2021–22 FA Women's National League

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
FA Women's National League
Season2021–22
→

The 2021–22 FA Women's National League is the 30th season of the competition, and the fourth since a restructure and rebranding of the top four tiers of English football by The Football Association. Starting in 1992, it was previously known as the FA Women's Premier League. It sits at the third and fourth levels of the women's football pyramid, below the FA Women's Championship and above the eight regional football leagues.[1]

The league features six regional divisions: the Northern and Southern Premier divisions at level three of the pyramid, and Division One North, Division One Midlands, Division One South East, and Division One South West at the fourth level. The league consists of 76 teams, divided into six divisions of 13 teams apart from the Southern Premier Division which contains 14 teams, Division One North which contains 12 teams, and Division One South West which contains 11 teams. At the end of the season the winners of the Northern and Southern Premier divisions will qualify for a play-off match to decide the overall National League champion. The winner will be promoted to the FA Women's Championship.

Premier Division[]

Northern Division[]

Changes from last season:

  • Following the second consecutive curtailment of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, it was decided that upward club movement within the women's football pyramid would be done via application. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[2]
  • Sunderland were promoted to FA Women's Championship via application.[3]
  • Brighouse Town were promoted from Division One North via application.[4]
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers were promoted from Division One Midlands via application.[5]
  • Loughborough Foxes merged with Loughborough University's performance team to become Loughborough Lightning.[6]

League table[]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 16 12 3 1 38 12 +26 39 Championship playoff
2 Derby County 18 11 3 4 37 15 +22 36
3 Fylde 16 10 4 2 37 14 +23 34
4 Nottingham Forest 18 10 3 5 29 15 +14 33
5 Huddersfield Town 16 10 2 4 37 18 +19 32
6 Burnley 17 9 3 5 39 20 +19 30
7 Brighouse Town 14 7 3 4 36 22 +14 24
8 West Bromwich Albion 16 5 4 7 18 24 −6 19
9 Stoke City 18 5 1 12 25 45 −20 16
10 Loughborough Lightning 16 4 3 9 21 41 −20 15
11 Middlesbrough 17 4 1 12 21 44 −23 13 Relegation to FA WNL Division One
12 Sheffield F.C. 14 2 1 11 11 39 −28 7
13 Hull City 16 0 3 13 8 49 −41 3
Updated to match(es) played on 6 March 2022. Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Results[]

Home \ Away BHT BUR DER FYL HUD HUL LOU MID NOT SHE STO WBA WOL
Brighouse Town — 2–3 1–0 5–0 2–1 4–1 2–3 1–1
Burnley 0–1 — 1–0 2–2 4–0 3–0 1–4 6–1 3–4 3–0
Derby County — 0–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 4–0 5–0 0–0 0–1
Fylde 5–2 2–0 — 3–0 2–0 6–1 2–1 4–1 4–0 1–1
Huddersfield Town 1–1 1–3 3–0 — 2–0 2–1 2–0 5–1 2–3
Hull City 1–5 0–3 — 1–3 0–0 0–6 1–4 0–0 0–5
Loughborough Lightning 5–4 0–3 1–5 2–2 — 1–2 3–0 1–5 2–1
Middlesbrough 0–5 1–3 0–2 0–3 1–3 2–1 — 1–2 4–1
Nottingham Forest 1–1 0–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 4–0 3–2 — 3–1 1–0 0–3
Sheffield F.C. 0–4 0–6 4–0 1–1 0–2 — 1–0
Stoke City 1–1 0–2 2–3 2–3 1–2 2–6 0–1 2–1 — 0–4
West Bromwich Albion 2–0 1–3 5–0 0–0 2–1 1–0 — 0–3
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 3–2 0–0 3–2 2–0 1–0 5–0 2–0 —
Updated to match(es) played on 6 March 2022. Source: The Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Southern Division[]

Changes from last season:

  • Following the second consecutive curtailment of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, it was decided that upward club movement within the women's football pyramid would be done via application. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[2]
  • Watford were promoted to FA Women's Championship via application.[3]
  • London Bees were relegated from FA Women's Championship on sporting merit.
  • Ipswich Town were promoted from Division One South East via application.[7]
  • Southampton F.C. were promoted from Division One South West via application.[8]
  • Yeovil United became Bridgwater United W.F.C. after merging with men's club Bridgwater Town.[9]

