![]() FA WSL trophy | |
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Arsenal 3rd WSL title 15th English title |
| Relegated | Yeovil Town |
| Champions League | Arsenal Manchester City |
| Matches played | 110 |
| Goals scored | 336 (3.05 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Vivianne Miedema (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City 7–1 West Ham United (14 October 2018) Arsenal 6–0 Reading (21 October 2018) Chelsea 6–0 Bristol City (20 February 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Yeovil Town 0–8 Chelsea (7 May 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Manchester City 7–1 West Ham United (14 October 2018) Yeovil Town 0–8 Chelsea (7 May 2019) |
| Average attendance | 1,010[1] |
← 2017–18 2019–20 → | |
The 2018–19 FA WSL was the eighth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010. It was the first season after a rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football. The previous FA WSL 2 became the Championship – eleven clubs competed in the 2018–19 FA Women's Championship.
Arsenal won their first WSL since 2012 with a 4–0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.[2]
Teams
Following restructuring of the women's game in order to provide for a fully professional Women's Super League (WSL), membership of both the first and second tier is subject to a licence, based on a series of off-the-field criteria. Yeovil Town estimated the budget needed for a WSL season at about £350,000.[3] Existing WSL teams were first offered the opportunity to bid for licences,[4] with all applying FA WSL clubs retaining their place in the first tier, with Brighton & Hove Albion from the WSL2 also offered a place in the WSL.[5] From the first tier, Sunderland were unsuccessful in their license application.[5]
This left up to two places in the WSL and up to five places in the Championship for applying clubs.[4] Fifteen applications were received for both the top two tiers,[5] and West Ham were given a licence in the second stage, so that the league is made up of 11 teams.[6]

| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2017–18 season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 | 3rd |
| Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 | 5th |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Crawley | Broadfield Stadium | 6,134 | 2nd, WSL 2 |
| Bristol City | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium | 1,500 | 8th |
| Chelsea | Kingston upon Thames | Kingsmeadow | 4,850 | 1st |
| Everton | Southport | Haig Avenue | 6,008 | 9th |
| Liverpool | Birkenhead | Prenton Park | 16,587 | 6th |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 | 2nd |
| Reading | High Wycombe | Adams Park | 9,617 | 4th |
| West Ham United | Romford | Rush Green Training Ground | 3,000 | 7th, WPL South |
| Yeovil Town | Dorchester | The Avenue Stadium | 5,229 | 10th |
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Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol City | Signed with Manchester United | 29 May 2018 | End of season (8th) | 4 July 2018 | ||
| West Ham United | End of interim period | 7 June 2018 | Pre-season | 7 June 2018 | ||
| Liverpool | Sacked | 8 June 2018 | 12 June 2018 | |||
| Yeovil Town | Appointed Director of Football | 14 June 2018 | 14 June 2018 | |||
| Liverpool | Resigned | 14 September 2018 | 11th | 26 October 2018 | ||
| Everton | Sacked | 7 November 2018 | 11th | 1 December 2018 | ||
| Birmingham City | Signed with Orlando Pride | 11 January 2019 | 4th | 21 January 2019 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal (C) | 20 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 13 | +57 | 54 | Qualification for the Champions League |
| 2 | Manchester City | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 53 | 17 | +36 | 47 | |
| 3 | Chelsea | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 46 | 14 | +32 | 42 | |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 17 | +12 | 40 | |
| 5 | Reading | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 27 | |
| 6 | Bristol City | 20 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 25 | |
| 7 | West Ham United | 20 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 23 | |
| 8 | Liverpool | 20 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 21 | 38 | −17 | 22 | |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 38 | −22 | 16 | |
| 10 | Everton | 20 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 38 | −23 | 12 | |
| 11 | Yeovil Town (R) | 20 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 11 | 60 | −49 | −3[lower-alpha 1] | Relegation to the Championship |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
Position by round
| Qualification to Champions League | |
| Relegation to Championship |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 22 | |
| 2 | Manchester City | 19 | |
| 3 | Chelsea | 12 | |
| Reading | |||
| 5 | Manchester City | 11 | |
| Arsenal | |||
| 7 | Liverpool | 10 | |
| 8 | Chelsea | 9 | |
| Arsenal | |||
| 10 | Chelsea | 8 | |
| Arsenal |
Top assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 12 | |
| 2 | Arsenal | 10 | |
| 3 | Arsenal | 8 | |
| 4 | Manchester City | 7 | |
| 5 | Chelsea | 6 | |
| Arsenal | |||
| Arsenal |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| September | Bristol City | Bristol City | [21] | ||
| October | Arsenal | Arsenal | [22][23] | ||
| November | Reading | Liverpool | [24] | ||
| December | Manchester City | Manchester City | [25][26] | ||
| January | Bristol City | Chelsea | [27][28] | ||
| February | Brighton & Hove Albion | Brighton & Hove Albion | [29][30] | ||
| March | Arsenal | Arsenal | [31][32] | ||
| April | Birmingham City | Arsenal | [33][34] | ||
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| FA WFA Players' Player of the Year | Bristol City | |
| FA WFA Goal of the Year | Arsenal | |
| FA WFA Save of the Year | Yeovil Town | |
| LMA Manager of the Year | Arsenal | |
| PFA Players' Player of the Year | Arsenal | |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | Manchester City | |
| PFA Merit Award | Manchester City | |
| FWA Footballer of the Year | Manchester City |
| PFA Team of the Year[39] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Defence | ||||||||||||
| Midfield | ||||||||||||
| Attack | ||||||||||||
See also
- 2018–19 FA WSL Cup
- 2018–19 FA Women's Championship (tier 2)
- 2018–19 FA Women's National League (tier 3 & 4)
References
- ↑ "NWSL attendance jumps 23 percent to new record in 2019". Soccer America. 13 October 2019.
