| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chelsea |
←2014 2016 → | |
The2015 season of the Women's Super League was the fifth season of theFA WSL, the top-level women'sfootball league of England. The season was played from 25 March to 4 October.[1]
Liverpool were the defending champions from the2014 FA WSL.Chelsea became the title winners and together withManchester City (who finished as runners-up) qualified for the2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League.
This was the second season since theWSL 2 was introduced. As part of a two-year expansion plan, theWSL 1 will increase to nine teams for the 2016 season. By the end of the 2015 season two teams (Reading andDoncaster Rovers Belles) were promoted from WSL 2 to WSL 1 and only one team (Bristol Academy) relegated to WSL 2, with one team being promoted fromPremier League to WSL 2.
In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand WSL 1 from an eight to 10-team league. Two teams will be promoted from WSL 2, while one team will be relegated to WSL 2.[2][3] Also, for the first time, a team from theFA Women's Premier League earned promotion to WSL 2, effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of theEnglish women's football pyramid.[4]
This will leave WSL 1 with nine teams and WSL 2 with 10 teams for the2016 season, and with the process repeated the following year, both WSL 1 and WSL 2 will have 10 teams each for the2017 season.
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2014 WSL 1 finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 (1,400 seated) | 4th |
| Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 (280 seated) | 3rd |
| Bristol Academy | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium | 1,500 | 7th |
| Chelsea | Staines | Wheatsheaf Park | 3,009 (300 seated and 800 covered) | 2nd |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 (5,000 seated) | 5th |
| Liverpool | Widnes | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | 1st |
| Notts County | Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 20,229 | 6th |
| Sunderland | Hetton-le-Hole | Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground | 2,500 | 1st (WSL 2) |
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2014 WSL 2 finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | Sutton Coldfield | Central Ground, Coles Lane | 2,000 | 4th |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | Doncaster | Keepmoat Stadium | 15,231 | 2nd |
| Durham | Durham | New Ferens Park | 3,000 | 6th |
| Everton | Widnes | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | 8th (WSL 1) |
| London Bees | Canons Park | The Hive Stadium | 5,176 (3,434 seated) | 10th |
| Millwall Lionesses | London | The Den | 20,146 | 8th |
| Oxford United | Abingdon | The Armadillo Stadium | 2,000 | 9th |
| Reading | Farnborough | The Rushmoor Community Stadium | 7,000 | 3rd |
| Watford | Berkhamsted | Broadwater | 2,000 | 7th |
| Yeovil Town | Sherborne | Raleigh Grove | 1,500 | 5th |
* Natasha Harding was supposed to join American teamWashington Spirit, as she was denied a visa, she joined Manchester City instead.
| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chelsea (1st WSL title) |
| Relegated | Bristol Academy |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Goals scored | 154 (2.75 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Beth Mead (12 goals)[85] |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City 6–1Bristol Academy[86] (27 September 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Bristol Academy 0–4Chelsea[86] (2 April 2015) Liverpool 0–4Chelsea[86] (27 September 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Bristol Academy 2–5Notts County[86] (25 April 2015) Manchester City 6–1Bristol Academy[86] (27 September 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Chelsea |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Manchester City |
| Longest winless run | 9 matches Bristol Academy |
| Longest losing run | 4 matches Bristol Academy Liverpool |
| Highest attendance | 3,180[87] Manchester City 2–1Notts County (4 October 2015) |
| Total attendance | 57,253[88] |
| Average attendance | 1,022[88] |
←2014 2016 → All statistics correct as of 5 October 2015. | |
Sunderland earned promotion last season after they won WSL 2 and met off-field licensing requirements. Everton were relegated.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea(C) | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 10 | +20 | 32 | Qualification toChampions League |
| 2 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 30 | |
| 3 | Arsenal | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 27 | |
| 4 | Sunderland | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 20 | |
| 5 | Notts County | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 15 | |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 13 | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 13 | |
| 8 | Bristol Academy(R) | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 38 | −26 | 8 | Relegation toFA WSL 2 |
| Home \ Away | ARS | BIR | BRI | CHE | LIV | MCI | NTC | SUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| Birmingham City | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |
| Bristol Academy | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 2–5 | 1–4 | |
| Chelsea | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | |
| Liverpool | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | |
| Manchester City | 0–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
