Tag: FA Women’s Super League

Premier League Moving to Take Over Women’s Super League

Posted on by Backline Soccer

Women’s football in Europe may see a cataclysmic shift as the clubs of the English Premier League have agreed to take over the Women’s Super League. The move paves the way for a process that could see major money flooding into the women’s game in England like never before.

Undoubtedly, English football is the wealthiest league in the world and their resources could change women’s football around the world. Already we’ve seen the progression of the English national team due to work done by Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and now Manchester United. This would add even more money from clubs that have yet to fully throw their weight behind the cause.

The next step for the clubs will be a feasibility study that could take some time to finish. No major changes are expected this season, but team’s could start supplying resources in an unofficial capacity at any point. 

Currently the Football Association runs the Women’s Super League, which would mean they need to hand off the day-to-day operations to the once outlaw Premier League. Last year they increased investment in the game by 50 million pounds over the next six years and have a significant interest in the game’s growing success.

(Note: The English Premier League works with the FA but is not a part of them after breaking away due to revenue disagreements in the early 1990s.)

Recent promotions of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have boosted the league’s notoriety as well as a 10 million pound sponsorship from Barclays. With that said, the league did suffer a bit of a setback in 2018-19 with attendance dropping below 1,000. However, teams did see the massive ratings associated with the English Women’s team advancing to the World Cup semi-final and are ready to broaden the scope with better broadcasting deals, sponsorships and even games being played in EPL stadiums.

Manchester United Sign Euro 2017 Winner Jackie Groenen

Posted on by RJ Allen

Manchester United have signed Dutch defender and Euro 2017-winning midfielder Jackier Groenen to their team as the first foreign player in the team’s history. The move comes after a successful campaign that saw United promoted from the FA Women’s Championship to the Super League for the 2019-20 season.

Groenen represents the most high-profile signing in the team’s history and their first foreign player. To this point the team has been comprised of English and Scottish players, mostly from the team’s academy. The move represents a real intent by Manchester United to boost their efforts in promoting the women’s game and giving the team the best chance of competing with the likes of current champions Arsenal.

The 24-year-old midfielder has spent the last four years with FFC Frankfurt in Germany where she made 79 appearances and scored 13 goals. She has also become a consistent face in the national team and will be featured in the Dutch World Cup team that begins play in France in less than two weeks. 

This move, coupled with a growing interest from major teams like Real Madrid to join the women’s game, shows a continued increase in investment by European teams. For many years the NWSL was considered one of the better places for women to ply their craft but now it appears that Europe is catching up at an amazing pace. Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are fielding teams in England with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and others doing the same in Spain. 

Groenen joining the English Super League means that access to the top players in Europe will not be as easy as it used to be. The options are growing for players and with the money of major teams behind them, we may be entering a Golden Age for the women’s game in Europe.

Fly Away Home: 5 Reasons Players Are Flocking Overseas

Posted on by RJ Allen

Morgan Brian is packing her bags and taking her talents to Lyon. Jessie Fleming is allegedly setting her sights on Europe. Crystal Dunn is playing very well for Chelsea Ladies FC. And Rachel Hill has found her stride in Perth. Meanwhile, what’s going on in America you ask? Well, a very poor transition of women’s soccer out of Kansas City and into Salt Lake, and, as always, a lot of the same unsteadiness that the league has been known for in the past. From not having a commissioner, to clubs not being able to make ends meet, there are a lot of reasons why players are beginning to find American club soccer less appealing. Compare that to some great options for players overseas and the NWSL is left with some real hefty competition and some cleanup work to do. In reality, there are a lot of reasons that the women’s professional leagues in Europe and Australia are looking like more of an attractive option to players here in the U.S. Here are just five of those reasons.

