Concerned WSL fans launch petition opposing plan to scrap relegation from women’s top tier

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Barclays Women's Super League country   flag.CRAWLEY, ENGLAND – MARCH 02: A elaborate presumption of a Barclays Women’s Super League country emblem wrong the stadium anterior to the Barclays Women’s Super League lucifer betwixt Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Chelsea FC astatine Broadfield Stadium connected March 02, 2025 successful Crawley, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens – The FA/The FA via […]Getty

A “concerned” WSL supporters  radical has acceptable up a petition opposing “the thought of nary relegation” from the Women’s Super League.  

Their online plea successful effect to proposals to enactment a intermission connected teams dropping into the 2nd tier, went unrecorded connected Monday.

Women's shot    players competing for the ball.Alamy
Clubs are acceptable to beryllium fixed a accidental to ballot connected proposals to temporarily intermission relegation from the WSL the Women’s Championship[/caption]
Chelsea fans waving flags successful  the stands.PA
An petition calling for supporters to person their accidental connected the connection went unrecorded connected Monday 3 February[/caption]

As of 8:30pm this evening their petition on Change.org had attracted 892 signatures.

Later this year WSL and Women’s Championship clubs are acceptable to ballot connected plans for a impermanent halt connected sides dropping down into the 2nd tier.  

The purpose would beryllium to summation the top-flight from 12 to 16 sides. 

On Sunday The Guardian reported the suggestions were enactment guardant by Women’s Professional League Limited, the shot authorization successful complaint of overseeing some divisions. . 

A ballot involving each 23 sides successful WSL and the 2nd tier is reportedly acceptable to instrumentality spot by the extremity of this term. 

The WPLL’s proposals would entail relegation from the top-flight being halted from the 2026-27 play and past returning for the 2030-31 campaign.  

Promotion of 1 squad per word from the Championship to the league would stay successful place.  

The information down the connection is to promote much concern successful top-flight women’s teams successful a bid to marque the top-flight much competitive. 

However a radical called Concerned WSL fans judge specified a determination would spell against “all English football tradition”. 

They judge pausing relegation could spell “against the interests of those extracurricular the precise apical of the shot chain”. 

And connected its Change.org page, the radical says it wants shot fans to “voice their opinion”.

It besides stated: “This petition is for each those against this thought of nary relegation and a closed league for immoderate magnitude of years, successful an effort to beryllium heard earlier having the rug pulled retired from nether our feet earlier we adjacent person a chance.”

In the archetypal twelvemonth of its beingness successful 2011 the WSL operated arsenic a closed league of 8 teams without promotion oregon relegation. 

A 2nd tier was established successful 2014 and was initially called WSL 2 earlier being renamed the Women’s Championship. 

Calls for the WSL’s enlargement person been made successful the past by immoderate of the game’s astir influential figures. 

These see ex-Chelsea brag Emma Hayes who present manages the United States women’s nationalist team. 

Laia Aleixandri of Manchester City WFC successful  enactment   during a shot    match.Alamy
Plans to grow the WSL from 12 to 16 teams would impact a intermission connected relegation for 4 seasons[/caption]

Back successful 2023 the past Blues main stated much teams should beryllium added successful bid to turn the game.

In October that year, Hayes said: “I deliberation the question we should beryllium asking is, ‘when are we going to marque our league a small spot bigger?’ 

“It’s clip to grow. It’s clip to spell from 12 to 16 oregon 18 teams.”

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