OXFORD United and London Bees kicked the FA Women’s Super League off on Monday when the two Division 2 sides went head-to-head in the opener at Abingdon United FC writes CATHERINE ETOE…
The remainder of the league gets in on the action from today (Wednesday) onwards, with FAWSL 1 outfits Notts County and Arsenal due to have their match broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra from 6.30pm.
Tomorrow (Thursday), title holders Liverpool Ladies will take on WSL debutants Manchester City in a game that will be televised live by BT Sport from 7pm.
A heady week then for the FAWSL, now in its fourth season but this time under the guise as a two division league with 10 new clubs and the added carrot of promotion and relegation.
“This is a hugely exciting moment for the women’s game,” says Kelly Simmons, Director of the National Game and Women’s Football at The FA. “The establishment of a second division really demonstrates just what appetite there is from both clubs and supporters for a thriving, entertaining and successful league.”
Yet for all the new faces and expectations, it seems fitting that the opening radio and TV coverage features two-time WSL winners Arsenal and reigning champions Liverpool, the only sides to have lifted the title in the three seasons the league has been in existence.
Such is the spread of talent in 2014, it is by no means certain that these two teams will dominate proceedings as the FAWSL enters its fourth year, but anyone who cares about the women’s game can see the value of that.
“I genuinely think that every team on their day is capable of beating one another and for me that brings added excitement especially for the spectators, maybe not for the respective supporters of each club, but for the game in general,” says Arsenal boss Shelley Kerr. “It was well needed.”
Kerr admits that Arsenal are in the process of rebuilding what was a massively successful team, but the former Scotland international knows it isn’t over until the fat lady sings either.
“The players we’ve brought in might perhaps take a bit of time to adapt but we’re really excited about the season,” she says. “We’ve been preparing as well as every other team, we know it’s going to be tough.”
Liverpool boss Matt Beard (above right, with Notts County boss Rick Passmoor on the left) has been doing the same and says the start of the season has been “a long time coming”.
“We’re looking forward to it,” he adds. “There’s no room for error, you can’t afford to lose more than one game if you want to win the league so it’s important we get off to a good start.”
How easy that will be when that first run out is against a Man City side that has brought in a handful of internationals on professional terms, will soon become clear.
But few will forget how Liverpool held their nerve in a dramatic 2013 season which was settled at the death when the Reds beat Bristol Academy 2-0 on the final day to lift the title.
Beard is downplaying Liverpool’s chances of retaining that hard won championship, however, following long-term injuries to key players Nicole Rolser, Lucy Staniforth, (and now Katie Zelem) in the off-season.
But Liverpool have added attack-minded Gemma Davison to their line-up and Beard accepts that the retention of most of his championship winning team is a plus point.
“I think expectation is going to be on Chelsea with the players they’ve brought in and Man City as well,” he says. “For us, with the injuries we’ve had, we don’t have as much strength and depth so for us if maybe we can finish in the top two it would be a good achievement.
“All we want to be is in and around the teams that are going to be up there and I’m confident and trust the group that we’ll be okay. If we can repeat last year that would be a massive success.”
Birmingham City midfielder Jade Moore also sees Liverpool’s settled side as an asset, but the 23-year-old sports therapist hopes David Parker’s Champions League semi-finalists can make an impact.
“Our league is a bit like tournament football so the key is to win as many games as you possibly can,” she says. “For us every game is going to be a massive three points to gain and that will be our main aim.
“I’d like to see us up there trying to dominate the league a little bit, trying to make people have a second look at us.”
England international Moore is under no illusions as to the level of competition in the WSL this season, however, and tips the other Merseyside club as one to watch.
“I wouldn’t like to put a name on who is going to win and get relegated but I do think it’s going to be tight,” she said. “I think people like Everton that have been classed as underdogs can take points off the bigger teams like they always have done.”
Everton boss Andy Spence believes that having had a first-rate pre-season, his side will be in a position to do exactly that.
“Key for us is using our experiences that we’ve gained,” he says. “We’ve lost a lot of senior players but we’ve still got some really good senior players at the club which I think sometimes people forget but I certainly don’t.
“It will be a serious target for us to improve on what we did last year. It’s felt one of the best pre-seasons for a long time, we’ve had a good consistency, good clear messages about how we want to go about our work and players with a lot more experience than 12 months ago.”
Everton travel to Birmingham tonight and among the experienced players Spence can call on is 25-year-old centre back Fern Whelan (below).
“I had a long term injury and missed the whole of the last WSL campaign,” she says. “So for me it’s been a really good and challenging pre-season. I’ve felt myself get fitter from week to week so the length of it has been perfect; I feel like I’m reaching peak fitness as it’s about to start.”
So it’s exciting times for the eight-team WSL 1, which looks set to dominate the broadcast media coverage this season with 14 matches to be shown live on BT Sport.
But what of 10-team WSL 2, which will probably rely on BBC3’s Women’s Football Show and BT Sport’s 17 weekly highlights shows to reach a broader national audience?
Well, the Bees have already entertained with a 3-0 victory over Oxford and it looks like the rest of the division are chomping at the bit to show their WSL peers and supporters what they are made of too.
“The opportunities that come with being a WSL 1 club are massive and we are an ambitious club and everyone playing at this level has to go into it with the ambition to want to be promoted,” says Yeovil Town manager Sarah Lawler (above, right, with players).
“At the end of the day we’re not here to make up the numbers, we are here because we’ve got the right structure and the right attitude to play at this level.”
Like Yeovil, Aston Villa, Doncaster Belles, Durham, London Bees, Millwall, Oxford United, Reading, Sunderland and Watford are also full of ambition to shine in this inaugural Division 2 season.
“Now it’s all happening everybody is so excited and wants it to go really well,” says 19-year-old Sunderland winger Rebekah Bass (left).
“I can’t wait. It’s something that you dream of now to be playing week-in week out against the Super League teams and the best teams in the country that are in the WSL 1 in the Continental Cup.
“I hope that we do very well but there’s a lot of teams in WSL 2 that will be contenders. We just have to do our best and hope for promotion.”
Sunderland get their season underway on Thursday with a tasty derby against Durham and 17-year-old Lauren Jordinson is another excited player.
“Because we’re a new team we have something to prove as to why we were put into WSL 2,” says the Durham defender (right). “We are kind of underdogs and we’ve got no history so we have to make it. The game against Sunderland is a massive local derby and is going to be big. They are one of the favourites to win the league so it will be a tough game.”
Goalkeeper Lauren Davey (left, with teamie Kate Natkiel), who has been with Watford for a decade now, admits that Sunderland and top tier veterans Doncaster Belles are the ones to watch, but hopes that there will be some surprises along the way.
“I think it’s nice to see that people aren’t sure whose going to do well so the expectation is widespread,” says the 22-year-old England under-23 international. “We always have an expectation at the club that we’re going to do the best we can and hopefully that will be to push right at the top.”
(All images: Catherine Etoe)
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