Liverpool and other WSL clubs are set to discuss and vote on a plan to suspend or remove relegation as they look to grow the top flight of the Women’s game in the UK.
While the Liverpool FC Women’s squad and other teams are fully focused on the current season, the club leaderships across the newly formed Women’s Professional League Ltd (WPLL) are in discussion for a proposal to be voted on at the end of the season that will drastically alter the structure of the league. The proposed plan is to suspend relegation for at least four years to grow both the top flight and the second division to 16 teams each. If agreed upon, relegation would stop in the 2026-27 season until at least the 2030-31 season.
During the four year period, clubs could be promoted from a lower tier to a higher tier, but no clubs would be relegated. The method for promotion is still under discussion as clubs and league leadership try to determine the use on-field performance versus licensing criteria.
This is the first major vote for the clubs of the WPLL since it was formed this summer. A two-thirds majority will be required for any plan to pass. It is currently believed that the general proposal has been met with positivity from the clubs, with the belief that no threat of relegation will lead to clubs investing more in their squads, ultimately creating a more competitive league over all.
When the WSL was under the purview of the FA, the focus of the league was primarily on building a sustained core group of domestic players to feed the national team. The shift in leadership of the WSL is now focused on growing the on-field product as a whole. This has lead to proposals such as the aforementioned plan to suspend or completely remove relegation. According to the Guardian, a club source within the WSL feels encouraged about the direction the WPLL leadership are headed.
“The new leadership have shown they’re willing to do things differently and look at new ideas, which is encouraging. They have developed an interesting concept and [are] giving us all something to think about.”