2020–21 FA WSL

The 2020–21 FA WSL season (also known as the Barclays FA Women's Super League for sponsorship reasons) was the tenth edition of the FA Women's Super League (WSL) since it was formed in 2010.[1] It was the third season after the rebranding of the four highest levels in English women's football.

FA WSL
Season2020–21
Dates5 September 2020 – 9 May 2021
ChampionsChelsea
4th title
RelegatedBristol City
Champions LeagueChelsea
Manchester City
Arsenal
Matches played132
Goals scored413 (3.13 per match)
Top goalscorerSam Kerr
(21 goals)
Biggest home winChelsea 9–0 Bristol City
(13 September 2020)
Biggest away winWest Ham United 1–9 Arsenal
(12 September 2020)
Highest scoringWest Ham United 1–9 Arsenal
(12 September 2020)
Longest winning run12 matches
Manchester City
Longest unbeaten run16 matches
Manchester City
Longest winless run13 matches
Birmingham City
Longest losing run5 matches
Bristol City

From the 2020–21 season, the FA WSL was given three Champions League places per season, increased from the previous two.[2]

Chelsea were the defending champions, having been awarded the 2019–20 title on a points-per-game basis following the curtailment of the season due to COVID-19 pandemic in England.[3][4] They became the first team since Liverpool in 2014 to defend a WSL title.

Teams

Twelve teams contested the FA WSL this season. At the end of the previous season, Liverpool were relegated while Aston Villa were promoted.[5]

Locations of the 2020–21 FA WSL teams
TeamLocationGroundCapacity2019–20 season
ArsenalBorehamwoodMeadow Park4,5023rd
Aston VillaWalsallBescot Stadium11,000WC, 1st
Birmingham CitySolihullDamson Park3,05011th
Brighton & Hove AlbionCrawleyBroadfield Stadium6,1349th
Bristol CityBathTwerton Park3,52810th
ChelseaKingston upon ThamesKingsmeadow4,8501st
EvertonLiverpoolWalton Hall Park2,2006th
Manchester CityManchesterAcademy Stadium7,0002nd
Manchester United LeighLeigh Sports Village12,0004th
ReadingReadingMadejski Stadium24,1615th
Tottenham HotspurCanons ParkThe Hive Stadium6,5007th
West Ham UnitedDagenhamVictoria Road6,0788th

Stadium changes

Four teams changed home ground prior to the start of the season: Reading relocated from Adams Park in High Wycombe to the Madejski Stadium, home of the team's male affiliate since it was constructed in 1998.[6] Newly-promoted Aston Villa signed a two-year deal with Walsall to play their home games at Bescot Stadium, moving from the Trevor Brown Memorial Ground[7] and West Ham United signed a one-year deal with Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. to play at Victoria Road for the season having previously played at the club's Rush Green training ground stadium.[8] In a bid to enable increased attendances amid COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures, Bristol City announced they were moving from the 1,500 capacity Stoke Gifford Stadium in Filton which had been purpose-built by the club in 2011 ahead of the first WSL season, to Twerton Park, an 3,528 capacity stadium home to Bath City.[9][10]

Personnel and kits
Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Arsenal Joe Montemurro Kim Little Adidas Fly Emirates
Aston Villa Marcus Bignot (interim) Marisa Ewers Kappa Cazoo
Birmingham City Carla Ward Christie Murray Nike Biffa
Brighton & Hove Albion Hope Powell Danielle Buet Nike American Express
Bristol City Matt Beard (maternity cover) Jasmine Matthews Hummel Yeo Valley
Chelsea Emma Hayes Magdalena Eriksson Nike Three
Everton Willie Kirk Lucy Graham Hummel MegaFon
Manchester City Gareth Taylor Steph Houghton Puma Etihad Airways
Manchester United Casey Stoney Katie Zelem Adidas Chevrolet
Reading Kelly Chambers Natasha Harding Macron YLD
Tottenham Hotspur Rehanne Skinner Josie Green Nike AIA
West Ham United Olli Harder Gilly Flaherty Umbro Betway

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Manchester City Alan Mahon (interim) End of interim period 2 February 2020 Pre-season Gareth Taylor 28 May 2020[11]
Birmingham City Charlie Baxter (interim) End of interim period 3 March 2020 Carla Ward 13 August 2020[12]
West Ham United Matt Beard Mutual consent[13] 19 November 2020 9th Billy Stewart (interim) 19 November 2020
Tottenham Hotspur Karen Hills
Juan Carlos Amorós		 Sacked[14] 19 November 2020 11th Rehanne Skinner 19 November 2020[15]
West Ham United Billy Stewart (interim) End of interim period 23 December 2020 10th Olli Harder 23 December 2020[16]
Bristol City Tanya Oxtoby Maternity leave 15 January 2021 12th Matt Beard (interim) 15 January 2021[17]
Aston Villa Gemma Davies Retained head coach role 25 January 2021 11th Marcus Bignot (interim) 25 January 2021[18]

