Chelsea begin their quest for sixth straight WSL title at dawn of new era

Chelsea begin their quest for a sixth straight Women’s Super League title at the dawn of a new era for English women’s football.

The 2024-25 campaign is the first since the WSL and Championship moved out from under the umbrella of the Football Association and under the control of a new, independent entity called Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL).

Led by CEO Nikki Doucet and backed by a £20m interest-free loan from the Premier League, WPLL is seeking to grow the top two tiers of the pyramid with the benefit of time, resource and personnel that was not possible under the old FA model.

As part of the new company, the FA has a special share and representation on the WPLL board, similar to what they have with the Premier League, but Doucet has remained adamant that the future of the women’s game must be forged from its own unique context.

While some hoped a new and lucrative long-term broadcast deal would be secured ahead of this season, WPLL have instead agreed a one-year rollover of a previous three-year agreement with Sky and the BBC widely believed to be worth about £24million.

As Doucet and her team continue to carve out what English women’s football culture looks and feels like in 2024, so too are clubs challenged with their own dilemmas.

The growing popularity of the league and its players has resulted in individual teams wrestling with how to balance historically important interactions with increasing demands on players’ time.

Chelsea have announced that Blues players will no longer be able to stop for autographs and selfies in or outside their Kingsmeadow home,  promising more structured signing sessions and other events – something Manchester City already began to implement last season.

Chelsea have announced a new approach to fan engagement (Mike Egerton/PA)

The defending champions also have a new leader for the first time in 12 years after Emma Hayes left to take up her new post as US women’s national team head coach.

Her successor, former Lyon boss Sonia Bompastor, arrives at Stamford Bridge with Champions League titles as both a player and manager – something Hayes never achieved in her tenure.

Of the seven new Blues arrivals, perhaps none is more notable than Lionesses defender Lucy Bronze, herself a five-time Champions League winner with Lyon and Barcelona – but never as a member of an English club.

Chelsea are not the only side to have made a splash in the summer market.

Last season’s title came down to goal difference on the final day, when Manchester City came agonisingly close to securing a second WSL trophy in their history.

Gareth Taylor’s eight new additions include Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema, who signed for City on a three-year deal following the expiration of her Arsenal contract last season.

Miedema’s old and new clubs as ever remain in the mix, while Liverpool will be looking to carry forward their positive momentum after finishing fourth last campaign – just their second season after earning promotion back to the top flight in 2022.

Brighton are also an intriguing prospect after a busy summer.

Dario Vidosic was appointed head coach in August, while Albion brought in a whopping 11 new players – including England Euro 2022 champions Fran Kirby and Nikita Parris.

The retired Australia international was one of four new WSL bosses appointed this summer, joining Bompastor, Aston Villa’s Robert de Pauw and Leicester’s  Amandine Miquel – a list, notably, missing a homegrown name.

There will be one more English boss in the mix, however, after Crystal Palace earned promotion at the end of last season – with Laura Kaminski set to lead out her side against Tottenham on Sunday.

It will mark the beginning of the first season in WSL history where every women’s top-flight club has been attached to Premier League clubs – organisations, despite doubts from some corners, Doucet has insisted all believe in a brighter future for the women’s game.