 | |
| Founded | 1991; 34 years ago (1991) |
|---|---|
| First season | 1991–92 |
| Country | England |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Divisions | 6 (format) |
| Level on pyramid | 3–4 |
| Promotion to | Women's Super League 2 |
| Relegation to | Regional leagues |
| Domestic cup | Women's FA Cup |
| League cup(s) | National League Cup National League Plate |
| Most championships | Arsenal (12 titles) |
| Website | thefa.com/wpl |
| Current:2025–26 National League | |
The FA Women's National League is a group of sixfootball divisions which sit at the third and fourth tiers ofwomen's football in England. Founded in 1991 as theWFA National League, the league was run by theWomen's Football Association, before control was handed to theFootball Association in 1994, and the name changed toFA Women's Premier League.
The league consisted of theNational Division, England's top division until 2010, and theNorthern andSouthern Premier Divisions, which formed the second tier. The league operated a system ofpromotion and relegation, with the bottom two teams of the National Division relegated, and the winners of the Northern and Southern Divisions promoted. With the introduction of theWomen's Super League, the National Division became the second tier, while the Northern and Southern Divisions became the third.
The National Division was replaced in 2013 by theChampionship, with the Northern and Southern Divisions continuing at the third tier. In 2014 the fourth tierCombination Leagues became part of the FA Women's Premier League, and were rebranded as theDivision One North, Midlands, South East, and South West. The league received it current name and branding in 2018.
Arsenal hold the record for most titles won, with twelve. The current National League champions areNottingham Forest (North, 2nd title) andIpswich Town (South, 1st title).
Before the National League, women's teams nationally had competed in theWFA Cup (Women's FA Cup) since 1970, and there were English regional leagues, but this was the first regular nationwide competition of its kind.
The Women's National League was inaugurated inthe 1991–92 season by theWomen's Football Association (WFA),[1] with a monetary grant fromthe Sports Council.[2] Eight teams played in the top flight in that year. From the League's foundation, it consisted of a national premier division and two lower divisions, the Northern and Southern Divisions, whose winners each season were promoted to the top flight.
From 1991–92 until 2012–13, the national premier division was above the Northern and Southern Divisions. Since 1991–92, the Northern and Southern Divisions have run on an equal basis with promotion, and this continues today. The termsWomen's Premiership andLadies Premiership were generally used for the National Division only.
After the League'sthird season, the FA assumed responsibility for the competition and renamed it, beginning with the1994–95 FA Women's Premier League (FA WPL).[3]
The Women's Premier League remained level 1 and 2 of women's football until the end ofthe 2009–10 season. From 2000 until 2008, the WPL champions competed in the annualFA Women's Community Shield.
The National Division's most successful clubs wereArsenal (12 titles),Croydon (3 titles),Doncaster Belles (2 titles and 7 times runners-up),Everton (1 title and 5 times runners-up), andSunderland (3 titles at league level 2).
The Women's Premier League lost several clubs prior tothe 2010–11 season and the National Division was demoted to level 2, due to the creation of theFA WSL in 2011.[4] (The WSL was a summer league for its first six years, as opposed to the WPL's winter format.) Strangely, the lower divisions were still given the name "Premier League" for eight more seasons. The number of clubs competing in the Northern and Southern Divisions decreased from 12 to 10. The National Division decreased from 12 clubs to eight (2010–11), then increased to 10 clubs (2011–12 and2012–13).
The National Division was scrapped after the2012–13 season, due to the introduction of theWSL 2 in 2014, which included some clubs that moved from the Women's Premier League. During the2013–14 season, the only divisions with WPL branding were the third tier Northern and Southern Divisions. The FA proposed rebranding the WPL collectively as the Women's Championship League,[5] but the idea was ultimately dropped. In 2014 the league moved away from the FA with the formation of an independent League Management Committee, elected by the clubs to run league operations. Carol West, a serving police officer was elected as league chair and led the voluntary management committee until 2023.[6]
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For the2014–15 season, the Women's Premier League incorporated the fourth tierCombination Leagues as the Premier League's 'Division One', consisting of the Division One leagues: North, Midlands, South East and South West.[7] Promotion to the second tier was also reintroduced, with the winners of the Northern and Southern Divisions playing each other in a single play-off match at a neutral venue, the winner becoming the overall Women's Premier League/National League champion, and promoted to the WSL 2.[8] The first play-off occurred betweenPortsmouth andSheffield at Stratford Town's Knights Lane ground. Sheffield won through a stoppage-time goal.[9]
In 2018 the FA Women's Premier League was rebranded as the FA Women's National League.[10] Beginning with the2023–24 season, it was decided that both the Northern and Southern Division champions will be automatically promoted to the Championship.[11]
The National League consists of six divisions, forming the third and fourth tiers ofwomen's football in England. TheNational League North andNational League South, sit at the third tier, while Division One North, Midlands, South East, and South West, form the fourth tier.[12]
The following clubs are competing in the 2025–26 season.
| National League North | National League South |
|---|---|
| Division One North | Division One Midlands | Division One South East | Division One South West |
|---|---|---|---|
Below is a list of women'sPremier League / National Division champions at level one from 1991 to 2010, followed by National Division champions at level two.
Level 1 national champions:
Level 2 national champions:
| Season | Champions (number of titles) | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Sunderland | Nottingham Forest | Reading |
| 2011–12 | Sunderland (2) | Leeds United | Aston Villa |
| 2012–13 | Sunderland (3) | Watford | Leeds United |
Level 2 champions:
Level 3 champions:
Following the incorporation of theCombination Leagues in 2014, the Women's Premier League / National League consisted of an additional four regional leagues below the Northern and Southern Divisions.
Level 4 champions:
The main cup competition of the National League is theFA Women's National League Cup, a knock-out competition involving all of the teams within the League's six divisions. Due to the changing structure of women's football, this competition has historically varied from a straight knock-out competition to a competition with a preliminary group stage before reaching the knock-out stage. The first Cup-winners wereArsenal in the1991–92 WFA Women's National League Cup. The first winners of a Cup without top-flight teams wereBarnet F.C. Ladies in the2010–11 FA Women's Premier League Cup.
TheFA Women's National League Plate was introduced inthe 2014–15 season (as theWomen's Premier League Plate). Under the current format, the teams that are eliminated from the opening round of the League Cup are entered into the Plate.
The league's sponsors have includedAxa (1998–2002),[13]Nationwide Building Society (2002–2007),[14] andTesco (2007–2010).[15] The league currently has no sponsorship deal.
