HISTORY OF THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL LEAGUE
DELVE INTO THE ARCHIVES
Formed by the Women's Football Association as the National League in 1991, the competition was adopted by The Football Association and re-named The FA Women's Premier League in 1994.
The League featured the nation's elite sides in the top flight, with two regionalised divisions below it plus a League Cup competition.
Throughout its first 20 years the almost entirely amateur League provided an increasingly competitive arena to showcase and develop the UK's talented players and nurture the green shoots of media coverage and commercial investment.
From 2011 no longer the highest level in England, the FA Women's National League (as titled since 2014) is now home to over 70 proud clubs with dedicated fans watching them play every weekend.
Explore here the League's past and learn about legendary players, managers and teams - from the first ever champions Doncaster Belles to Arsenal's decade-long dominance and to the thriving, six-division competition that now forms Tiers 3 and 4 of the pyramid.
Watch our video
Rachel Brown-Finnis and Faye White speak about the importance of the FA Women's National League Archive.
legends and stories of the fa women's national league
A League of Their Own
Learn how and why the Women's Football Association (WFA) brought together England's best women's teams to kick off a National League in 1991.
Baller of the Belles
Women's football's first England caps centurion, playmaker-turned sweeper Gillian Coultard was also the first player to lift aloft the National League trophy as captain of the iconic Doncaster Belles.
Victorious Vic
Eleven league titles and 21 cup competition triumphs - no manager in the League's history has come close to matching the huge silverware haul amassed by Arsenal's founder and long-time boss Vic Akers.
Sticking with the Toffees
Mo Marley won the League as a player with Everton in 1998 then, as manager, toiled tirelessly for the club along with husband Keith and masterminded many seasons of challenging Arsenal's dominance.
Firing the Gunners
First winner of the League's 'Player of the Year' award on three occasions, Jayne Ludlow's athleticism and will-to-win were integral to Arsenal's stranglehold on the League title for almost a decade.
Winning winger and pioneer pro
Rachel Yankey was the first female player in England to turn professional with Fulham in 2000, though the much-lauded winger earned greater League and Cup successes in two spells with Arsenal.
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