quadruple – a million per cent,” former Chelsea participant Gilly Flaherty advised the BBC’s Soccer Each day podcast. “In fact the Champions League is the one factor that has eluded Emma, has eluded Chelsea.
“Chelsea’s squad is one which any participant in it may stroll into some other WSL aspect and begin.”
Nevertheless, of the established top-four members, solely Manchester United are nonetheless within the Champions League together with Chelsea, which may give Arsenal and Manchester Metropolis a bonus with fewer video games to barter.
Aston Villa, who proved to be the most effective of the remaining final season, confirmed they had been greater than able to holding their very own in opposition to the massive groups with league wins over Metropolis and Arsenal they usually have recruited correctly as soon as once more.
“Success for me seems like persevering with what we’ve got been constructing,” stated Villa supervisor Carla Ward. “Now does that imply prime 4? No, it means making an attempt to raised what we did final 12 months and proceed to attempt to shut the hole.
“Trying on the WSL and how everybody’s recruited and the funding that has gone in up and down the division, I’ve little doubt that is going to be one of many hardest WSLs but so we would have liked to recruit, we would have liked to maintain constructing.”
WSL preparation disrupted by internationals
Whereas the opposite main leagues in Europe are up and operating, managers, gamers and followers have needed to wait till October for England’s prime flight to return.
The beginning comes days after a global break for the beginning of the Girls’s Nations League, and simply six weeks after the World Cup last.
Leicester supervisor Willie Kirk expressed his irritation at having preparations for the opening day disrupted by worldwide video games. “It is a ache within the bottom – I hate the worldwide window,” he stated.
“I used to be a little bit bit pissed off we did not begin earlier than the Nations League. I feel each main league in Europe did aside from us. I do not know why we’re any completely different.”
Villa’s Ward shares that frustration with worldwide breaks, however didn’t need the league to start out earlier as she feels an excessive amount of is being requested of gamers.
“You will most likely not discover anybody that moans extra about worldwide breaks greater than me. If we’re speaking about participant welfare, we’ve got to do one thing.
“We overlook that they are individuals and we’ve got to start out taking care of them bodily, mentally, emotionally.”
However former England striker Ellen White believes that having numerous drained gamers may end in a extra fascinating league.
“There may be going to be plenty of tiredness, plenty of fatigue,” she stated. “It will come into it perhaps that first month or two – hopefully the outcomes will probably be a bit loopy! That is what I need.”
Extra record-breaking ticket gross sales
All of the WSL golf equipment, besides Leicester, broke a membership or stadium attendance file final season and a number of could achieve this once more this time spherical.
Arsenal have offered greater than 50,000 tickets for Sunday’s opener at Emirates Stadium in opposition to Liverpool, which may break the WSL attendance file they set final season – final September they offered 53,737 tickets for his or her match in opposition to Tottenham which translated into an attendance of 47,367.
In 2022-23, solely West Ham didn’t play at their membership’s larger stadium, normally reserved for his or her males’s aspect, and groups are as soon as once more trying to stage extra of their matches at their bigger grounds.
Arsenal have confirmed at the very least 5 of their 11 WSL house video games will probably be at their 60,000-plus capability Emirates Stadium, in contrast with three final season. It will likely be one among three grounds normally utilized by the boys’s groups to function on the opening weekend, together with Stamford Bridge and Villa Park.
What else to look out for?
Newly promoted Bristol Metropolis aren’t any strangers to the highest flight however rather a lot has modified for them since their relegation in 2021.
The membership have switched house floor twice and moved to a brand new coaching facility, and altered head coach and appointed a a lot larger backroom employees, in addition to overhauling the taking part in squad.
“What we’ve got performed as a membership is absolutely professionalise how we’re run, so our staffing has actually elevated since being relegated,” stated head coach Lauren Smith. “The sport is shifting so rapidly so we’ve got bought to maintain up.”
Whereas there will probably be loads of confronted new to the WSL on the pitch, together with World Cup stars Hinata Miyazawa, Amanda Ilestedt, Daphne van Domselaar and Geyse, there have additionally been a few modifications within the dugouts.
Rehanne Skinner, sacked by Tottenham in March, has changed Paul Konchesky as West Ham supervisor.
In the meantime Spurs, concerned in a relegation battle final marketing campaign, have gone for a supervisor new to the league in Swede Robert Vilahamn.
“In fact we wish to be a prime crew on this league however the principle factor is to start out taking part in the type of soccer that may take us up there,” stated Vilahamn.
comply with the WSL
The BBC will present one fixture per week – 22 video games in complete – whereas Sky will broadcast two matches per weekend and the FA Participant will stream the remainder of the video games.
As well as, the BBC Sport web site and app may have reside textual content commentary on each match, together with weekend previews, studies and the most recent information.
You can too watch highlights on the Girls’s Soccer Present – the WSL model of Match of the Day – which is broadcast on Sunday nights on BBC One.
