The 2020–21 FA Women's National League was 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. Starting 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 |
|---|---|
| Champions | not awarded |
| Promoted | Sunderland (awarded) Watford (awarded) |
| Relegated | none |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
The league featured 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 consisted 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 would have both qualified for a play-off match to decide the overall National League champion. Both teams were due be promoted to the FA Women's Championship.
On 4 January 2021, the National League was suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown.[3] On 15 March, all tiers of the National League were curtailed for a second consecutive season.[4] Although there was no promotion and relegation between the tiers, including promotion from tier 3 into tier 2 and relegation from tier 6 into tier 7, an alternative method of upward club movement via application and based on set criteria was suggested in order to support the stability and integrity of the women's football pyramid. All clubs from tiers 3 to 6 were eligible to apply to move into the league immediately one tier above where they currently played with applications marked against a criterion weighted 75% on-field and 25% off-field.[5] As a result, Sunderland and Watford were awarded promotion to the FA Women's Championship ahead of the 2021–22 season.[6]
Premier Division
editNorthern Division
editChanges 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 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huddersfield Town | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 15 | +16 | 25 |
| 2 | Fylde | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 11 | +18 | 19 |
| 3 | West Bromwich Albion | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 16 |
| 4 | Derby County | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 16 |
| 5 | Sunderland | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 15 |
| 6 | Nottingham Forest | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 14 |
| 7 | Stoke City | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 11 |
| 8 | Burnley | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 7 |
| 10 | Sheffield F.C. | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 29 | −18 | 6 |
| 11 | Hull City | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 5 |
| 12 | Loughborough Foxes | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 27 | −19 | 2 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Southern Division
editChanges 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.[7][8]
- Gillingham L.F.C. were renamed Gillingham W.F.C. after losing their affiliation to Gillingham F.C. during a club restructure[9]
- Yeovil Town rebranded Yeovil United
| 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 | The New Defence, Horley | 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 | Westleigh Park, Havant | 7th |
| Watford | CRY Community Stadium, Kings Langley | 2nd |
| Yeovil United | Huish Park, Yeovil | 5th |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watford | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 6 | +22 | 19 |
| 2 | Oxford United | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 6 | +16 | 18 |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 16 |
| 4 | Milton Keynes Dons | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 15 |
| 5 | Crawley Wasps | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 15 |
| 6 | Cardiff City Ladies | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 9 |
| 7 | Chichester & Selsey | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 9 |
| 8 | Yeovil United | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 8 |
| 9 | Keynsham Town | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 6 |
| 10 | Gillingham | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 6 |
| 11 | Plymouth Argyle | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 42 | −40 | 0 |
| 12 | Hounslow | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 42 | −42 | 0 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Division One
editDivision One North
editChanges 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.[10]
| 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 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester-le-Street | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 7 | +8 | 14 |
| 2 | Brighouse Town | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 10 |
| 3 | Norton & Stockton Ancients | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 8 |
| 4 | Leeds United | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| 5 | Durham Cestria | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 7 |
| 6 | Liverpool Feds | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 7 | Stockport County | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Barnsley | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 4 |
| 10 | Chorley | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 4 |
| 11 | Bradford City | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| 12 | Bolton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | −14 | 0 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Division One Midlands
editChanges 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.[11]
- Leicester United were renamed Holwell Sports after merging with Holwell Sports F.C.[12]
- 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.[13]
| 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 | Active Nation, Yarborough, 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 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 3 | +34 | 18 |
| 2 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 15 |
| 3 | Lincoln City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 27 | 8 | +19 | 13 |
| 4 | Solihull Moors | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 11 |
| 5 | Long Eaton United | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 11 |
| 6 | Boldmere St. Michaels | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 4 | +12 | 10 |
| 7 | Sporting Khalsa | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 8 |
| 8 | Bedworth United | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 18 | −10 | 6 |
| 9 | Wem Town | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 |
| 10 | Holwell Sports | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 18 | −9 | 4 |
| 11 | Burton Albion | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 47 | −41 | 3 |
| 12 | Leafield Athletic | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 26 | −20 | 1 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Division One South East
editChanges 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.[14]
| 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 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ipswich Town | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | +18 | 12 |
| 2 | Hashtag United | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 12 |
| 3 | Enfield Town | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 11 |
| 4 | Actonians | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 10 |
| 5 | Norwich City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 |
| 6 | AFC Wimbledon | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 7 |
| 7 | Cambridge United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 20 | −10 | 7 |
| 8 | Kent Football United | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 6 |
| 9 | Leyton Orient | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 |
| 10 | Cambridge City | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 24 | −14 | 4 |
| 11 | Billericay Town | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Stevenage | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 25 | −24 | 0 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Division One South West
editChanges 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 |
League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southampton F.C. | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 12 |
| 2 | Chesham United | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 8 | +15 | 12 |
| 3 | Swindon Town | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 9 |
| 4 | Buckland Athletic | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 9 |
| 5 | Exeter City | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 8 |
| 6 | Cheltenham Town | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 7 |
| 7 | Larkhall Athletic | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Maidenhead United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Southampton Women's | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 4 |
| 10 | Brislington | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 0 |
| 11 | Poole Town | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 28 | −24 | 0 |
Source: The Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "Covid in England: Professional sport to continue in national lockdown". BBC Sport. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "Women's football: FA ends 2020-21 season for tiers three to six". BBC Sport. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ Association, The Football. "FA provides update on tiers 3-6 of the Women's Football Pyramid". www.thefa.com.
- ^ "Sunderland and Watford promoted to FA Women's Championship after successful bids". Sky Sports.
- ^ "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. 15 June 2020.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ^ "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.
External links
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