2018–19_FA_WSL
2018–19 FA WSL
Eighth season of the top English women's association football league
The 2018–19 FA WSL was the eighth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the first season after a rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football. The previous FA WSL 2 became the Championship – eleven clubs competed in the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship.
Quick Facts Season, Champions ...
FA WSL trophy | |
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Arsenal 3rd WSL title 15th English title |
| Relegated | Yeovil Town |
| Champions League | Arsenal Manchester City |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Goals scored | 336 (3.05 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Vivianne Miedema (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City 7–1 West Ham United (14 October 2018) Arsenal 6–0 Reading (21 October 2018) Chelsea 6–0 Bristol City (20 February 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Yeovil Town 0–8 Chelsea (7 May 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Manchester City 7–1 West Ham United (14 October 2018) Yeovil Town 0–8 Chelsea (7 May 2019) |
| Average attendance | 1,010[1] |
← 2017–18 2019–20 → | |
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Arsenal won their first WSL since 2012 with a 4–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.[2]
Following restructuring of the women's game in order to provide for a fully professional Women's Super League (WSL), membership of both the first and second tier is subject to a licence, based on a series of off-the-field criteria. Yeovil Town estimated the budget needed for a WSL season at about £350,000.[3] Existing WSL teams were first offered the opportunity to bid for licences,[4] with all applying FA WSL clubs retaining their place in the first tier, with Brighton & Hove Albion from the WSL2 also offered a place in the WSL.[5] From the first tier, Sunderland were unsuccessful in their license application.[5]
This left up to two places in the WSL and up to five places in the Championship for applying clubs.[4] Fifteen applications were received for both the top two tiers,[5] and West Ham were given a licence in the second stage, so that the league is made up of 11 teams.[6]
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Locations of the 2018–19 WSL 1 teams
More information Team, Location ...
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2017–18 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 | 3rd |
| Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 | 5th |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium | 6,134 | 2nd, WSL 2 |
| Bristol City | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium | 1,500 | 8th |
| Chelsea | Kingston upon Thames | Kingsmeadow | 4,850 | 1st |
| Everton | Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 | 9th |
| Liverpool | Birkenhead | Prenton Park | 16,587 | 6th |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 | 2nd |
| Reading | High Wycombe | Adams Park | 9,617 | 4th |
| West Ham United | Romford | Rush Green Training Ground | 3,000 | 7th, WPL South |
| Yeovil Town | Dorchester | The Avenue Stadium | 5,229 | 10th |
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Managerial changes
More information Team, Outgoing manager ...
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City |  Willie Kirk[7] |
Signed with Manchester United | 29 May 2018 | End of season (8th) |  Tanya Oxtoby[8] |
4 July 2018 |
| West Ham United |  Karen Ray[9] |
End of interim period | 7 June 2018 | Pre-season | Matt Beard[10] |
7 June 2018 |
| Liverpool | Scott Rodgers[11] |
Sacked | 8 June 2018 | Neil Redfearn[12] |
12 June 2018 | |
| Yeovil Town | Jamie Sherwood[13] |
Appointed Director of Football | 14 June 2018 | Lee Burch[13] |
14 June 2018 | |
| Liverpool | Neil Redfearn[14] |
Resigned | 14 September 2018 | 11th | Vicky Jepson[15] |
26 October 2018 |
| Everton | Andy Spence[16] |
Sacked | 7 November 2018 | 11th | Willie Kirk[17] |
1 December 2018 |
| Birmingham City | Marc Skinner[18] |
Signed with Orlando Pride | 11 January 2019 | 4th |  Marta Tejedor[19] |
21 January 2019 |
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More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 20 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 13 | +57 | 54 | Qualification for the Champions League |
| 2 | Manchester City | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 47 | |
| 3 | Chelsea | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 46 | 14 | +32 | 42 | |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 17 | +12 | 40 | |
| 5 | Reading | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 27 | |
| 6 | Bristol City | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 25 | |
| 7 | West Ham United | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 23 | |
| 8 | Liverpool | 20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 21 | 38 | −17 | 22 | |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 38 | −22 | 16 | |
| 10 | Everton | 20 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 38 | −23 | 12 | |
| 11 | Yeovil Town (R) | 20 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 60 | −49 | −3[lower-alpha 1] | Relegation to the Championship |
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Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Yeovil Town deducted 10 points for entering administration.[20]
More information Home \ Away, ARS ...
| Home \ Away | ARS | BIR | BRH | BRI | CHE | EVE | LIV | MCI | REA | WHU | YEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | — | 3–1 | 4–1 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 4–3 | 3–0 |
| Birmingham City | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–4 | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–6 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Bristol City | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| Chelsea | 0–5 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 6–0 | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 |
| Everton | 0–4 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Liverpool | 1–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 5–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | — | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Manchester City | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 7–1 | 2–1 |
| Reading | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–4 | — | 1–2 | 4–0 |
| West Ham United | 2–4 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 |
| Yeovil Town | 0–7 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–8 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–5 | 0–5 | — |
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Updated to match(es) played on 11 May 2019. Source: FA WSL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
More information Team ╲ Round, Arsenal ...
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Birmingham City | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Bristol City | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Everton | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Liverpool | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Manchester City | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Reading | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| West Ham United | 11 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Yeovil Town | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
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| Qualification to Champions League | |
| Relegation to Championship |
Updated to match(es) played on 11 May 2019. Source: FA WSL
Top scorers
More information Rank, Player ...
