The 2014 FA WSL was the fourth season of the
FA WSL
The Women's Super League (WSL), currently known as the Barclays Women's Super League (BWSL) for sponsorship reasons, is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features t ...
, the top-level women's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
league of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The season began on 30 March and ended on 12 October.
Liverpool L.F.C.
Liverpool Football Club Women is an English women's football club, founded in 1989 as ''Newton LFC'' and subsequently renamed ''Knowsley United WFC'' and ''Liverpool Ladies''. A founding member of the top-tier FA Women's Super League in 2011, L ...
are the defending champions from the
2013 FA WSL
The 2013 FA WSL was the third season of the FA WSL, the top-level women's Association football, football league of England. The season began on 14 April and ended on 29 September.
Arsenal were the defending champions, having won their ninth co ...
. The top two teams qualify for the
2015–16 UEFA Women's Champions League
The 2015–16 UEFA Women's Champions League was the 15th edition of the European women's club football championship organised by UEFA, and the 7th edition since being rebranded as the UEFA Women's Champions League.
The final was played at the Map ...
.
Beginning in the 2014 season, the WSL added a second division, the WSL 2. Because the divisions are interconnected, WSL 1 teams face the risk of relegation for the first time in the league's history. There is, however, no connection to the third level
Women's Premier League, so WSL 2 teams cannot be relegated. WSL 1 consists of eight teams while the WSL 2 is made up of ten.
Starting places in both divisions were granted based on applications sent in by clubs, so
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
were able to enter its newly created women's team directly into the WSL 1. The governing body announced it will partially fund teams in the league, awarding £70,000 to clubs in WSL1 and £23,000 in WSL2.
Team changes
* Lincoln Ladies were renamed Notts County Ladies and relocated from Lincoln to Nottingham.
* Barnet were renamed London Bees.
* Durham were a newly formed team admitted to the WSL 2.
* Due to the new format, several movements between various leagues took place.
FA WSL 1
Original FA WSL 2 teams
FA WSL 1
Liverpool retained the title on goal difference, after they and Chelsea finished level on 26 points. Everton were relegated to the WSL 2 for the 2015 season after 21 years as a top flight club.
Table
Results
Top scorers
FA WSL 2
The Doncaster Rovers Belles challenged for promotion until the final day, due to a 2-1 win over Sunderland. Sunderland won the inaugural WSL 2 on the final day, with a 4-0 win over Millwall Lionesses.
Table
Results
Top scorers
FA WSL Cup
The 2014 edition of the
FA WSL Cup
The FA Women's League Cup is a league cup competition in English women's association football. The competition was originally open to the eight teams in the FA WSL, but since the WSL's restructuring to two divisions, it has featured 23 teams. Pr ...
sees 18 teams play for the title. Teams are divided into three groups of six. The group winners plus the best runners-up advance to the semi-finals. Arsenal are the defending champions. The cup is played along with the season, the first matches are held on 30 April 2014.
Group 1
Arsenal advanced as best runners-up, having more points than the other second placed teams.
Group 2
Group 3
Knockout stage
Semi-finals were drawn after the group stage and not predetermined. All teams play in the WSL 1. Arsenal reached their fourth final in as many years and meet Manchester City.
Final
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their home ...
'
Adams Park
Adams Park is an association football stadium in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Built in 1990, it is the home ground of the local Wycombe Wanderers in League One. It was also leased from 2002 to 2014 to the rugby union club London Was ...
was to stage the final match. The match was broadcast live on
BT Sport
BT Sport is a group of broadcasting of sports events, pay television sports channels in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports#Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe properties, Warner Bros. Dis ...
.
References
External links
Official websiteSeasonat soccerway.com
League Cupat soccerway.com
{{2014–15 in European women's football (UEFA)
Women's Super League seasons
1
1