The Women’s Super League is back and is set to be the biggest season yet following England’s triumph at Euro 2022.
It will get under way a week later than planned after the first round of fixtures was postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Last season’s runners-up Arsenal kick off the campaign on Friday evening when they host Brighton.
But who are the favourites this time around? Will the battle for Champions League qualification be the most competitive yet? And how can you follow this season’s action? Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022-23 WSL season.
Season set to break records
WSL ticket sales have soared on the back of England’s memorable success at this summer’s Euros.
Arsenal are set to break the WSL attendance record of 38,262 after selling more than 40,000 tickets for the north London derby against Tottenham this month, which will be played at Emirates Stadium.
Manchester United start their campaign on Saturday against Reading at Leigh Sports Village – which was also a venue in the Women’s Euros – and it is expected to be the biggest WSL attendance ever at the ground.
More than 6,500 tickets have already been sold for the midday kick-off, with the previous record attendance of 4,835 set in 2018.
And it is not just the top clubs experiencing an increase in spectator interest. Reading, who finished eighth out of 12 last season, have five times the amount of season ticket holders compared with last year, while Brighton have also seen record demand.
It is understood every WSL club has agreed to host at least one game at a men’s stadium this season.
Last weekend’s postponed fixtures would have seen Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton and Reading all play their matches at their male counterparts’ grounds.
Instead, what is now the opening weekend of the season will see two of the six fixtures take place at the larger stadiums – with Aston Villa and Leicester playing at Villa Park and King Power Stadium.
England’s Euros-winning captain Leah Williamson told BBC Sport: “If I was a fan who wanted to watch a league, this would be the best league in the world without a shadow of a doubt. I think it’s the most competitive league in the world, which to me makes it the best one to watch.”
Who are the big hitters?
It is going to be a difficult task to knock defending champions Chelsea off their perch. Emma Hayes’ side are going for a fourth consecutive WSL title having pipped Arsenal to the 2021-22 trophy on the final day of the season.
The Blues have won six of the past eight WSL titles; the teams who denied them in that period were Manchester City in 2016 and the Gunners in 2018-19.
Last season they completed the league and FA Cup Double to add to the domestic treble they won the previous campaign.
London rivals Arsenal will undoubtedly be among the favourites to challenge again this year, having missed out on the title by just one point last season and also being the only team to avoid defeat against Chelsea in the league.
Swede Jonas Eidevall begins his second year at the helm for the Gunners and will hope his side can replicate their strong start last season, when they claimed a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chelsea in their opening game and led the table for a large part of the campaign.
For a club with Arsenal’s pedigree it has been a barren few years for silverware, with their last trophy coming when they claimed the league title in 2019.
Manchester City, who have finished runners-up in six of the past eight seasons, have had an eventful summer. They have lost some huge players, including England internationals Keira Walsh, Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Ellen White, along with Scotland star Caroline Weir.
They also had the disappointment of missing out on Champions League qualification after losing a qualifier to Real Madrid, so it will be interesting to see how Gareth Taylor’s side start the domestic season.
Their local rivals Manchester United will be hoping to capitalise and bridge the gap to the traditional top three. After finishing fourth in all three seasons since joining the WSL in 2019, they will be hoping this is the campaign they finally secure a Champions League spot.
Who are the players to watch?
The Lionesses became household names during this summer’s Euros – and the WSL will provide plenty of opportunities to see them in action again, with 18 of the 23 players in the Euros-winning squad set to feature.
Of those, 16 play for Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea.
Chloe Kelly – who scored the winning goal against Germany in the final – and Lauren Hemp are among the contingent at Manchester City, who will be reshaping their team after the departures of the likes of White, Bronze and Walsh.
Striker Alessia Russo, who lit up the Euros with her audacious backheel in England’s semi-final win over Sweden, will look to push on this season at Manchester United, along with another Euros goalscorer in Ella Toone.
Arsenal’s Beth Mead will be hoping to continue her rich vein of form, having recently been nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or to add to her summer of plaudits – she won player of the tournament and the Golden Boot at the Euros, having scored six goals for England.
Alongside her at Arsenal is England captain Leah Williamson, who will look to guide her team to WSL glory having done the same for her country.
Two of the league’s most successful imports – Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema and Australia striker Sam Kerr – are likely to be favourites once again to finish top of the league’s goalscoring charts.
The WSL’s record goalscorer Miedema, who was heavily linked with Barcelona at the end of last season before signing a new contract with Arsenal in May, finished top in 2019 and 2020.
But the past two seasons have seen her surpassed by Chelsea’s Kerr, whose 20 goals in their title-winning campaign included two spectacular volleys on the final day of the WSL in May.
Clubs have also been busy bringing new faces to the league over the summer. Among those to keep an eye on are Sweden forward Lina Hurtig, who is an exciting addition for Arsenal from Juventus.
Chelsea have bolstered their defence with Champions League winners Kadeisha Buchanan from Lyon, and Eve Perisset from Bordeaux, while Spain forward Lucia Garcia and Australia striker Mary Fowler will hope to make big impacts at Manchester United and Manchester City respectively.
What else to look out for?
Founding WSL members Liverpool make their return after a two-year hiatus. The Reds, who won back-to-back WSL titles in 2013 and 2014, were relegated to the Championship in 2020 and it has taken them two seasons to get back into England’s top flight.
Matt Beard’s side, who remain one of just four teams ever crowned league winners, had been due to travel to Reading for their first game. But the postponements last weekend means they now face one of the toughest possible openers – hosting champions Chelsea on Sunday.
“We have to consolidate our position in the WSL, but we also have to strive for being back among the top [teams] and winning titles and being back really competitive at the top of the table,” said Reds captain Niamh Fahey.
Meanwhile, two clubs have new faces in charge for this campaign.
West Ham have appointed former Hammers player Paul Konchesky to replace Olli Harder, stepping up from his role as assistant manager. It could be a make-or-break season for the club, who have lost some key players including hugely experienced defender Gilly Flaherty.
Everton also have a new manager in Danish coach Brian Sorensen, who joins from Danish top-flight club Fortuna Hjorring.
The Toffees experienced a turbulent time last season with three different coaches at the helm – Willie Kirk, who was sacked in October, Jean-Luc Vasseur who was dismissed after in February after 10 games, followed by interim boss Chris Roberts.
How to follow the WSL
The BBC will show one fixture per week as part of the three-year rights deal with the WSL – 22 games in total – while Sky will broadcast two matches per weekend and the FA Player will stream the rest of the games.
The BBC will also have live text commentary on every match on the BBC Sport website and app along with weekend previews, reports and the latest news.
You can also watch highlights on the Women’s Football Show – the WSL version of Match of the Day – which is broadcast on Sunday nights on BBC One.
