FA WSL Spring Series

FA WSL
SeasonSpring Series
ChampionsChelsea
← 2016

The FA WSL Spring Series was an interim edition of the FA WSL between the sixth and seventh full seasons. The Spring Series ran from February to May 2017 to bridge the gap from the 2016 FA WSL season which ran from March to September as a summer tournament, and the 2017–18 season which started in September 2017.[1][2]

While the 2017–18 season planned to feature 21 clubs,[2] the Spring Series contained 20. Notts County Ladies F.C. folded two days before they were due to play their first Spring Series game, leaving 19 teams in total.[3] Teams played each other once, with no promotion or relegation before the full 2017–18 season.[4] WSL 2 began in February, while WSL 1 started in April.[4]

Teams

WSL 1
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the Spring Series WSL 1 teams
Team Location Ground Capacity 2016 season
Arsenal Borehamwood Meadow Park 4,502 3rd
Birmingham City Solihull Damson Park 3,050 4th
Bristol City Filton Stoke Gifford Stadium 1,500 2nd, WSL 2
Chelsea Staines Wheatsheaf Park 3,009 2nd
Liverpool Widnes Select Security Stadium 13,350 5th
Manchester City Manchester Academy Stadium 7,000 1st
Reading High Wycombe Adams Park 9,617 8th
Sunderland Hetton-le-Hole Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground 2,500 7th
Yeovil Town Yeovil Huish Park 9,565 1st, WSL 2
WSL 2
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the Spring Series WSL 2 teams
Team Location Ground Capacity 2016 season
Aston Villa Tamworth The Lamb Ground 4,000 7th
Brighton & Hove Albion Lancing Culver Road 2,000 1st, 2015–16 WPL
Doncaster Rovers Belles Doncaster Keepmoat Stadium 15,231 9th, WSL 1
Durham Durham New Ferens Park 3,000 4th
Everton Widnes Select Security Stadium 13,350 3rd
London Bees Canons Park The Hive Stadium 5,176 6th
Millwall Lionesses Bermondsey St. Paul's Sports Ground 2,500 8th
Oxford United Abingdon Northcourt Road 2,000 9th
Sheffield Dronfield Coach and Horses 2,000 5th
Watford Kings Langley Global Metcorp Stadium 1,000 10th

WSL 1

FA WSL 1
Season2017 Spring Series
Matches played36
Goals scored122 (3.39 per match)
Top goalscorerFran Kirby (6 goals)
Biggest home winChelsea 6–0 Yeovil Town
(30 April 2017)
Biggest away winSunderland 0–7 Chelsea
(21 May 2017)
Highest scoringArsenal 4–4 Liverpool
(4 May 2017)
← 2016

Ten teams were due to compete in this season.[2] Notts County Ladies announced it was folding and withdrew from the league two days before their first scheduled fixture.[3]

Table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Chelsea 8 6 1 1 32 3 +29 19
2 Manchester City 8 6 1 1 17 6 +11 19
3 Arsenal 8 5 3 0 22 9 +13 18
4 Liverpool 8 4 2 2 20 18 +2 14
5 Sunderland 8 2 3 3 4 14 −10 9
6 Reading 8 2 2 4 10 15 −5 8
7 Birmingham City 8 1 4 3 6 10 −4 7
8 Bristol City 8 1 1 6 5 21 −16 4
9 Yeovil Town 8 0 1 7 6 26 −20 1
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored


Results

Home \ Away ARS BIR BRI CHE LIV MCI REA SUN YEO
Arsenal 4–2 4–4 1–0
Birmingham City 2–0 0–2 0–2 0–0 0–0
Bristol City 0–5 0–4 1–1 0–3 1–3
Chelsea 2–2 7–0 6–0
Liverpool 1–3 4–2 4–0
Manchester City 0–1 1–1 1–0 5–1
Reading 1–1 0–4 2–3
Sunderland 0–0 1–0 0–7 0–1 1–1
Yeovil Town 1–5 2–3 1–4 0–1 1–2
Source: FA WSL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top goalscorers

[5]

