2020–21 FA Women's National League
The 2020–21 FA Women's National League is the 29th season of the competition, and the third since a restructure and rebranding of the top four tiers of English football by The Football Association. Began in 1992, it was previously known as the FA Women's Premier League.[1] It sits at the third and fourth levels of the women's football pyramid, below the FA Women's Championship and above the eight regional football leagues.[2]
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
← 2019–20 | |
The league features six regional divisions: the Northern and Southern divisions at level three of the pyramid, and below those Division One North, Division One Midlands, Division One South East, and Division One South West. The league consists of 71 teams, divided into six divisions of twelve teams apart from Division One South West which contains 11 teams. At the end of the season the winners of the Northern and Southern Premier divisions will both qualify for a play-off match which will decide the overall National League champion. Both teams will be promoted to the FA Women's Championship.
Premier Division
Northern Division
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley | Arbories Memorial Sports Ground, Padiham | 5th |
| Derby County | The Don Amott Arena, Derby | 2nd |
| Fylde | Mill Farm, Wesham | 9th |
| Huddersfield Town | The Stafflex Arena, Kirkburton | 6th |
| Hull City | Dransfield Stadium, North Ferriby | 11th |
| Loughborough Foxes | Loughborough University Stadium, Loughborough | 10th |
| Middlesbrough | Bedford Terrace, Billingham | 8th |
| Nottingham Forest | Eastwood CFC, Eastwood | 3rd |
| Sheffield F.C. | Home of Football Ground, Dronfield | 12th |
| Stoke City | Clayton Wood, Stoke-on-Trent | 4th |
| Sunderland | Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground, Hetton-le-Hole | 1st |
| West Bromwich Albion | Walsall Wood, Walsall | 7th |
Southern Division
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
- Chichester City were renamed Chichester & Selsey Ladies after dropping their affiliation to Chichester City F.C.[3][4]
- Gillingham L.F.C. were renamed Gillingham W.F.C. after losing their affilation to Gillingham F.C. during a club restructure[5]
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiff City | CCB Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach | 6th |
| Chichester & Selsey | The High Street Ground, Selsey | 12th (as Chichester City) |
| Crawley Wasps | East Court, East Grinstead | 1st |
| Gillingham | Maidstone Road Sports Ground, Chatham | 9th |
| Hounslow | Honeycroft, West Drayton | 11th |
| Keynsham Town | The AJN Stadium, Keynsham | 10th |
| MK Dons | Stadium MK, Milton Keynes | 8th |
| Oxford United | Marsh Lane, Marston | 3rd |
| Plymouth Argyle | Manadon Sports Hub, Plymouth | 4th |
| Portsmouth | The Kendall Stadium, Portsmouth | 7th |
| Watford | CRY Community Stadium, Kings Langley | 2nd |
| Yeovil Town | The Avenue Stadium, Dorchester | 5th |
Division One
Division One North
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
- Bolton Wanderers reverted to their original name of Bolton Ladies after dropping their affiliation to Bolton Wanderers F.C.[6]
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | Barnsley FC Academy, Barnsley | 1st |
| Bolton Ladies | Kensite Stadium, Atherton | 9th (as Bolton Wanderers) |
| Bradford City | Plumpton Park, Bradford | 12th |
| Brighouse Town | The Yorkshire Payments Stadium, Brighouse | 3rd |
| Chester-le-Street | Moor Park, Chester Moor | 7th |
| Chorley | Victory Park Stadium, Chorley | 11th |
| Durham Cestria | The Graham Sports Centre, Durham | 5th |
| Leeds United | Thorp Arch, Wetherby | 2nd |
| Liverpool Feds | I.M. Marsh Campus, Liverpool | 4th |
| Newcastle United | Druid Park, Newcastle upon Tyne | 6th |
| Norton & Stockton Ancients | Norton Teesside Sports Complex, Stockton-on-Tees | 8th |
| Stockport County | Stockport Sports Village, Stockport | 10th |
Division One Midlands
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
- Birmingham & West Midlands were renamed Boldmere St. Michaels after merging with Boldmere St. Michaels F.C.[7]
