List of English women's football champions
English Women's League (1st tier) |
---|
FA Women's Super League (2011–present)
|
Country |
England Wales (some clubs) |
Founded |
1991 |
Number of teams |
12 (2022–23 season) |
Current champions |
Chelsea (2022–23) |
Most successful club |
Arsenal (15 championships) |
The English women's football champions are the winners of the highest national league in
First champions
Early 20th century
The codification of professional men's football by the Football Association in 1885 and the Football League in 1888[1] did not coincide with similar measures for the women's teams who were playing in those years.[2][3] Clubs such as the British Ladies' Football Club (founded in 1895) mainly competed in friendly matches and national tours with some success.[4][5]
Women's football had a resurgence in popularity and attendances around the country during and after the First World War.[6] During the 1920–21 season, the Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C. toured Great Britain and won 58 matches out of 59 played, with one draw.[7]
Stoke Ladies F.C. were the first known winners of a women's national knockout tournament in 1922, the English Ladies Football Association Challenge Cup,[8] played under an effective ban on women's football by the FA. The renamed Dick, Kerr team, Preston Ladies, faced Edinburgh for a (British) cup named the Ladies' Football World Championship, on at least two occasions in the 1930s. Preston won in 1937 by a 5–1 score,[9] but the trophy went to Scotland in 1939, when Edinburgh won the title, beating Preston 5–2 in an apparently longer club competition.[10][11][12]
Women's Football Association (WFA)
The WFA was founded in November 1969 as the Ladies Football Association of Great Britain, when the main women's football competitions were Regional Leagues. After the English
Southampton were the leading English team of the era, WFA Cup-winners eight times between
At this time, the WFA received a grant from
List of League champions
- Note: Bold designates teams that won a UEFA Women's Cupin 2007.
WFA National League Premier Division (1991–1994)
Season[13] | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Top scorers | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1991–92 | Doncaster Belles | Red Star Southampton | Wimbledon
|
Karen Walker (Doncaster Belles) | 36 |
1992–93 | Arsenal
|
Doncaster Belles | Knowsley United
| ||
1993–94 | Doncaster Belles (2) | Arsenal
|
Knowsley United
|
FA Women's Premier League National Division (1994–2010)
Season[13] | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Top scorers | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1994–95 | Arsenal (2)
|
Liverpool
|
Doncaster Belles | ||
1995–96 | Croydon
|
Doncaster Belles | Arsenal
| ||
1996–97 | Arsenal (3)
|
Doncaster Belles | Croydon
|
Joanne Broadhurst (Arsenal) | 21 |
1997–98 | Everton
|
Arsenal
|
Doncaster Belles | ||
1998–99 | Croydon (2)
|
Arsenal
|
Doncaster Belles | ||
1999–2000 | Croydon (3)
|
Doncaster Belles | Arsenal
| ||
2000–01 | Arsenal (4)
|
Doncaster Belles | Charlton Athletic
| ||
2001–02 | Arsenal (5)
|
Doncaster Belles | Charlton Athletic
| ||
2002–03 | Fulham
|
Doncaster Belles | Arsenal
| ||
2003–04 | Arsenal (6)
|
Charlton Athletic
|
Fulham
| ||
2004–05 | Arsenal (7)
|
Charlton Athletic
|
Everton
|
Trudy Williams (Bristol Rovers) | 20 |
2005–06 | Arsenal (8)
|
Everton
|
Charlton Athletic
|
Kelly Smith (Arsenal) | 18 |
2006–07 | Arsenal (9)†
|
Everton
|
Charlton Athletic
|
Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal) | 29 |
2007–08 | Arsenal (10)
|
Everton
|
Leeds United
|
Lianne Sanderson (Arsenal) | 25 |
2008–09 | Arsenal (11)
|
Everton
|
Chelsea
|
Kelly Smith (Arsenal) | 25 |
2009–10 | Arsenal (12)
|
Everton
|
Chelsea
|
Kim Little (Arsenal) | 17 |
FA Women's Super League (2011–present)
Season | Champions (number of titles) |
Runners-up | Third place | Top scorers | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Arsenal (13)
|
Birmingham City
|
Everton
|