League table[]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Ipswich Town 19 15 3 1 59 9 +50 48 Championship playoff
2 Oxford United 19 15 2 2 54 10 +44 47
3 Southampton F.C. 14 12 1 1 56 4 +52 37
4 Gillingham 19 10 5 4 24 24 0 35
5 Bridgwater United 18 10 3 5 33 10 +23 33
6 London Bees 21 9 2 10 43 39 +4 29
7 Crawley Wasps 17 9 0 8 31 25 +6 27
8 Portsmouth 18 7 4 7 39 22 +17 25
9 Cardiff City Ladies 19 7 2 10 24 32 −8 21[a]
10 Plymouth Argyle 17 6 0 11 27 42 −15 18
11 Milton Keynes Dons 20 4 5 11 21 34 −13 17 Relegation to FA WNL Division One
12 Keynsham Town 19 5 0 14 21 74 −53 15
13 Chichester & Selsey 18 4 1 13 15 50 −35 13
14 Hounslow 16 0 0 16 0 72 −72 0
Updated to match(es) played on 9 March 2022. Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ Cardiff City were deducted one point for failing to fulfil a fixture against Southampton on 9 October 2021. Deducted further one point for failing to fulfil another fixture

Results[]

Home \ Away BWU CAR CHI CRA GIL HOU IPS KEY LON MKD OXF PLY POR SOU
Bridgwater United — 30 Mar 4–0 3–1 0–0 1 May 0–1 9–0 3 Apr 2–0 27 Mar 3–0 17 Apr 0–2
Cardiff City Ladies 0–1 — 3–2 17 Apr 0–1 4–0 13 Mar 2–1 4–1 3–2 0–3 1–5 0–1 20 Mar
Chichester & Selsey 1–0 1–2 — 1 May 20 Mar 17 Apr 0–4 3–1 0–5 27 Mar 1–0 2–1 6 Apr 0–2
Crawley Wasps 20 Mar 3–0 5–0 — 13 Apr 6 Apr 0–2 4–2 1–2 1–0 1–0 10 Apr 3–2 30 Mar
Gillingham 0–0 24 Apr 4–1 1–0 — 2–0 0–3 10 Apr 2–1 0–0 1 May 3–2 3–0 27 Mar
Hounslow 0–3 27 Mar 3 Apr 13 Mar 0–3 — 0–6 0–1 0–1 0–1 30 Mar 0–2 0–11 0–9
Ipswich Town 1–0 1–0 10 Apr 1–0 0–0 9–0 — 11–2 17 Apr 3–0 24 Apr 27 Mar 1–1 3 Apr
Keynsham Town 0–2 0–2 2–1 3–1 13 Mar 20 Mar 2–5 — 2–0 2–1 0–3 1–5 27 Mar 14 Apr
London Bees 0–3 5–1 1–1 1–5 4–0 5–0 1–3 5–1 — 1–1 1–2 1 May 13 Mar 23 Mar
Milton Keynes Dons 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–2 5–0 0–0 1 May 1–5 — 13 Mar 3–1 10 Apr 0–1
Oxford United 3–0 2–0 3–0 3–1 2–0 7–0 3–1 3 Apr 5–1 5–1 — 3–0 3–1 1–1
Plymouth Argyle 28 Apr 2–1 13 Mar 3 Apr 1–3 24 Apr 0–5 5–0 0–3 20 Mar 0–5 — 2–1 0–3
Portsmouth 0–2 0–0 3–1 2–3 0–0 3–0 1 May 6–1 2–0 3 Apr 1–1 5–1 — 0–1
Southampton F.C. 13 Mar 1 May 8–0 3–0 9–0 10 Apr 0–2 9–0 5–0 3–1 27 Apr 17 Apr 20 Apr —
Updated to match(es) played on 9 March 2022. Source: The Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Division One[]

Division One North[]

Changes from last season:

  • Following the second consecutive curtailment of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, it was decided that upward club movement within the women's football pyramid would be done via application. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[2]
  • Brighouse Town were promoted to Northern Premier Division via application.[4]
  • were promoted from North East Regional Women's Football League via application.[2]
  • F.C. United of Manchester were promoted from North West Women's Regional Football League via application.[10]
  • Bolton Ladies folded and withdrew from the league prior to the start of the 2021–22 season.
Club Home ground Position 2020–21
St James Park, Alnwick NEWRFL, N/A
Barnsley Barnsley FC Academy, Barnsley N/A
Bradford City Plumpton Park, Wrose N/A
Moor Park, Chester Moor N/A
Blainscough Park, Coppull N/A
The Graham Sports Centre, Durham N/A
F.C. United of Manchester Broadhurst Park, Moston NWWRFL, N/A
Leeds United Ings Lane, Tadcaster N/A
Liverpool Feds Jericho Lane, Liverpool N/A
Newcastle United Druid Park, Woolsington N/A
Station Road, Norton, County Durham N/A
Stockport County Stockport Sports Village, Stockport N/A

