FA proposes introduction of WSL and Championship B teams in lower tiers | OneFootball

Allowing B teams from Women’s Super League and Championship clubs to play in the Women’s National League has been put forward 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 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 and four and four and five.

The 27-page document, sent to clubs as part of a 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. No B team would be able to play higher than two tiers below their first team.

There is no mention of any 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.

The FA spokesperson said: “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 feedback to be taken into account. The WPLL did not wish to comment.

There is space for 366 teams in tiers three to six, divided regionally, but this could rise to 420 if the proposals 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.

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 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 being stuck in the lower tiers after narrowly missing out on promotion, frustrated at the single promotion places. 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.

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