Rank Player Team Goals
1 England Fran Kirby Chelsea 6
2 Scotland Caroline Weir Liverpool 5
3 England Karen Carney Chelsea 4
England Danielle Carter Arsenal
Scotland Erin Cuthbert Chelsea
England Toni Duggan Manchester City
Wales Natasha Harding Liverpool
South Korea Ji So-yun Chelsea
England Jordan Nobbs Arsenal
England Drew Spence Chelsea

WSL 2

FA WSL 2
Season2017 Spring Series
Matches played45
Goals scored138 (3.07 per match)
Top goalscorerCourtney Sweetman-Kirk (9 goals)
Biggest home winEverton 5–0 Brighton & Hove Albion
(30 April 2017)
Biggest away winLondon Bees 0–4 Everton
(20 May 2017)
Oxford United 0–4 Doncaster Rovers Belles
(21 May 2017)
Highest scoringAston Villa 5–4 Durham
(21 May 2017)
← 2016

Ten teams competed in this season.[2] Brighton & Hove Albion was promoted after beating Sporting Club Albion in the 2015–16 FA Women's Premier League Championship play-off.[6][7] Following the closure of Notts County Ladies in April 2017, one team was promoted at the end of the Spring Series to the WSL1 for the 2017–18 season, based on an evaluation by the FA of applicant clubs' business plans, budget, youth development, facilities and on-pitch performance.[8]

Table

Everton celebrates winning the FA WSL 2 Spring Series.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Everton 9 7 1 1 25 7 +18 22 Applied for promotion to the 2017–18 FA WSL. Promotion approved.[9]
2 Doncaster Rovers Belles 9 5 3 1 19 9 +10 18 Applied for promotion to the 2017–18 FA WSL.
3 Millwall Lionesses 9 5 2 2 12 8 +4 17
4 Aston Villa 9 5 2 2 19 16 +3 17
5 Durham 9 5 1 3 14 10 +4 16
6 Brighton & Hove Albion 9 2 4 3 8 13 −5 10
7 London Bees 9 3 1 5 13 21 −8 10
8 Watford 9 2 2 5 12 17 −5 8
9 Sheffield 9 2 0 7 9 18 −9 6
10 Oxford United 9 0 2 7 7 19 −12 2
Source: FA WSL
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored

Results

Home \ Away AST BRH DON DUR EVE LON MIL OXF SHE WAT
Aston Villa 3–1 5–4 3–2 1–1 3–2
Brighton & Hove Albion 0–0 1–1 3–1 2–1
Doncaster Rovers Belles 2–1 2–1 3–3 4–1
Durham 1–0 3–0 1–0 2–1 1–0
Everton 3–0 5–0 1–0 4–0
London Bees 1–1 0–4 1–2 3–1 2–1
Millwall Lionesses 0–0 2–1 2–1 2–0 1–2
Oxford United 0–0 0–4 1–2 1–2
Sheffield 1–3 0–2 1–2 3–2
Watford 1–1 1–1 2–3 1–2 2–0
Source: FA WSL
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top goalscorers

[5]

Rank Player Team Goals
1 England Courtney Sweetman-Kirk Doncaster Rovers Belles 9
2 England Claudia Walker Everton 7
3 Northern Ireland Simone Magill Everton 5
Scotland Zoe Ness Durham
5 England Natasha Baptiste Aston Villa 4
England Ashleigh Goddard London Bees
Nigeria Ini-Abasi Umotong Oxford United
England Jo Wilson London Bees

References

  1. ^ "New calendar for FA WSL". Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Women's Super League to switch to winter season in 2017". Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Notts County Ladies: WSL 1 club fold on eve of Spring Series season". BBC Sport. 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Spring Series Fixtures". FA. Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "PLAYER STATS". Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Women's Premier League: Brighton beat Sporting Club Albion in play-off". BBC Sport. 29 May 2016. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  7. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion Women promotion to Women's Super League approved". BBC Sport. 2 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  8. ^ Garry, Tom. "Women's Super League: WSL 2 clubs invited to apply to replace Notts County Ladies". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Everton Ladies chosen for vacant spot in WSL 1". BBC Sport. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2017.