“When we go to market, we’ll include both WSL and Championship broadcast rights,”

An all-female executive leadership team will now manage the top two divisions of English women's football, following the Football Association's (FA) decision to hand over control of the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship to a newly established independent entity on Thursday.

The newly formed Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd (WPLL), which was previously referred to as NewCo, will oversee the operations of these leagues. This arrangement mirrors the English Football League's (EFL) governance over the men’s Championship, League One, and League Two.

A permanent name for WPLL is still pending.

The leadership team will consist of four executives, reporting directly to the CEO, Nikki Doucet. These executives include Holly Murdoch as Chief Operations Officer, Ruth Hooper as Interim Chief Marketing Officer, Mirelle van Rijbroek as Chief Football Officer, and Zarah Al-Kudcy as Chief Revenue Officer, with her transition from Chelsea previously reported in June. This marks the first time the full leadership team has been publicly named.

Additionally, the WPLL confirmed that the men’s Premier League has provided a £20 million interest-free loan to support the new entity, which will secure the Premier League a seat on the WPLL board until the loan is repaid. Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, expressed enthusiasm about collaborating closely during this transformative time for women’s football.

The ownership structure of the WPLL involves the 23 clubs from the WSL and Women’s Championship, which will hold shares in the new organization. The FA will retain a "special share," the specifics of which have not been disclosed. The FA will also have representation on the WPLL board and will share in revenues once certain targets are met. These funds will be redirected into grassroots projects to promote women’s and girls' football. Until now, the FA has managed both the WSL and Women’s Championship since their inception in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

Day-to-day operations of the leagues will be handled by Doucet and her leadership team, positioning them among the most influential individuals in women’s football. Murdoch has been part of the transition process since 2022 and has worked with the FA since 2012, with prior experience in the horse racing industry. Hooper, a veteran in sports marketing, has held roles at Nike, the Premier League, the FA Cup, and Center Parcs.

“Van Rijbroek has extensive experience in football talent identification, working with the Dutch FA and U.S. Soccer, and more recently with the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the U.S. Al-Kudcy brings experience from her time at Chelsea and previously held a senior role in sponsorship at Formula One.

The WPLL board of directors has also been partially announced. Dawn Airey will continue as the chair of the WSL and Women’s Championship boards and will lead the new entity. Three independent non-executive directors have been named: Sean Cornwell, former CEO of Direct Ferries; Maria Raga Frances, former CEO of Depop, which was acquired by Etsy for $1.6 billion in 2021; and Malcolm Kpedekpo, a former footballer turned business leader who has been on the Scottish FA board since 2019.

With an eye toward fostering innovation, the WPLL has declared its intent to adopt a "startup mentality" aimed at driving growth and maximizing the potential of women’s football while keeping players and fans central to its mission. Doucet expressed gratitude to the FA, emphasizing the opportunity to build on the existing strong foundation and take women’s professional football in England to new heights.

The Women’s Championship season kicks off on September 8, followed by the WSL on September 20.

Conclusion and Reflection

This shift towards an independent, all-female leadership team for the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship represents a significant milestone in the advancement of women’s football. The decision to hand over control from the FA to an independent body, with Premier League financial backing, suggests a growing recognition of the importance and potential of the women’s game. It brings up several important questions:

What does this move signal for the future of women’s football in terms of visibility, commercial success, and global recognition? Given that women's football has historically been underfunded and undervalued, how will this new leadership address these disparities and elevate the sport?

How will the “startup mentality” of the WPLL shape its strategy, and will it truly put players and fans at the core of its decision-making? While innovation is critical for growth, balancing commercial interests with the needs of players and fans will be crucial to success.

How will the involvement of the Premier League impact the autonomy and integrity of the WPLL? With a £20 million loan from the Premier League and a board seat for its representative, will this foster collaboration, or could it introduce competing interests between the men's and women's leagues?

Will the FA’s share in future revenue meaningfully contribute to grassroots development? Given that grassroots investment is crucial for the long-term success of women’s football, how will these funds be distributed and what benchmarks will ensure their effective use?

This transition represents an exciting time for women’s football, but the answers to these questions will ultimately determine the success of this new leadership structure and its impact on the sport.

Mandarin / 汉语

尼一个全女性的高管领导团队将管理英格兰女子足球的两个顶级联 赛，这一决定是在足球协会（FA）决定将女子超级联赛（WSL）和女子冠军联赛的控制权移交给新成立的独立实体之后。这个新成立 的公司名为女子职业联赛有限公司（WPLL），之前被称为NewCo，将负责这两个联赛的运营。这一安排类似于英格兰足球联赛 （EFL）对男子冠军联赛、联赛一和联赛二的管理。WPLL的正式名称尚待确定。

该领导团队由四名高管组成，直接向首席执行官Nikki Doucet汇报工作。这些高管包括首席运营官Holly Murdoch、临时首席营销官Ruth Hooper、首席足球官Mirelle van Rijbroek以及首席收入官Zarah Al-Kudcy，后者的转会于6月被披露。这是首次公开公布完整的领导团队成员。

此外，WPLL确认，英超联赛已向WPLL提供了2000万英镑的无息贷款，以支持新实体，这将确保英超联赛在WPLL董事会中 拥有一个席位，直到贷款还清。英超联赛首席执行官Richard Masters对在女子足球的转型时期密切合作表示了热情。

WPLL的所有权结构包括WSL和女子冠军联赛的23个俱乐部，它们将持有新公司的股份。FA将保留一份“特殊股份”，具体细节尚未披露。FA还将有代表参与WPLL董事 会，并在达到某些目标后分享收入。这些资金将重新投入到基层项目中，以促进女子和女孩足球的发展。直到现在，FA自2011年和 2014年起分别管理WSL和女子冠军联赛。

日常运营将由Doucet及其领导团队负责，这将使他们成为女子足球中最有影响力的人员之一。Murdoch自2022年以来一直参与过渡过程，自20

WPLL的董事会成员也已部分公布。Dawn Airey将继续担任WSL和女子冠军联赛董事会的主席，并将领导新实体。三名独立非执行董事已经被任命：Sean Cornwell，前Direct Ferries首席执行官；Maria Raga Frances，前Depop首席执行官，该公司在2021年被Etsy以16亿美元收购；以及Malcolm Kpedekpo，一位前足球运动员，现为商业领袖，自2019年起担任苏格兰FA董事会成员。

WPLL旨在促进创新，宣布将采取“初创公司心态”，旨在推动 女子足球的增长和最大化潜力，同时将球员和球迷置于核心地位。Doucet对FA表示了诚挚的感谢，并强调有机会在现有坚实基础 上进一步提升英格兰女子职业足球的水平。

女子冠军联赛的赛季将于9月8日开始，WSL赛季于9月20日开 始。

这一全女性领导团队接管女子超级联赛和女子冠军联赛的变革，标志着女子足球发展的一大里程碑。将控制权从FA移交给独立机构，并获得英超联赛的财 政支持，表明了对女子足球 重要性和潜力的日益认可。这引出了几个重要问题：

- - WPLL的“初创公司心态”将如何影响其战略，是否真正将球员和球迷置于决策核心？虽然创新对增长至关重要，但平衡商业利益与球员和球迷的需求将是成功的关键。

- 英超联赛的参与将如何影响WPLL的自主性和完整性？鉴于英超联赛提供了2000万英镑贷款并在董事会中占有一席之地，这会促进合作，还是会引入男子和女子联赛之间的利益 冲突？

- FA在未来收入中的股份是否会对基层发展产生实质性贡献？考虑到基层投资对女子足球的长期成功至关重要，这些资金将如何分配，哪些基准将确保其有效使用？