Winter wonderland? Women’s Super League prepares for 2017-18 kick-off | Suzanne Wrack

The switch from a summer to winter season has been a big talking point but the real interest once the action starts this weekend will be how promoted clubs fare in the two WSL divisions

This weekend the Women’s Super League starts a new chapter. Since its launch in 2011 the league has been played during the summer months, now it embarks on its maiden winter season. The gap created by the switch was filled by the Spring Series, a one-off mini-league which helped give game time to players before this summer’s European Championship finals. The WSL now has 20 teams competing across two leagues. BBC Online and BT Sport are broadcasting more games than ever before. Some of the best players in the world play in the English leagues. It’s an exciting time for women’s football.

The WSL isn’t like the men’s top two tiers. The disparity between the top of WSL1 and bottom of WSL2 is a story of professionalism versus amateurism. It’s like the Premier League all the way down to below the National Leagues condensed.

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