This season is the second in which the Women's’ Super League is fully professional, and with the invention of the FA Player and the hype of the World Cup, it could prove to be a landmark year for the growth of the women's’ game over time. A number of clubs have already reported that they have had a large growth in sales, and over 60,000 people have purchased tickets to see the Lionesses take on Germany at Wembley Stadium.
The Title Challengers
Arsenal
Winning the title last season, Arsenal will be many people’s favourite’s to win the league title. They have an incredibly strong team, with the likes of Vivianne Miedema, Jill Roord and Jordan Nobbs some of the best in the league. Out with an injury to her ACL last year, Nobbs netted with her first shot in the club's pre-season fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, and Joe Montemurro will ease her back into his starting eleven. Roord managed a hat-trick in that match and played well for the Netherlands in the World Cup
Arsenal will be back in the Champions League for the first time in many years this season, with them facing Fiorentina in the Round of 32 of the competition in September.
Chelsea
Emma Hayes’ Chelsea finished third in the WSL last season and were one of the best teams in the league. Unlike many other sides, they spent a large portion of their season concentrating on the Champions League, reaching the Quarter Finals of the competition before heartbreak against Paris Saint Germain.
One of the best players in the side, Fran Kirby, is currently missing England’s friendly camp, pulling out just before the match against Belgium. There has not been much information on her injury, but if she is to miss the start of the Super League then it could be a big blow for Chelsea.
Carly Telford could be crucial in net for Chelsea, and she picked up game time with the Lionesses at the World Cup which could aid her confidence in domestic football for this season. The Blues will, however, be without midfielder Karen Carney; she retired from football this summer.
Manchester City
Finishing second in the league last season and four points behind Arsenal going into the last day, Manchester City will try to go one better in the 19/20 campaign. Although they did not win the league, they did manage to win both the Continental Cup and FA Cup that season which added a number of games to their campaign.
The blues have lost Nikita Parris to Champions League winners Lyon, and longstanding defender Abbie McManus switched her allegiances to the red half of Manchester. However, Nick Cushing has made a number of strong signings over the summer transfer window. The biggest name signing that they made was Ellen White, who became one of the nation’s favourites over the Lionesses’ impressive World Cup campaign in Paris and was second top goalscorer. Sadly, White is going to be out injured for a short period with a knee injury and this could harm the club’s league efforts.
White’s injury could let the way for Georgia Stanway to make a great impact for Manchester City. Only 20-years-old, she featured in nineteen of the club’s twenty matches in the WSL, was crowned PFA Women's Young Player of the Year, and has already made 14 appearances for the senior national side - setting up one in last week’s friendly against Belgium.
Mid-table safety
West Ham United
Only joining the top flight last year, West Ham have a strong side who should comfortably finish mid-table. Under Matt Beard, the side finished seventh out of 11 last year - but relegation was not a worry for many with Yeovil exiting the league on negative points. Having a weak start to the season and with a campaign full of injuries, they managed to turn it around and found their way into an FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. This season they will have the likes of Alisha Lehmann and Julia Simic returning to the Hammers after their injuries, and a number of other players will also be coming back.
Although they lost their final pre-season match 2-1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur, they have made a number of good signings - Martha Thomas scoring in that game. Thomas signed from French side Le Havre and has looked good in the club’s pre-season preparations. Another good signing is Jacynta Galabadaarachchi, the 18-year-old is popular in the press, and many think that the Australian has a lot of potential for the future. The club’s head coach Matt Beard said this when she signed:
“I’ve seen a lot of young players, and I like working with and developing young players, and she is one of the best I have seen, in terms of ability. Moving to England from Australia at 18 is a big step for her and we want to help her settle in well, and I’m confident she will have a fantastic first season with us.”
Liverpool
The Reds finished eighth last season, but look as if they could do much better than that in this year’s campaign. They have had an extensive period of pre-season training alongside the club’s men's side on tour in America and defeated Rangers Women 8-1 in the final match of their warmups.
Courtney Sweetman-Kirk could prove to be one of the best players at Liverpool. The 28-year-old scored nine in her 17 games last season but has also had brilliant form in the pre-season matches for the reds.
The club have also strengthened over the summer, especially with the signing of Melissa Lawley from Manchester City. Lawley won two FA Cups, a Continental Cup and reached the Women’s Champions League semi-final during her time with City. She has featured extensively in the England youth setup and has also had 11 appearances for the senior team.
Relegation
It was close between Brighton and Everton for relegation last season, but the Seagulls have lost a few good players over the summer and did not look the best of sides last season under Hope Powell.
If Brighton are to stay up, then Ellie Brazil could prove to be a crucial player in Hope Powell’s side. Signing from Fiorentina last year, the 20-year-old England youth international netted four last season in the WSL, as well as two in the League Cup - which made her the club’s top scorer.
This season’s FA WSL could prove to be extremely difficult with some strong sides in Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Last year, Brighton only managed to pick up two wins all season, with one of them against a Yeovil side who lost nearly every match last season and ended up entering administration and dropping down a couple of divisions.
Ones to watch
Vivianne Miedema
Miedema was the top scorer in the WSL last season and is one of the best goalscorers in the world.
She netted 22 in 20 WSL games last season or 31 in all 28 appearances that she made. Only 23-years-old, she is already the top-scoring player of all time for the Dutch national team, helped guide them to the World Cup final, won the WSL, and was crowned PFA Player's Player of the Year for the 18/19 season.
On the pitch, she is an integral part of an incredibly strong Arsenal side and is lucky to have so many good players in her side such as Jordan Nobbs, Jill Roord and Danielle van de Donk to link up the play from midfield.
Mary Earps
One of England's top goalkeepers and returning to her home nation, Mary Earps could stand out from the crowd this season.
She spent last season at VFL Wolfsburg in Germany's top flight, and although she did not make many appearances for the side her team won the Frauen-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.
Returning to England for the first time since she left Reading at the end of the 2017/18 season, Earps has signed for a Manchester United side who won the Championship last season and could prove themselves to be extremely strong in the top flight.
Danielle van de Donk
Another member the Dutch contingent at Arsenal, van de Donk is one of the best midfielders in the division.
She has been a staple of the Arsenal team for the many teams and has made over sixty appearances for the side. She featured for the Netherlands when they won the 2017 European Championships on home soil and was a member of the team who got to the final of the World Cup this year.
The 28-year-old was a crucial member of the 2018/19 title-winning side and netted 11 goals in 18 games for the Gunners.
Lauren James
The 17-year-old will look to make her mark on the WSL after a season of football in the FAWC.
James, the sister of Chelsea defender Reece, netted 14 goals in her 18 league games last year for Manchester United Women, helping to fire her side to the FA Women's Championship title in their first season as the reformed side.
In her personal achievements, she was named player of the month for September of that season, the forward becoming a fans favourite very quickly. She has also represented England at Under-19 level - being named in Rehanne Skinner's European Championship side.