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Chelsea (C) 22 18 3 1 69 10 +59 57 Qualification for the Champions League Group Stage
2 Manchester City 22 17 4 1 65 13 +52 55 Qualification for the Champions League second round
3 Arsenal 22 15 3 4 63 15 +48 48 Qualification for the Champions League first round
4 Manchester United 22 15 2 5 44 20 +24 47
5 Everton 22 9 5 8 39 30 +9 32
6 Brighton & Hove Albion 22 8 3 11 21 41 −20 27
7 Reading 22 5 9 8 25 41 −16 24
8 Tottenham Hotspur 22 5 5 12 18 41 −23 20
9 West Ham United 22 3 6 13 21 39 −18 15
10 Aston Villa 22 3 6 13 15 47 −32 15
11 Birmingham City 22 3 6 13 15 44 −29 14[lower-alpha 1]
12 Bristol City (R) 22 2 6 14 18 72 −54 12 Relegation to the Championship
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. On 7 May 2021, Birmingham City were deducted one point for fielding an ineligible player in a draw against Reading on 25 April 2021.[19]

Results
Home \ Away ARS ASV BIR BHA BRI CHE EVE MCI MNU REA TOT WHU
Arsenal — 0–0 3–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 4–0 1–2 2–0 6–1 6–1 2–0
Aston Villa 0–4 — 0–1 0–2 2–2 0–4 0–6 0–2 0–2 2–2 1–0 0–0
Birmingham City 0–4 1–1 — 0–0 1–1 0–1 0–4 0–4 2–5 1–1 0–1 1–2
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–5 0–2 2–0 — 3–1 0–1 0–5 1–7 1–0 1–3 2–0 1–0
Bristol City 0–4 0–4 0–4 3–0 — 0–5 0–4 0–3 0–1 3–2 2–2 0–4
Chelsea 3–0 2–0 6–0 1–2 9–0 — 4–0 3–1 2–1 5–0 4–0 3–2
Everton 1–2 3–1 1–1 2–2 4–0 0–3 — 0–3 0–2 1–1 1–0 3–1
Manchester City 2–1 7–0 4–0 0–0 8–1 2–2 1–0 — 3–0 1–0 4–1 4–0
Manchester United 1–0 3–0 2–0 3–0 6–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 — 0–2 4–1 2–0
Reading 1–1 3–1 0–1 3–2 1–1 0–5 1–1 1–1 1–2 — 0–0 0–5
Tottenham Hotspur 0–3 3–1 W.O.[lower-alpha 1] 3–1 1–1 0–2 2–3 0–3 0–1 1–1 — 1–1
West Ham United 1–9 0–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–1 2–4 0–1 0–1 —
Source: The FA
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
  1. Independent tribunal awarded three points to Tottenham after Birmingham failed to fulfil the fixture due to a player shortage. No scoreline was specified.

Season statistics

Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals[20]
1 Sam Kerr Chelsea 21
2 Vivianne Miedema Arsenal 18
3 Fran Kirby Chelsea 16
4 Caitlin Foord Arsenal 10
Chloe Kelly Manchester City
Ellen White Manchester City
7 Pernille Harder Chelsea 9
Ella Toone Manchester United
9 Caroline Weir Manchester City 8
Inessa Kaagman Brighton & Hove Albion

Top assists
RankPlayerClubAssists[21]
1 Chloe Kelly Manchester City 11
Fran Kirby Chelsea
Katie McCabe Arsenal
4 Bethany England Chelsea 9
Beth Mead Arsenal
6 Lauren Hemp Manchester City 8
7 Sam Kerr Chelsea 7
8 Izzy Christiansen Everton 6
Erin Cuthbert Chelsea
10 Lucy Bronze Manchester City 5
Caitlin Foord Arsenal
Hayley Ladd Manchester United
Vivianne Miedema Arsenal
Ella Toone Manchester United
Ellen White Manchester City

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets[22]
1 Ann-Katrin Berger Chelsea 12
2 Ellie Roebuck Manchester City 11
3 Mary Earps Manchester United 10
4 Lydia Williams Arsenal 7
5 Sandy MacIver Everton 6
Megan Walsh Brighton & Hove Albion
Lisa Weiß Aston Villa
8 Hannah Hampton Birmingham City 4
Manuela Zinsberger Arsenal
10 Courtney Brosnan West Ham United 3
Grace Moloney Reading