- ↑ "Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead hit spectacular goals as Arsenal crushed Brighton to become champions for the first time since 2012". The Guardian. 28 April 2019.
- ↑ "Women's Super League: Restructure can help make league best in world - Katie Brazier - BBC Sport". bbc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- 1 2 "Women's Pyramid Restructure: Q&A With Katie Brazier". The FA. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Women's Super League: 15 clubs apply for WSL and Women's Championship licences - BBC Sport". bbc.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ↑ "Manchester United get Women's Championship licence; West Ham join top flight". 28 May 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
- ↑ "Willie Kirk: Manchester United Women name ex-Bristol City boss assistant coach". BBC. 28 June 2018.
- ↑ "Oxtoby appointed Vixens manager". Bristol City.
- ↑ "New West Ham United coach confirmed". www.kumb.com.
- ↑ "West Ham Ladies appoint former Chelsea & Liverpool coach Matt Beard | West Ham United". www.whufc.com.
- ↑ "Scott Rogers leaves Liverpool Ladies". Liverpool FC.
- ↑ "Liverpool Ladies appoint Doncaster Rovers Belles boss as manager". BBC. 12 June 2018.
- 1 2 "New boss for Lady Glovers". Somerset County Gazette.
- ↑ "Neil Redfearn resigns after one league game in charge". BBC. 14 September 2018.
- ↑ Pearce, James (26 October 2018). "Liverpool FC Women appoint new manager". liverpoolecho.
- ↑ Frith, Wilf (7 November 2018). "Andy Spence leaves Everton Ladies". SheKicks.
- ↑ "Willie Kirk: Everton Ladies appoint Manchester United Women assistant as manager". BBC. 1 December 2018.
- ↑ "Orlando Pride Appoints Marc Skinner as Head Coach Ahead of 2019 NWSL Season". Orlando Pride.
- ↑ Frith, Wilf (21 January 2019). "Birmingham City Women appoint Marta Tejedor as manager". SheKicks.
- ↑ "Yeovil Town Ladies: Women's Super League side to go into administration". www.bbc.com.
- ↑ "Bristol City Women: Boss Tanya Oxtoby shares praise after WSL award". 8 October 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Montemurro named LMA October Manager of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Miedema named October WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Kelly Chambers wins LMA Manager of the Month for November!". www.readingfc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Cushing wins LMA Manager of the Month award - Manchester City FC". MCFC. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Stanway named FA WSL Player of the Month". MCFC. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Oxtoby named LMA Manager of the Month". Bristol City. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ Frith, Wilf (7 February 2019). "#FAWSL / #FAWC: Cuthbert & Wiltshire win January POTM awards". She Kicks Women's Football Magazine. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "League Managers Association - LMA MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS - FEBRUARY 2019". www.leaguemanagers.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ James Hilsum (11 March 2019). "Albion Goalkeeper Named Player Of The Month". brighton&hovealbionFC. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ↑ "Montemurro named LMA March Manager of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Mead named March WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Marta Tejedor named Manager of the Month for April". Birmingham City Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Mead named April WSL Player of the Month". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ↑ "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA Player of the Year awards". 28 April 2019.
- ↑ "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA Player of the Year awards". 28 April 2019.
- ↑ "Virgil van Dijk and Vivianne Miedema win PFA Player of the Year awards". 28 April 2019.
- ↑ "Manchester City forward Nikita Parris named FWA Women's Footballer of the Year". talkSPORT. 29 April 2019.
- ↑ "PFA FA WSL Team of the Year". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
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