| Notts County | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | |
| Sunderland | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Beth Mead | Sunderland | 12 |
| 2 | Jess Clarke | Notts County | 7 |
 Natalia Pablos | Arsenal | ||
| 4 | Eniola Aluko | Chelsea | 6 |
| Isobel Christiansen | Manchester City | ||
| Gemma Davison | Chelsea | ||
| Toni Duggan | Manchester City | ||
| Chioma Ubogagu | Arsenal | ||
| Rachel Williams | Notts County | ||
| 10 | Karen Carney | Birmingham City | 5 |
 Ji So-yun | Chelsea |
| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Reading |
| Matches played | 90 |
| Goals scored | 324 (3.6 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk (20 goals)[85] |
| Biggest home win | Reading 8–0London Bees[86] (22 August 2015) |
| Biggest away win | London Bees 0–7Reading[86] (29 March 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Yeovil Town 7–1Watford[86] (26 July 2015) Reading 8–0London Bees (22 August 2015) London Bees 1–7Everton[86] (4 October 2015) Everton 5–3Oxford United[86] (18 October 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Doncaster Rovers Belles |
| Longest unbeaten run | 14 matches Reading |
| Longest winless run | 12 matches Watford |
| Longest losing run | 11 matches Watford |
←2014 2016 → All statistics correct as of 19 October 2015. | |
Everton were relegated from WSL 1 last season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading(C) | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 15 | +46 | 45 | Promotion toFA WSL 1 |
| 2 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 57 | 15 | +42 | 45 | |
| 3 | Everton | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 24 | +19 | 31 | |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 31 | |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 25 | |
| 6 | Oxford United | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 40 | −14 | 24 | |
| 7 | Durham | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 32 | −8 | 20 | |
| 8 | London Bees | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 53 | −34 | 13 | |
| 9 | Millwall Lionesses | 18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 39 | −22 | 12 | |
| 10 | Watford | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 55 | −43 | 5 |
| Home \ Away | AST | DON | DUR | EVE | LON | MIL | OXF | REA | WAT | YEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 5–0 | 2–1 | |
| Durham | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–6 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–5 | 4–0 | 0–1 | |
| Everton | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | |
| London Bees | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–7 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–7 | 4–0 | 2–2 | |
| Millwall Lionesses | 1–2 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 2–2 | |
| Oxford United | 0–2 | 2–5 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 0–3 | |
| Reading | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 8–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–4 | |
| Watford | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–4 | |
| Yeovil Town | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 7–1 |
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 20 |
| 2 | Bethany England | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 13 |
| 3 | Emma Follis | Reading | 12 |
| 4 | Fran Kirby | Reading | 11 |
| Sue Smith | Doncaster Rovers Belles | ||
| 6 |  Helen Ward | Reading | 8 |
| 7 | Lauren Bruton | Reading | 7 |
| Kayleigh Hines | Oxford United | ||
| Danielle Turner | Everton | ||
| Katie Wilkinson | Aston Villa | ||
| Corinne Yorston | Yeovil Town |
All WSL 1 and WSL 2 teams take part. In addition to last season a quarter-final stage was added to the knock-out stage. The first match was played on 21 July 2015, after the WSL break for the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[91]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | CHE | REA | MIL | WAT | LON | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 15 | Advance toKnockout stage | — | — | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | — | |
| 2 | Chelsea | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 12 | 0–2 | — | — | 6–0 | — | 8–0 | ||
| 3 | Reading | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Millwall Lionesses | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 6 | 0–4 | — | 1–3 | — | — | 5–3 | ||
| 5 | Watford | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 3 | — | 0–3 | 1–3 | 2–4 | — | — | ||
| 6 | London Bees | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 22 | −16 | 0 | 1–3 | — | — | — | 2–3 | — |
| Arsenal | 3–0 | Watford |
|---|---|---|
|
| London Bees | 1–3 | Arsenal |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Chelsea | 6–0 | Millwall Lionesses |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Chelsea | 8–0 | London Bees |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MCI | LIV | DON | SUN | EVE | DUR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 15 | Advance toKnockout stage | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Liverpool | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 12 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 9 | 0–3 | 0–3 | — | — | — | 5–0 | ||
| 4 | Sunderland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 6 | 1–3 | — | 2–3 | — | 5–2 | — | ||
| 5 | Everton | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | — | — | — | ||
| 6 | Durham | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0 | — | — | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |
| Durham | 1–2 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 0–3 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Manchester City | 5–0 | Durham |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Sunderland | 5–2 | Everton |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 0–3 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
|
| Sunderland | 1–3 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Everton | 2–3 | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Liverpool | 2–0 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
|
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 5–0 | Durham |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Manchester City | 2–0 | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Sunderland | 2–3 | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NTC | BIR | BRI | YEO | AST | OXF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 15 | Advance toKnockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | — | — | |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 3 | +14 | 12 | — | — | — | 4–0 | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Bristol Academy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | 3–2 | ||
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 6 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | — | ||
| 5 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 20 | −15 | 3 | 0–5 | 1–7 | 0–4 | — | — | — | ||
| 6 | Oxford United | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 0 | 1–6 | — | — | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |
| Aston Villa | 0–4 | Bristol Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Notts County | 2–1 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Oxford United | 0–1 | Yeovil Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Aston Villa | 1–7 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Yeovil Town | 0–3 | Bristol Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Birmingham City | 3–0 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Yeovil Town | 3–1 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Notts County | 1–0 | Bristol Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Oxford United | 1–6 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Aston Villa | 0–5 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Birmingham City | 4–0 | Yeovil Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Bristol Academy | 3–2 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
| Bristol Academy | 0–2 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Notts County | 5–0 | Yeovil Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Oxford United | 1–3 | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 13 September | ||||||||||
| Bristol Academy | 1 | |||||||||
| 11 October | ||||||||||
| Liverpool | 4 | |||||||||
| Liverpool | 0 | |||||||||
| 13 September | ||||||||||
| Notts County | 2 | |||||||||
| Notts County | 3 | |||||||||
| 1 November | ||||||||||
| Reading | 2 | |||||||||
| Notts County | 0 | |||||||||
| 1 October | ||||||||||
| Arsenal | 3 | |||||||||
| Arsenal | 1 | |||||||||
| 11 October | ||||||||||
| Manchester City | 0 | |||||||||
| Arsenal | 3 | |||||||||
| 13 September | ||||||||||
| Birmingham City | 1 | |||||||||
| Birmingham City | 1 | |||||||||
| Chelsea | 0 | |||||||||
Reading are the only WSL 2 team to progress from the group stages.[92] The quarter-finals were drawn on 1 September 2015.
| 13 September 2015 | Bristol Academy | 1–4 | Liverpool | Filton |
| 14:00BST (UTC+01:00) | Boho 38' | Report | Dowie 35' (pen.),56',67',90+3' | Stadium:Stoke Gifford Stadium Attendance: 371 Referee: Samuel Allison |
| 13 September 2015 | Notts County | 3–2 | Reading | Nottingham |
| 14:00BST (UTC+01:00) | Whelan 34' Greenwood 38' (pen.),88' | Report | Ward 35' Fletcher 67' | Stadium:Meadow Lane Attendance: 649 Referee: Akil Howson |
| 13 September 2015 | Birmingham City | 1–0 | Chelsea | Solihull |
| 14:00BST (UTC+01:00) | Potter 53' | Report | Stadium:Damson Park Attendance: 516 Referee: Mark Griffiths |
| 1 October 2015 | Arsenal | 1–0 | Manchester City | Borehamwood |
| 19:45BST (UTC+01:00) | Natalia 34' | Report | Stadium:Meadow Lane Attendance: 720 Referee: Josh Smith |
| 11 October 2015 | Arsenal | 3–1 | Birmingham City | Borehamwood |
| 15:00BST (UTC+01:00) | Corredera 13' Carter 14'Scott 47' | Report | Linnett 58' | Stadium:Meadow Lane Attendance: 782 Referee: Nigel Lugg |
| 11 October 2015 | Liverpool | 0–2 | Notts County | Widnes |
| 18:30BST (UTC+01:00) | Report | White 5',23' | Stadium:Select Security Stadium Attendance: 538 Referee: Ian Hussin |
| 1 November 2015 | Notts County | 0–3 | Arsenal | Rotherham |
| 15:00GMT (UTC±00:00) | Report | Nobbs 26',41' Ubogagu 90+2' | Stadium:New York Stadium Attendance: 5,028 Referee: Jane Simms |
_(2).jpg)
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natasha Dowie | Liverpool | 9 |
| 2 | Jess Clarke | Notts County | 6 |
| Ellen White | Notts County | ||
| 4 |  Jade Boho | Bristol Academy | 5 |
| Courtney Sweetman-Kirk | Doncaster Rovers Belles | ||
| 6 | Rosella Ayane | Chelsea | 4 |
| Fliss Gibbons | Millwall Lionesses | ||
| Kirsty Linnett | Birmingham City | ||
| Jo Potter | Birmingham City | ||
| Helen Ward | Reading | ||
| Rachel Williams | Notts County |
| Seasons |
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| Clubs |
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| Competition |
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| Associated competitions | |||||
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