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2 weeks ago
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Allowing B teams from Women’s Super League and Championship clubs to play in the Women’s National League has been proposed as part of plans to restructure tiers three to six of the English women’s pyramid from the 2026-27 season.
A detailed proposal by the Football Association, seen by the Guardian, also includes the expansion of the regional leagues in tiers three and four to 14 teams per division, and the introduction of a playoff system to increase the number of teams promoted and relegated between tiers three-four and four-five.
The 27-page document, sent to clubs as part of an ongoing consultation process, proposes that B teams could enter anywhere between tier four and six but that there would be a promotion ceiling limiting B teams from progressing higher than tier three.
Additionally, no B team would be able to play higher than two tiers below their first team, meaning that, for example, a Championship side’s B team could not play higher than tier four.
There is no mention in the proposal of any potential expansion of the WSL and Championship, which have been run independently since August by Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL). Tiers three and below are operated by the FA.
An FA spokesperson told the Guardian: “It is our long-term objective to enhance the structure of tiers three to six of the women’s football pyramid to best serve clubs, players and fans. To fulfil that objective, we are undertaking a thorough review and consultation of the current pyramid system with all clubs and key stakeholders. No decisions stemming from this review have yet been made and we look forward to the two-way dialogue with clubs and stakeholders.”
No final decisions will be made by the relevant boards until March or April. Before then, clubs will have the chance to engage with the proposal through roadshows and online sessions and there is expected to be a player survey to allow for players’ feedback. The WPLL did not wish to comment when contacted by the Guardian.
There is space for 366 teams across tiers three to six, divided regionally, but this could rise to 420 if the proposals get the go-ahead.
Tier three, which is split into a northern and southern division, would go from two leagues of 12 to two of 14. Tier four’s four regional divisions of 12 would also grow to 14 teams each, with six slots allocated for Professional Game Academies – run by clubs in the WSL and Championship – to join with their B teams. Further B teams could join tier five.
There would be a large expansion of tier six, which has 16 divisions but could become as many as 24 regional leagues with 10 teams per league. This would mean up to 52 vacancies, which would be filled by a mixture of B teams and National League reserve teams.
There would be no change in the number of teams promoted to the Championship (two) but three rather than two teams would be relegated to tier four from each of the tier-three divisions. The four league winners in tier four would be promoted and the runners-up would enter playoffs to determine two new promotion spots.
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The FA’s proposals are part of a strategy aimed at “narrowing the gap from youth to senior football” and ensuring the pyramid helps develop young talent, according to the document. Clubs were consulted for their views at an earlier stage of the process.
Top-tier clubs are said to have given feedback that they feel the current competition for their academy teams does not challenge players enough to develop them for their first teams and beyond.
Adding WSL and Championship B teams to the lower levels of the pyramid would be controversial but some grassroots clubs are understood to be excited about the prospect of larger divisions and the introductions of playoffs. Several clubs have lamented the bottlenecks of teams getting stuck in the lower tiers after narrowly missing out on promotion, frustrated at the single promotion spots.
Conversely, there is understood to be unease at some lower-league clubs that the introduction of B teams could further strengthen the top clubs and enable them to continue to dominate.