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vivianne Miedema |
Arsenal | 22 |
| 2 | Nikita Parris |
Manchester City | 19 |
| 3 | Bethany England |
Chelsea | 12 |
| Fara Williams |
Reading | ||
| 5 | Georgia Stanway |
Manchester City | 11 |
| Daniëlle van de Donk |
Arsenal | ||
| 7 | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk |
Liverpool | 10 |
| 8 | Fran Kirby |
Chelsea | 9 |
| Jordan Nobbs |
Arsenal | ||
| 10 | Erin Cuthbert |
Chelsea | 8 |
| Kim Little |
Arsenal |
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Monthly awards
More information Month, Manager of the Month ...
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| September | Tanya Oxtoby |
Bristol City | Sophie Baggaley |
Bristol City | [21] |
| October | Joe Montemurro |
Arsenal | Vivianne Miedema |
Arsenal | [22][23] |
| November | Kelly Chambers |
Reading | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk |
Liverpool | [24] |
| December | Nick Cushing |
Manchester City | Georgia Stanway |
Manchester City | [25][26] |
| January | Tanya Oxtoby |
Bristol City | Erin Cuthbert |
Chelsea | [27][28] |
| February | Hope Powell |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Sophie Harris |
Brighton & Hove Albion | [29][30] |
| March | Joe Montemurro |
Arsenal | Beth Mead |
Arsenal | [31][32] |
| April | Marta Tejedor |
Birmingham City | Beth Mead |
Arsenal | [33][34] |
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Annual awards
More information Award, Winner ...
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| FA WFA Players' Player of the Year | Sophie Baggaley |
Bristol City |
| FA WFA Goal of the Year | Beth Mead |
Arsenal |
| FA WFA Save of the Year | Megan Walsh |
Yeovil Town |
| LMA Manager of the Year | Joe Montemurro |
Arsenal |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Vivianne Miedema[35] |
Arsenal |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Georgia Stanway[36] |
Manchester City |
| PFA Merit Award | Steph Houghton[37] |
Manchester City |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Nikita Parris[38] |
Manchester City |
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More information PFA Team of the Year ...
| PFA Team of the Year[39] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Sophie Baggaley (Bristol City) | |||||||||||
| Defence | Hannah Blundell (Chelsea) |
Aoife Mannion (Birmingham City) |
Steph Houghton (Manchester City) |
Demi Stokes (Manchester City) | ||||||||
| Midfield |  Ji So-Yun (Chelsea) |
Kim Little (Arsenal) |
 Lia Wälti (Arsenal) | |||||||||
| Attack | Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) |
Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea) |
Nikita Parris (Manchester City) | |||||||||
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- 2018–19 FA WSL Cup
- 2018–19 FA Women's Championship (tier 2)
- 2018–19 FA Women's National League (tier 3 & 4)
- "NWSL attendance jumps 23 percent to new record in 2019". Soccer America. 13 October 2019.
- "Women's Super League: Restructure can help make league best in world - Katie Brazier - BBC Sport". bbc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- "Women's Pyramid Restructure: Q&A With Katie Brazier". The FA. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- "Women's Super League: 15 clubs apply for WSL and Women's Championship licences - BBC Sport". bbc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- "Manchester United get Women's Championship licence; West Ham join top flight". 28 May 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
- "Oxtoby appointed Vixens manager". Bristol City.
- "New West Ham United coach confirmed". www.kumb.com.
- "Scott Rogers leaves Liverpool Ladies". Liverpool FC.
- "Liverpool Ladies appoint Doncaster Rovers Belles boss as manager". BBC. 12 June 2018.
- "New boss for Lady Glovers". Somerset County Gazette.
- "Neil Redfearn resigns after one league game in charge". BBC. 14 September 2018.
- Pearce, James (26 October 2018). "Liverpool FC Women appoint new manager". liverpoolecho.
- Frith, Wilf (7 November 2018). "Andy Spence leaves Everton Ladies". SheKicks.
- "Willie Kirk: Everton Ladies appoint Manchester United Women assistant as manager". BBC. 1 December 2018.
- Frith, Wilf (21 January 2019). "Birmingham City Women appoint Marta Tejedor as manager". SheKicks.
- "Bristol City Women: Boss Tanya Oxtoby shares praise after WSL award". 8 October 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Montemurro named LMA October Manager of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Miedema named October WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Kelly Chambers wins LMA Manager of the Month for November!". www.readingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Cushing wins LMA Manager of the Month award - Manchester City FC". MCFC. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Stanway named FA WSL Player of the Month". MCFC. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Oxtoby named LMA Manager of the Month". Bristol City. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- Frith, Wilf (7 February 2019). "#FAWSL / #FAWC: Cuthbert & Wiltshire win January POTM awards". She Kicks Women's Football Magazine. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "League Managers Association - LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS - FEBRUARY 2019". www.leaguemanagers.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- James Hilsum (11 March 2019). "Albion Goalkeeper Named Player Of The Month". brighton&hovealbionFC. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- "Montemurro named LMA March Manager of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Mead named March WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Marta Tejedor named Manager of the Month for April". Birmingham City Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Mead named April WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- "Manchester City forward Nikita Parris named FWA Women's Footballer of the Year". talkSPORT. 29 April 2019.
- "PFA FA WSL Team of the Year". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.