Latest news with #BarclaysWSL2
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Togetherness will make Sunderland stronger says forward Watson
Sunderland forward Katy Watson says that togetherness will only make the team stronger as they look to progress in this season's Barclays WSL2. After going close to winning promotion in 2023/2024, The Lady Black Cats finished last season in seventh position in the league table. Going for promotion this season won't be easy but forward Watson says that togetherness will certainly provide Sunderland with solid foundations to do well. 'The season where we almost won the league was a shock to ourselves because we weren't going for promotion at all, it was just about finishing as high as we could,' Watson told WSL Full-Time. 'When we started winning games, we just said 'we can actually do this'. We didn't expect to win but it just kept getting closer and closer and we missed out with a couple of games left. 'Last season, maybe we set our standards too high and expected to finish that high [again] then when we went into games against the teams below, we might have been a bit too confident, that could have been where we went wrong. 'Going into this season, the togetherness definitely helps. We are doing lots of team-bonding stuff. As teammates, getting behind each other definitely makes us stronger and will help us get good results.' Sunderland are not only competing for promotion, they are also battling with neighbours Durham and Newcastle United for local bragging rights. Watson says that the North East competition is fierce. She said 'Every team in the North East want the bragging rights so that they can say they're the best team. Going into games, there's a lot of pressure. Everyone wants to win and they'll do absolutely anything to win.' Watson got her preparations for the new season off to the best possible start. She netted a hat-trick in Sunderland's 4-0 pre-season friendly victory over Rangers last week. The player revealed that she was eager to get back on the pitch and scoring goals. She said 'Going into the game, I was quite nervous because it was one of the first friendlies in pre-season. We had a big build-up on running; we pretty much ran every training session, so it was just nice to finally get a game. 'It was my first start of pre-season and I just went for goal. I definitely needed it because the first few sessions of pre-season were a lot of running, not as much football, so it was nice to get on the pitch, have a ball at my feet and just do what I do.' Sunderland kick-off the new Barclays WSL2 season with a fixture at Sheffield United on Friday 5 September 2025.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nottingham Forest sign WSL2 title-winner Brougham
Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of former London City Lionesses centre-back Georgia Brougham on a free transfer. The Tricky Trees announced the news via a post on their official club website late last night. The 29-year-old joins Nottingham Forest after leaving former club London City Lionesses earlier this summer. The player has signed a two-year deal at The City Ground. Brougham spent two seasons with London City Lionesses and was a regular in the side. She helped the club win the Barclays WSL2 title last season. The player has also turned out for Manchester City, Everton, Birmingham City and Leicester City in her career to date. She was a member of the Everton side that were crowned FA Women's Super League 2 Spring Series winners back in 2017. After joining Nottingham Forest, Brougham said 'I'm delighted to be here. After speaking to everyone involved, hearing the ambitions of the Club, it's exciting to be a part of this team. 'I'm looking forward to integrating with the team and just seeing how far we can go, anything's possible with the way the Club are backing the women's team.' Brougham is Nottingham Forest's fourth signing of the summer transfer window. The club are expected to add further Barclays WSL2 experience to their ranks in the coming weeks.
The Herald Scotland
16-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
WSL to expand to 14 teams in 2026-27 with new promotion/relegation play-off
It requires the approval of the Football Association board but, if it gets the green light, 14 teams will compete in the women's top flight from next year. It means the 2025-26 campaign WSL will conclude with a relegation/promotion play-off. 'Over the past few months, WSL Football has led a thorough and robust, consultative process backed by research and analysis which explored multiple options that could drive the game forward and help it reach its potential,' Doucet said. An update on the structure of #BarclaysWSL and #BarclaysWSL2 for the 2025-26 season 🏆 — Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) June 16, 2025 'Our priority was to find a route that would benefit the whole women's game pyramid, and we believe this next evolution of women's professional football will raise minimum standards, create distinction and incentivise investment across the board. 'Subject to the approval from the FA board, expanding the BWSL to 14 teams will stimulate movement between leagues and through the pyramid which increases opportunities. 'The introduction of a promotion/relegation play-off creates distinction for the women's game and introduces a high-profile, high-stakes match.' If the expansion from a 12-team WSL to 14 gets FA approval, it offers three Women's Championship clubs the chance to gain promotion during the 2025-26 campaign. The top two of the Championship will go up automatically and the third-placed side will take on the team which finished bottom of the WSL in a play-off. We're not just a league. We're a movement. This is the new era of Women's Super League Football.#BarclaysWSL #BarclaysWSL2 — Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) May 12, 2025 The Championship will continue as a 12-team league with 'additional promotion opportunities' from the FA Women's National League Northern and Southern Premier Divisions at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. 'The method for these promotions, and any impact further down the pyramid, will be confirmed by The FA in due course,' a WSL Football statement read. It means from the 2026-27 season, the 14th-placed team would be relegated and replaced by the winner of the Championship. A relegation/promotion play-off between the 13th-placed club in the WSL and Championship runner-up would then determine the final place in the top-flight.
