Winter Wonderland For Women's Super League?

The recent announcement that the Women’s Super League will revert to a winter season from 2017 is a welcome move, I feel, especially in the light of the hugely disjointed fixture schedule that has made the 2016 WSL campaign a very stop-start affair.

That was predicted by many when the fixtures for the season were announced and there are lots of examples of clubs who have had large gaps between matches followed by a short, busy spell.

Since its formation in 2011 the WSL has been played from March to October and I think that helped to establish the league as something different from what had gone before and truly make it the apex of the women’s game in the UK.

The boost to attendances from the 2015 World Cup was well-documented but this summer has seen the competition slip back a little in the battle for media attention.

Reverting back to a winter season has clear benefits at the top level where clubs have gone into European competition at a disadvantage to their opponents and the changes also have the backing of the national team manager Mark Sampson.

With a settled calendar, where supporters know exactly when and where their team are playing, I don’t see why attendances shoud suffer any dip (and maybe people are more attuned to going to football in the winter months where there are fewer competing attractions.

It could also see stronger links forged with the men’s game, as England striker Eni Aluko said in her column for the BBC website recently, with double-header fixtures or more offers of reduced admission to WSL matches.

Aluko will hope to be involved when England play their final home qualifier for the Euro 2017 (a place at the finals in Holland having already been secured) against Estonia at Notts County’s Meadow Lane ground on Thursday September 15 at 7:05pm. 

Tickets are priced at £7.50 Adults, £3.50 Concessions and a £15 Family ticket (2+2) is available by phone booking only.

The Continental Cup final, meanwhile, will take place at the Academy Stadium home of Manchester City Women on Sunday 2 October at 3pm.

Tickets are priced at £7 Adults, £3 Concessions and £15 Family.