2022-23 Women’s Super League Preview – Sport Grill

A preview guide to everything that you need to know ahead of 2022-23 Women’s Super League season. 

Chelsea enter this season as reigning champions as they chase a fourth straight title but Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United will be in hot pursuit, especially off the back of a golden summer which saw England win 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro on home soil.

With interest in Women’s Football therefore at an all-time peak, this season promises to be bigger than ever before with record ticket sales in pre-season and increased pressure on those who featured at this summer’s Euro to now deliver at club level more than they previously did.

The new campaign however gets underway against a sombre backdrop of a country in national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, which caused the start of the season to be delayed a week with the opening round of fixtures postponed.

Now, here is a full guide to everything that you need to know ahead of the 2022-23 WSL season from dates to participating clubs and more.

Which Clubs Are Competing In 2022-23 WSL?

12 clubs will complete in the WSL this season as is traditional since the competition’s expansion in 2019-20 season.

Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Brighton & Hove Albion, Reading, Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester City all qualified by virtue of avoiding relegation at end of last season.

Birmingham City will no longer be part of the WSL following their relegation to the FA Women’s Championship at end of last season.

Their place has consequently been taken by Liverpool, who return to the top-flight after a two-season absence after winning promotion from 2021-22 FA Women’s Championship.

Following the Lionesses’ success this summer at 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro, some clubs will move selected home fixtures to the larger stadium used by their men’s teams if there are no scheduling clashes..

Reading though will play all their WSL home matches at the Madejski Stadium, which is also home to their men’s team.

Here is a full guide to all 12 teams and their home stadiums for 2022-23 season:

*Primary stadium where club will play most matches this season.

**Secondary stadium where selected fixtures will be played at home of the club’s men’s team.

How Long Will The 2022-23 WSL Season Last?

The 2022-23 WSL season will be played between 16 September 2022 – 28 May 2023, representing the longest WSL campaign since the competition switched to a winter-based league format rather than a summer league format.

There will also be a five-week festive break upon conclusion of matches held on Sunday 11 December 2022, with the WSL returning on Saturday 14 January 2023 unless the postponed opening round of fixtures is rescheduled for during this break.

Five Players To Watch Out For

With interest in Women’s Football at a record-high following the Lionesses’ success, here is a roundup of five players to watch out for across the coming season:

• Sam Kerr (Chelsea) – Kerr enters this season as the two-time Golden Boot winner for three-time consecutive champions – Chelsea, so expect to see her feature prominently amongst the goals again this season.
• Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) – Having missed out on the Golden Boot to Kerr in last two seasons, Miedema will again look to lead the goalscoring charts in chase of a third Golden Boot honour.
• Beth Mead (Arsenal) – Mead enters this season off the back of a personally historic 2021-22 campaign, so all eyes will be on her to see if she can continue to take her talent to new heights and become England’s highest-scoring WSL player now Ellen White has retired.
• Alessio Russo (Manchester United) – Having enjoyed a breakthrough summer, Russo now faces a challenge to translate her international exploits into club form as Utd chase a top-three finish.
• Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool) – After finishing as Liverpool’s top scorer in the second-tier last season, Kiernan now faces a tough test of her ability as she returns to the WSL where she struggled to make an impact at West Ham between 2018-21.

How To Watch 2022-23 WSL Season?

For a second consecutive season, BBC and Sky Sports will televise selected fixtures per matchweek across the following TV time slots*;

• Friday – 7:45pm
• Saturday – 11:30am
• Sunday – 12:30pm
• Sunday – 6:45pm

*TV time slots can change if necessary given flexibility afforded to BBC and Sky, especially on international weekends or if fixtures are rearranged for midweek evening slots depending on circumstances related to individual fixtures.

BBC will broadcast a minimum of 18 matches across BBC One and BBC Two across the season, with option for four further fixtures to be broadcast on BBC Red Button.

Sky will air up to 44 matches across the campaign with coverage shown on a mixture of Sky Sports Main Event, Premier League, Football, Mix and Sky Showcase channels.

Fixtures not chosen for televised broadcast will be available to stream on The FA Player.