The 2025/26 season saw a massive change in the top two tiers of women's football, with the FA stepping away from operations and the Women's Professional League Limited, an independent, club-owned company, stepping in to drive commercial growth and manage the top tiers. These changes included the then-Championship, which was named after the men's game model, called WSL2.
This change caused significant backlash; not only was it unnecessary, but the use of numbers only amplified division and suggested that there were fewer clubs in WSL2. Other big changes to the logos, which again left fans disgusted that this was what the new operators were spending their time and money on.
Well, the next big shift in the WSL is the trophies. For this season, the current silverware will be temporarily altered to remove outdated branding before the full replacement. The temporary changes include flattening the tops of both trophies (removing the logo) at the end of the current campaign.
This wasn't done last summer when you decided to change it, even though it wasn't broken.
But from next season, a new trophy will be introduced not only for the second tier but also for the WSL, reflecting the expansion from 12 to 14 clubs, in a move which has been described as a signal into the next phase of its evolution.
The reason for the change is that they want a complete overhaul to align with the league rebrand.
The current trophies were unveiled only ahead of the 2022/23 season as part of the FA-led rebranding. Just goes to show how quickly the women’s professional game is evolving.
This change comes as major changes continue in the league. As the WSL expands next season, the league grew from 11 to 12 teams in the 2019-2020 season, welcoming Manchester United and Spurs following the professionalisation of the league in the 2018-19 season.
From the 2026/27 season, there will be 14 teams in the WSL as part of a wider reshaping of the women's football pyramid.
The top two WSL2 teams will automatically be promoted to the WSL3. The third-placed WSL2 team will face the 12th-placed WSL side in a one-off play-off for the final spot. This will be a one-off situation for this season, then, moving forward, whoever is last in the WSL is automatically relegated, and whoever is second from the bottom enters a play-off with the WSL2 runner-up. There is no desire to expand the number of teams in the WSL2 yet.
Whoever lifts the trophies this season will mark the end of one era before the big changes occur. As the league sends a deliberate message that it has entered the next phase of its history, feeling distinctly modern and established, not simply larger, and separate from the league under the FA.
Reports state that players have been consulted during the trophy design process, a detail that matters. If the aim is to create iconic and prestigious silverware that stands the test of time, involving the players who will ultimately lift it is not just symbolic, it is strategic. There is a clear desire to ensure the new trophies: reflect the modern identity of the league, feel meaningful to players and become instantly recognisable symbols of success.
The change in silverware shows that the league wants to move forward and no longer align itself with the FA structure and branding.
The silverware matters, but more for what it represents than how it looks.
The next era of the Women’s Super League is being built, and it will look and feel different. But it is not necessarily what the fans want or need from the ownership.
Add comment
Comments