League action gets underway again on Friday.
After an exciting break for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the second half of The FA WSL season gets underway this week.
England reached the quarter finals before going out on penalties to France, a match that was seen live by over 3m viewers on BBC Two.
The FA’s Head of National Game, Kelly Simmons, believes the performances of the national side in Germany have helped raise the profile of the sport in England and hopes The FA WSL will benefit from the successful World Cup campaign and help engage more fans with the sport.
“Germany was a fantastic experience for everyone and we at The FA are extremely proud of the squad and their efforts,” Simmons said. “Let’s not forget we were just two minutes away from the semi final and we beat Japan, the eventual champions, in the group stages.
“The popularity of the sport is growing by the day and the fact that the Women’s World Cup Final was the most tweeted event in social media history really gives an insight into where we are right now with the game,” she continued. “What we need to do is build on that momentum and really keep those fans old and new engaged in our domestic League to help further raise the profile of women’s football.
“We’ve had a fantastic start to the WSL with highly competitive matches, increased attendances, valuable media attention, a regularly televised product and pro-active sponsors, and it’s vital to push on now the break is over. We are all looking forward to kicking off the second half of the season.”
With the England squad now rejoining their WSL team-mates on home turf, the focus is firmly fixed on competing for the inaugural WSL title and the eight teams will battle it out over the summer months.
The League resumes with an action packed weekend of matches and family entertainment, kicking off on Friday 22 July with Bristol Academy v Lincoln Ladies at Stoke Gifford Stadium (KO 7.15pm) where England stars Jess Clarke, Sophie Bradley, Casey Stoney and Siobhan Chamberlain will all be in action.
League leaders Birmingham City will be determined to carry on where they left off before the break when they take on Doncaster Rover Belles at Stratford Town on Saturday 23 July. This is followed by a match against Bristol Academy on 27 July, at Stoke Gifford, in the first live ESPN game after the mid-season break.
Everton fans will welcome back a host of strong World Cup performers at their first game back against Chelsea on Sunday 24 July at Marine Stadium (2pm kick-off). Among the Toffees on show will be Jill Scott who was included in the FIFA World Cup All-Star team. The midfielder also became the star of the show on FATV, stacking up more than 25,000 views of her popular World Cup diary.
Scott is hoping her heroics, and her England’s efforts in Germany, will get more fans watching Everton's assault on the WSL.
"There was a lot of interest during the World Cup and it was great that the quarter final was shown on the BBC,” Scott began. “Hopefully that will generate more interest because that is what we are really trying to do - get people speaking about women's football.
"I feel all right at the minute but after 120 minutes against France I was starting to tail off a bit because it was hard work. But with the WSL season the way it is, we didn't feel that tired going into the World Cup because it's not a long season and you feel fresher.
“I’m glad my World Cup diaries were so popular,” she continued. “It was a fantastic experience out there and I really enjoyed showing a more personal side to the players. We were all really disappointed not to get further and we know we can compete at the very top level having actually beaten the eventual winners, so that gives us great motivation.
“We had so much fantastic support both in Germany and at home. Hopefully it has helped raise the awareness of women’s football in this country and attracted new fans to the WSL.”
Rachel Yankey and Ellen White, who scored a goal apiece to defeat Japan, will also be in action this week in the remaining WSL fixture, as Arsenal Ladies take on Liverpool at Borehamwood on Sunday 24 July.
ESPN will continue to broadcast a weekly highlights show and a number of live games throughout the season, including The FA WSL Continental Cup Final in September, whilst a dedicated website,
www.fawsl.com, and Facebook page
www.facebook.com/wsl will keep fans up to date with the latest action and news from the League.
