2015 FA WSL
Fifth season of the top English women's association football league
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The 2015 FA WSL 1 was the fifth season of the FA WSL, the top-level women's football league of England. The season was played from 25 March to 4 October.[5]
| Season | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Chelsea (1st WSL title) |
| Relegated | Bristol Academy |
| Champions League | Chelsea Manchester City |
| Matches | 56 |
| Goals | 154 (2.75 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Beth Mead (12 goals)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Manchester City 6–1 Bristol Academy[2] (27 September 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Bristol Academy 0–4 Chelsea[2] (2 April 2015) Liverpool 0–4 Chelsea[2] (27 September 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Bristol Academy 2–5 Notts County[2] (25 April 2015) Manchester City 6–1 Bristol Academy[2] (27 September 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Chelsea |
| Longest unbeaten run | 10 matches Manchester City |
| Longest winless run | 9 matches Bristol Academy |
| Longest losing run | 4 matches Bristol Academy Liverpool |
| Highest attendance | 3,180[3] Manchester City 2–1 Notts County (4 October 2015) |
| Total attendance | 57,253[4] |
| Average attendance | 1,022[4] |
← 2014 2016 →
All statistics correct as of 5 October 2015. | |
Liverpool were the defending champions from the 2014 FA WSL. Chelsea became the title winners and together with Manchester City (who finished as runners-up) qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League.
This was the second season since the WSL 2 was introduced. As part of a two-year expansion plan, the WSL 1 will increase to nine teams for the 2016 season. By the end of the 2015 season two teams (Reading and Doncaster Rovers Belles) were promoted from WSL 2 to WSL 1 and only one team (Bristol Academy) relegated to WSL 2, with one team being promoted from Premier League to WSL 2.
Sunderland earned promotion last season after they won WSL 2 and met off-field licensing requirements. Everton were relegated.
Background
In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand WSL 1 from an eight to 10-team league. Two teams will be promoted from WSL 2, while one team will be relegated to WSL 2.[6][7] Also, for the first time, a team from the FA Women's Premier League earned promotion to WSL 2, effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of the English women's football pyramid.[8]
This will leave WSL 1 with nine teams and WSL 2 with 10 teams for the 2016 season, and with the process repeated the following year, both WSL 1 and WSL 2 will have 10 teams each for the 2017 season.
Teams
| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2014 WSL 1 finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 (1,400 seated) | 4th |
| Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 (280 seated) | 3rd |
| Bristol Academy | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium | 1,500 | 7th |
| Chelsea | Staines | Wheatsheaf Park | 3,009 (300 seated and 800 covered) | 2nd |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 (5,000 seated) | 5th |
| Liverpool | Widnes | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | 1st |
| Notts County | Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 20,229 | 6th |
| Sunderland | Hetton-le-Hole | Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground | 2,500 | 1st (WSL 2) |
Transfers
- As of 27 July 2015
* Natasha Harding was supposed to join American team Washington Spirit, as she was denied a visa, she joined Manchester City instead.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea (C) | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 10 | +20 | 32 | Qualification for the Champions League knockout phase |
| 2 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 30 | |
| 3 | Arsenal | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 27 | |
| 4 | Sunderland | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 20 | |
| 5 | Notts County | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 15 | |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 13 | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 13 | |
| 8 | Bristol Academy (R) | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 38 | −26 | 8 | Relegation to the FA WSL 2 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Results
Top goalscorers
- As of 5 October 2015[89]
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Beth Mead |
Sunderland | 12 |
| 2 | Jess Clarke |
Notts County | 7 |
 Natalia Pablos |
Arsenal | ||
| 4 | Eniola Aluko |
Chelsea | 6 |
| Isobel Christiansen |
Manchester City | ||
| Gemma Davison |
Chelsea | ||
| Toni Duggan |
Manchester City | ||
| Chioma Ubogagu |
Arsenal | ||
| Rachel Williams |
Notts County | ||
| 10 | Karen Carney |
Birmingham City | 5 |
 Ji So-yun |
Chelsea |