Division One Midlands[]

Changes from last season:

  • Following the second consecutive curtailment of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, it was decided that upward club movement within the women's football pyramid would be done via application. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[2]
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers were promoted to Southern Premier Division via application.[5]
  • were promoted from West Midlands Regional Women's Football League via application.[2]
  • were promoted from East Midlands Regional Women's Football League via application.[11]
Club Home ground Position 2020–21
The Oval, Bedworth N/A
Trevor Brown Memorial Ground, Sutton Coldfield N/A
Hillsfield, Rocester N/A
Doncaster Rovers Belles Oxford Street, Rossington N/A
Welby Road, Asfordby Hill N/A
Leafield Athletic Dickens Heath Sports Club, Solihull N/A
Harrison Park, Leek WMRWFL, N/A
Lincoln City Moorlands Sports Ground, Lincoln N/A
Grange Park, Long Eaton N/A
Mick George Training Academy, Orton EMRWFL, N/A
Damson Park, Solihull N/A
Aspray Arena, Willenhall N/A
Wem Town Butler Sports Centre, Wem N/A

Division One South East[]

Changes from last season:

  • Following the second consecutive curtailment of the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021, it was decided that upward club movement within the women's football pyramid would be done via application. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[2]
  • Ipswich Town were promoted to Southern Premier Division via application.[7]
  • were promoted from Eastern Region Women's Football League via application.[12]
  • were promoted from London and South East Women's Regional Football League via application.[13]
  • Leyton Orient were rebranded after Leyton Orient severed ties with the club.[14]
Club Home ground Position 2020–21
Actonians Rectory Park, Northolt N/A
AFC Wimbledon War Memorial Sports Ground, Carshalton N/A
Billericay Town New Lodge, Billericay N/A
The Demcom Stadium, Ely N/A
Rowley Park, St Neots N/A
Enfield Town Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield N/A
The Harlow Arena, Harlow ERWFL, N/A
Hashtag United Park Lane, Canvey Island N/A
Kent Football United Glentworth Sports Club, Kent N/A
Hornchurch Stadium, Upminster N/A (as Leyton Orient)
Norwich City The Nest, Horsford N/A
Powerday Stadium, Perivale LSEWRFL, N/A
Hertingfordbury Park, Hertford N/A

Division One South West[]

Changes from last season:

Club Home ground Position 2020–21
Potterne Park, Verwood SRWFL, N/A
Homers Heath, Newton Abbot N/A
Cheltenham Town Corinum Stadium, Cirencester N/A
The Meadow, Chesham N/A
Exeter City Cullompton Cricket Club, Cullompton N/A
Larkhall Sports Club, Larkhall N/A
York Road, Maidenhead N/A
Dorset County Ground, Poole N/A
Bristol Road, Portishead SWRWFL, N/A
Southampton Women's F.C. Arlebury Park, New Alresford N/A
Swindon Town Cinder Lane, Fairford N/A

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Naming of restructured women's league pyramid confirmed". thefa.com. The Football Association. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Upward club movement within the women's football pyramid confirmed for 2021-22". www.thefa.com.
  3. ^ a b "Sunderland and Watford promoted to FA Women's Championship after successful bids". Sky Sports.
  4. ^ a b "Brighouse boss backs side to succeed as promotion finally secured". Bradford Telegraph and Argus.
  5. ^ a b "Wolves Women heading up the leagues". www.wolves.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Loughborough football merger creates new Lightning team". Loughborough University.
  7. ^ a b "Tractor Girls learn of promotion". Suffolk News.
  8. ^ a b "Southampton FC Women granted promotion". Southampton FC.
  9. ^ "Football clubs united under new name". Somerset County Gazette.
  10. ^ "FC United's women's team accepted into National League Division One North". www.fc-utd.co.uk.
  11. ^ "Women's Team Secure Deserved Promotion". Peterborough United.
  12. ^ "The Hawks are going up". Harlow Town.
  13. ^ "QPR FC Women are going up". Queens Park Rangers.
  14. ^ "Leyton Orient sever ties with women's team". BBC.
  15. ^ "Women's team promoted to National League". AFC Bournemouth.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""