Awards

Monthly awards
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Ref.
Manager Club Player Club
September Hope Powell Brighton & Hove Albion Jill Roord Arsenal [23]
October Carla Ward Birmingham City Vivianne Miedema Arsenal [24]
November Casey Stoney Manchester United Tobin Heath Manchester United [25]
December Casey Stoney Manchester United Leah Galton Manchester United [26]
January Emma Hayes Chelsea Fran Kirby Chelsea [27]
February Hope Powell Brighton & Hove Albion Lucy Bronze Manchester City [28]
March Joe Montemurro Arsenal Lotte Wubben-Moy Arsenal [29]
April Joe Montemurro Arsenal Sam Kerr Chelsea [30][31]

Annual awards
Award Winner Club
Barclays FA WSL Player of the Season Fran Kirby[32] Chelsea
Barclays FA WSL Manager of the Season Emma Hayes[32] Chelsea
PFA Players' Player of the Year Fran Kirby[33] Chelsea
PFA Young Player of the Year Lauren Hemp[33] Manchester City
FWA Footballer of the Year Fran Kirby[34] Chelsea
PFA Team of the Year[35]
Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea)
Defenders Maren Mjelde (Chelsea) Leah Williamson (Arsenal) Magdalena Eriksson (Chelsea) Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
Midfielders Caroline Weir (Manchester City) Sam Mewis (Manchester City)
Forwards Chloe Kelly (Manchester City) Fran Kirby (Chelsea) Lauren Hemp (Manchester City) Sam Kerr (Chelsea)

See also

References
  1. "The History of Women's Football". Football Association. The Football Association. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  2. "Women's Super League to get extra Champions League spot from 2021". The Guardian. 4 December 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  3. "Statement: FA Barclays WSL and Women's Championship season ended". womenscompetitions.thefa.com.
  4. "Chelsea handed Women's Super League title on points-per-game basis". The Guardian. 5 June 2020.
  5. Wrack, Suzanne (5 June 2020). "Chelsea handed Women's Super League title on points-per-game basis". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  6. "Reading Women: Top-flight side to move to Madejski Stadium". BBC Sport. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. "Villa Women to play at Walsall FC from 2020/21 season". Aston Villa. 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  8. "West Ham United women's team reveal new matchday home". www.whufc.com. West Ham United. 29 July 2020.
  9. Leighton, Tony (25 April 2010). "Bristol Academy builds Britain's first women's stadium". The Guardian.
  10. "New home for City Women". Bristol City. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  11. "Manchester City Women appoint Gareth Taylor as manager". The Guardian. 28 May 2020.
  12. "Carla Ward appointed Women's Head Coach". Birmingham City Football Club.
  13. Wrack, Suzanne (19 November 2020). "West Ham undertake WSL reshuffle as manager Matt Beard leaves". The Guardian.
  14. "Karen Hills and Juan Amoros leave Club". Tottenham Hotspur.
  15. "Rehanne Skinner appointed new Tottenham Hotspur Women Head Coach". Tottenham Hotspur.
  16. "WSL side West Ham appoint Harder as boss". BBC Sport.
  17. "Beard in temporary charge as Oxtoby cover". Bristol City.
  18. "Marcus Bignot joins Aston Villa Women as Interim Manager". Aston Villa Football Club.
  19. "Blues Women deducted one point". Birmingham City Football Club.
  20. "The FA Women's Super League Top Scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  21. "The FA Women's Super League Top Scorers - Top Assists". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  22. "Women's Super League Goalkeeper Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  23. Stenning, Adam (9 October 2020). "Albion head coach wins manager of the month award". The Argus.
  24. Ambrose, Lewis (9 November 2020). "FA WSL reveal Player and Manager of the Month for October". OneFootball.
  25. Carney, Sam (11 December 2020). "Casey Stoney and Tobin Heath win WSL awards for November". www.manutd.com. Manchester United.
  26. Dunn, Carrie (15 January 2021). "Galton and Stoney pick up December WSL awards". Manchester Evening News.
  27. "Hayes and Kirby win manager and player of the month awards". Chelsea Football Club. 17 February 2021.
  28. Spencer, Jamie (12 March 2021). "Lucy Bronze & Hope Powell win WSL monthly awards for February". 90min.com.
  29. Ouzia, Malik (16 April 2021). "Arsenal pair Montemurro and Wubben-Moy sweep WSL March awards". London Evening Standard.
  30. Bunting, Josh (9 May 2021). "Arsenal boss Montemurro picks up second straight manager of the month award". Islington Gazette.
  31. "Kerr scoops April's Player of the Month award". Chelsea FC.
  32. Ouzia, Malik (24 May 2021). "Chelsea star Kirby named WSL Player of the Season". www.standard.co.uk.
  33. "Chelsea star Kirby wins women's PFA Players' Player of the Year as Hemp wins Young Player of the Year award". www.goal.com.
  34. "Kirby named FWA women's player of year". BBC Sport.
  35. "Chelsea players, including Fran Kirby and Sam Kerr, dominate PFA WSL Team of the Year". Sky Sports.
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