Arabic version: الاتحاد الإنجليزي يوافق على فرق الأكاديميات في الدوري الوطني للسيدات

According to BBC News, Women’s Super League academy sides will be allowed to play in tier three from the 2027-28 season after the Football Association approved reforms to the FA Women’s National League. Four professional game academy sides will have the opportunity to compete, but will not be eligible for promotion.

The FA said the changes are designed to strengthen the women’s football pyramid, raise standards across the league and improve the development pathway for young players. The reforms are intended to address a lack of competitive minutes for young English players compared with counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

The decision follows opposition from National League clubs. Fifty-two of the 72 clubs in the WNL structure signed a letter to the FA opposing the plan to introduce top-tier academy teams, describing it as “morally wrong” and saying board representatives had not consulted their clubs. The FA said it proceeded after an extensive consultation process with clubs and stakeholders.

Criteria for selecting the four professional game academies will be developed over the coming months, and the model will be reviewed annually. Other changes include central funding for WNL clubs for the first time, the introduction of WNL club academies, and loan-market changes intended to encourage professional-game clubs to loan players to teams in tiers three and four.

FA director of women’s football Sue Day said the National League must evolve alongside the professional game to create more senior-football opportunities for talented young English players. Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor said the club intends to enter an academy side in the third tier, while Chelsea and England defender Lucy Bronze said similar systems in France and Spain help younger players make the step up to first-team football.