The competition structure for women’s open-age football is known as the women’s football pyramid and is regulated by the women’s football pyramid regulations.
At the foundation of the pyramid are county leagues and this is where new teams join the competition structure. Above the county leagues are eight regional leagues.
A promotion pool is operated between county and regional leagues for teams to progress up the pyramid. Teams can then gain promotion into The FA Women’s National League (FA WNL) by winning their respective regional league.
The FA WNL determines its overall champion through a play-off match between the Southern and Northern Premier Division winners. The champions are promoted to the FA Women's Championship (FA WC), subject to meeting license criteria.
The clubs finishing in the top two positions in the FA WC will be promoted to FA WSL, the highest level of women's domestic football and the first professional women's league - again subject to meeting the license criteria.