Rachel Williams (Birmingham City) | 14 |
2012 | Arsenal (14)
|
Birmingham City
|
Everton
|
Kim Little (Arsenal) | 11 |
2013 | Liverpool
|
Bristol Academy | Arsenal
|
Natasha Dowie (Liverpool) | 13 |
2014 | Liverpool (2)
|
Chelsea | Birmingham City
|
Karen Carney (Birmingham) | 8 |
2015 | Chelsea | Manchester City | Arsenal
|
Beth Mead (Sunderland) | 12 |
2016 | Manchester City | Chelsea | Arsenal
|
Eniola Aluko (Chelsea) | 9 |
2017–18[a] | Chelsea (2) | Manchester City | Arsenal | Ellen White (Birmingham City) | 15 |
2018–19 | Arsenal (15)
|
Manchester City | Chelsea | Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) | 22 |
2019–20[b] | Chelsea (3) | Manchester City | Arsenal | Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal) | 16 |
2020–21 | Chelsea (4) | Manchester City | Arsenal | Sam Kerr (Chelsea) | 21 |
2021–22 | Chelsea (5) | Arsenal | Manchester City | Sam Kerr (Chelsea) | 20 |
2022–23
|
Chelsea (6) | Manchester United | Arsenal | Rachel Daly (Aston Villa) | 22 |
Total titles won
Since 1991, eight separate clubs have won an English women's national league championship. Four more clubs have been the national runners-up.
- Note: Bold designates teams competing in 2023–24 Women's Super League season.
Club | Winners | Runners- up |
Winning seasons | Runner-up seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arsenal | 15 | 4 | 1992–93, 1994–95, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011, 2012, 2018–19 |
1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2021–22 |
Chelsea | 6 | 2 | 2022–23
|
2014, 2016 |
Croydon/ |
3
|
2
|
1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000 | 2003–04, 2004–05 |
Doncaster Belles/ |
2 | 7 | 1991–92, 1993–94 | 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 |
Liverpool
|
2 | 1 | 2013, 2014 | 1994–95 |
Everton
|
1
|
5
|
1997–98 | 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 |
Manchester City | 1 | 5 | 2016 | 2015, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 |
Fulham
|
1 | 0 | 2002–03 | |
Birmingham City
|
0 | 2 | 2011, 2012 | |
Red Star Southampton | 0 | 1 | 1991–92 | |
Bristol Academy/ |
0 | 1 | 2013 | |
Manchester United | 0 | 1 | 2022–23
|
See also
- List of women's association football clubs in England
- List of Belgian women's football champions
- List of French women's football champions
- List of German women's football champions
- List of Swedish women's football champions
- List of association football competitions
Notes
- ^ The 2017 FA WSL Spring Series is not an official championship.[13]
- ^ Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the season ended early and the league was decided on a points per game basis.
References
- ^ "History of the Football League". EFL. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007.
- ^ "Lifting the lid on the hidden history of women's football". De Montfort University. 12 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013.
- ^ "The Lady Footballers: Struggling to Play in Victorian Britain". James Lee. Routledge. 2007. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Ladies' Football Match". The Standard. London. 25 March 1895 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Honeyballers: Women who fought to play football". BBC News. 26 September 2013.
- ^ "The History of Women's Football in England". England Football Association. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ "WOMEN FOOTBALLERS' FINE RECORD". Daily Mirror. London. 7 June 1921 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Brennan, Patrick. "Stoke Ladies FC". Donmouth.co.uk.
- ^ "PRESTON WOMEN CONQUER SCOTTISH FOOTBALLERS". Lancashire Evening Post. 9 September 1937. p. 7.
- ^ "Preston Sending Strong Team to Scotland". Lancashire Evening Post. 12 June 1939. p. 7.
- ^ Harkness, Jack (18 June 1939). "Scots World Title Lead". Sunday Post. p. 27.
- ^ "EDINBURGH LADIES' TEAM SUPREME". Daily Record. 8 July 1939. p. 31.
- ^ a b c d Garin, Erik; Di Maggio, Roberto. "England - List of Women Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 April 2021.