Stability

It’s no secret that the NWSL isn’t the most stable league in the world. But knowing that and realizing that are two different things. For the Kansas City FC women and their fans, they got that reality slap of truth this last week. In America, it isn’t always set that where you are playing one year will equate to where you are playing the next, and that isn’t just because of trades. We saw it with the Western New York Flash too. It isn’t fun for the fans to lose their team and it definitely isn’t fun for the players to up and relocate. But unless you have hit the jackpot and are playing in Portland, your future in a city or with a team isn’t guaranteed. In Europe that isn’t necessarily the case. Part of that is because the beautiful game is a way of life across the pond, but the other part is the fact that the women’s league grew off of the men’s. And sure, that isn’t necessarily the most attractive part of their stability. We would all love for a women’s league to stand by itself, but having a larger league that can offer a history of successful management, an established financial basis, and an existing fan base leads to a better chance for a successful women’s club. Is it ideal? No. But does this structure work? Absolutely. And for a player, that can look really appealing.

Money

Money isn’t everything, but it sure is something. And we live in a time where women know their worth. They certainly know that they are worth more than the NWSL’s $15,000 minimum salary. So, for many young players – and sadly some veterans – they have to swallow a bitter pill and play at a level that is way below their pay grade. And it isn’t the NWSL’s fault. There simply isn’t money available. And for international players that aren’t from the U.S. or Canada, where their paycheck is signed by the National Team, the most that can be made is only $45,000. Take that in. Marta, one of the best women to ever touch a football, can only make $45,000 playing in Orlando. So as much as we would love to have these amazing international players in the NWSL, like Amandine Henry and Nadia Nadim, we cannot blame them when they decide to go back to Europe and make a bigger paycheck.

 Skill Sets

We play women’s soccer at a very high level here in America. No one can deny that. We have the number one ranked National Team in the world, and some of the greatest depth the game has to offer. But there are some skills that we do not have. There are numerous styles of play that we do not possess. If a player is looking to become more well-rounded, then looking to Australia, France, or England may be just the ticket to get them to that next level of play (See: Rachel Hill in her past four matches with the Perth Glory). There is also the added benefit of knowing how to better play against a National Team opponent. And sure, the transition isn’t always an easy one, but it can benefit the player ten-fold if they can perform well. Take, for example, Lindsey Horan. Instead of playing college soccer, she began her professional career in France and because of that, she plays a very different style of game than the rest of her USWNT teammates. But that also leads her to create opportunities for her team that another player wouldn’t consider. It also leads to her having a different kind of strategic mindset when on the pitch. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Staying in Form

I made this point last month when I wrote about the W-League. There are great opportunities for NWSL players that do not affect their contract and give them the chance to stay in form during the offseason. For many players, especially young ones who aren’t bogged down by National Team duties, the W-League offers them a chance to further condition themselves, gain some new skills, and become acquainted with other playing structures. This is a great option for so many reasons, but the best part has to be that they get to come back and play a whole season in the NWSL as well. So for all those Americans and Aussies doing a bit of double-duty, keep on keeping on. Because a little bit of extra soccer never hurt anyone. Just ask NWSL MVP, Sam Kerr or NWSL Rookie of the Year, Ashley Hatch.

League Structure

This may not sound like a very important reason for foreign leagues to look so attractive to players here in the U.S., but there is something to be said about the opportunity to win multiple competitions while playing at a single club. In the NWSL, players can only with the NWSL Championship. They can play all season, be the best team in the league and then lose it all in the Championship Final. North Carolina knows what that’s like. And it’s awful. But then there are clubs oversees like Chelsea Ladies FC that get to play in the FA Women’s Super League, which consists of other English clubs, but also in the UEFA Women’s Champion League, which is made up of clubs across Europe. It’s more competition against different kinds of teams that only lead to more player development. It’s more opportunities to lift a trophy. And it’s more opportunities the completely dominate on multiple levels. Who doesn’t want that?

Surely there are more reasons than just these five for a player to consider playing somewhere other than the NWSL. This isn’t an exhaustive list. Not even close. And in some circumstances, these five reasons aren’t any of the ones that a player may consider when deciding to go play overseas. But the point of the matter is that the NWSL doesn’t hold the single most dominant place in women’s soccer. Not by a long shot. This league isn’t necessarily the biggest pull for professional players and we have to accept that, but we also have to look to fix it. Because what the league is doing isn’t enough. They need to stay competitive and progress. They need to do more to make the league more attractive on an international scale. But most importantly, they need to find stability. Because once they do, the other parts will begin to fall into place.