- Leicester United were renamed Holwell Sports after merging with Holwell Sports F.C.[8]
- The New Saints (TNS) were renamed Wem Town after TNS announced the decision to fold their women's side and the team re-affiliated with Wem Town F.C.[9]
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Bedworth United | The Oval, Bedworth | 3rd |
| Boldmere St. Michaels | Trevor Brown Memorial Ground, Sutton Coldfield | 2nd (as Birmingham & West Midlands) |
| Burton Albion | The Lamb Ground, Tamworth | 12th |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | Oxford Street, Rossington | 10th |
| Holwell Sports | Welby Road, Asfordby Hill | 7th (as Leicester United) |
| Leafield Athletic | Stockingford Pavilion, Nuneaton | 9th |
| Lincoln City | Ashby Avenue, Lincoln | 5th |
| Long Eaton United | Grange Park, Long Eaton | 6th |
| Solihull Moors | West Midland Sports & Social Club, Birmingham | 11th |
| Sporting Khalsa | The Aspray Arena, Willenhall | 8th |
| Wem Town | Butler Sports Centre, Wem | 4th (as TNS) |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | CKW Stadium, Castlecroft, Wolverhampton | 1st |
Division One South East
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
- AFC Basildon were renamed Hashtag United after merging with Hashtag United F.C.[10]
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Actonians | Rectory Park, Northolt | 7th |
| AFC Wimbledon | War Memorial Sports Ground, Sutton | 2nd |
| Billericay Town | AGP Arena, Billericay | 4th |
| Cambridge City | The Ellgia Stadium, Ely | 11th |
| Cambridge United | Recreation Way, Mildenhall | 8th |
| Enfield Town | Queen Elizabeth II Stadium, Enfield | 6th |
| Hashtag United | Park Lane, Canvey Island | 3rd (as AFC Basildon) |
| Ipswich Town | The Goldstar Ground, Felixstowe | 1st |
| Kent Football United | Glentworth Sports Club, Kent | 12th |
| Leyton Orient | Mile End Stadium, Bow, London | 5th |
| Norwich City | Plantation Park, Blofield | 9th |
| Stevenage | Hertingfordbury Park, Hertford | 10th |
Division One South West
Changes from last season:
- Following the curtailment of the 2019–20 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020, it was decided there would be no promotion or relegation in the National League.
| Club | Home ground | Position 2019–20 |
|---|---|---|
| Brislington | Brislington Stadium, Brislington | 8th |
| Buckland Athletic | Homers Heath, Newton Abbot | 7th |
| Cheltenham Town | Petersfield Park, Cheltenham | 4th |
| Chesham United | The Meadow, Chesham | 5th |
| Exeter City | Clifford Hill Training Ground, | 3rd |
| Larkhall Athletic | Plain Ham, Larkhall | 6th |
| Maidenhead United | York Road Stadium, Maidenhead | 9th |
| Poole Town | Dorset County F.A. County Ground, Poole | 10th |
| Southampton F.C. Women | Testwood Stadium, Totton | 1st |
| Southampton Women's F.C. | Gang Warily Recreation Ground, Southampton | 2nd |
| Swindon Town | Cinder Lane, Fairford | 11th |
See also
- 2020–21 FA Women's National League Cup
- 2020–21 FA Women's National League Plate
- 2020–21 FA WSL (tier 1)
- 2020–21 FA Women's Championship (tier 2)
References
- "About the FA WPL". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- "Naming of restructured women's league pyramid confirmed". thefa.com. The Football Association. 26 February 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- "Confused? Don't be! Chichester City Ladies are nothing to do with Chichester City Women". www.chichester.co.uk.
- "Club Named Change Announcement". www.pitchero.com.
- "Gillingham Ladies Senior Team". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com.
- "Bolton Ladies set to go it alone after severing ties with Wanderers". The Bolton News.
- "Boldmere St. Michaels Women rebrand". www.themikesfc.co.uk.
- Hadley, Craig (4 June 2020). "Leicester United become Holwell Sports ahead of next season". Midland Women's Soccer.
- "The New Saints Ladies split from parent club to become Wem Town LFC". BBC Sport. 9 August 2020.
- "'Hours from folding' – how AFC Basildon became Hashtag United Women FC". Guardian. 4 May 2020.
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