FOLLOWING England’s performance at the Women’s World Cup the nation officially has football fever.
The Lionesses may not have won the FIFA tournament but they have sparked a huge interest in women’s football, leading many fans to question when the Women’s Super League will be back.
Manager Emma Hayes of Chelsea won the FA Women’s Super League in May 2023 with players Magdalena Eriksson and Millie BrightEddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images
When does the Women’s Super League return?
The Women’s Super League (WSL), also known as the Barclays Women’s Super League, was established in 2010.
It is the highest league of women’s football in England.
The FA has confirmed that the first games of the WSL 2023/24 season will take place on Sunday, October 1.
The upcoming season is staring later than last year’s due to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which ended on August 20.
England made it to the final of the competition but lost to Spain 1-0.
The matches taking place on October 1 are:
Arsenal v Liverpool Aston Villa v Manchester United Bristol City v Leicester City Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur Everton v Brighton & Hove Albion West Ham United v Manchester City
The full set of fixtures for the 2023/24 season can be found on The FA Women’s League website.
The WSL will pause around a week before Christmas, after the weekend of December 16 and 17.
Games will then resume in January 2024, with the first matches of the year scheduled for January 21.
The season will then come to an end on the weekend of May 18 and 19.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Chelsea successfully retained their title by defeating Reading.
The win marked Chelsea’s fourth consecutive – and sixth overall – WSL title.
Which England Lionesses play in the Women’s Super League?
A number of players who travelled to Australia and New Zealand as part of Sarina Wiegman‘s World Cup squad play for clubs in the WSL.
Beth Mead, Leah Williamson, Nikita Parris, and Lotte Wubben-Moy play for Arsenal while Hannah Hampton plays for Aston Villa.
Millie Bright, Jess Carter, Frank Kirby and Bethany England, meanwhile, play for Chelsea.
Manchester City boasts five Lionesses on its line-up, with Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp, Demi Stokes, Chloe Kelly and Ellie Roebuck all on the squad.
Rivals Manchester United have Mary Earps, Ella Toone and Alessia Russo on their team.
How to watch the WSL
Like last season, WSL matches will be available to watch on the BBC, Sky Sports or the Football Association website.
Sky Sports will show two games a week, while the BBC will broadcast one match live each week
Any games not broadcast on TV will be available to watch on the FA Player for free.