The company that runs the Women’s Super League and Championship insists it is in favour of continued promotion and relegation.
Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd took over control of the top two divisions in August and is currently looking at ways to grow and improve the sport.
Reports emerged last week ahead of a meeting of shareholders, who include all the clubs, on Friday that one of the proposals was to stop promotion and relegation for a period of time.
"For me, it doesn't work""I don't want to see it"
Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Izzy Christiansen voice their opinions on plans to scrap WSL relegation 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/2A71l8Ev0q
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) March 5, 2025
That has been met with fierce criticism from some within the game, but WPLL chief executive Nikki Doucet insisted the company values the format.
“We believe promotion and relegation is a great thing,” she said. “It makes European football distinctive from other leagues, it adds jeopardy and excitement, it’s something that we all love about the game of football and that has never been in question.
“We fundamentally believe promotion and relegation is an important differentiator and also a really important competitive advantage for us relative to other women’s sports league globally.”
Doucet added that promotion and relegation is “critical to the success of our league” but refused to confirm or deny whether it could be ended for a period and insisted no proposals are yet on the table.
She described Friday’s meeting as “the best one we’ve ever had” and revealed WPLL is reviewing whether more transparency is needed.
On the current consultation process, Doucet said: “It’s really important for us to make sure that we’re considering all of the possibilities to accelerate growth and growing in the right way.
“We wouldn’t be doing our job properly if we weren’t reviewing and considering the various options that are available to us.
“In particular, we need to see improvements in better player experiences across the entire pyramid, better fan experiences, and we really need a better player pathway for more girls of all backgrounds to have access to play football and a pathway to become a professional.
“We believe we have the best women’s football league in the world with the best players and the best fans and it’s essential for us to continue to evolve to retain that position.
“We are considering numerous options for accelerating growth, including expansion, if that is a possibility for us.”
