WSL takeover: a new era for women's football?

Split from governing body comes in wake of record crowds, TV audiences and revenue in the women's game

Photo collage of a female footballer's feet kicking a comically large pound coin.
(Image credit: Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images)

Women's football in the UK is "set for a seismic shake-up" as the two top divisions will be owned and run by the clubs themselves. 

The Women's Super League and the Women's Championship were under the jurisdiction of the game's governing body, the Football Association (FA), said the Daily Mirror. But the FA has confirmed that a new independent organisation named "NewCo" will take over both divisions when the current season ends in May, after all 24 clubs voted in favour. 

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.