2023–24 Women's Championship

Women's Championship
Season2023–24
ChampionsCrystal Palace
RelegatedLewes
Watford
Matches played132
Goals scored361 (2.73 per match)
Top goalscorerElise Hughes
(16 goals)
Biggest home winCrystal Palace 9–1 Durham
10 September 2023
Biggest away winBlackburn Rovers 0–4 Crystal Palace
1 October 2023
Sheffield United 0–4 Birmingham City
15 October 2023
Reading 0–4 Birmingham City
20 March 2024
Durham 1–5 Crystal Palace
31 March 2024
Highest scoringCrystal Palace 9–1 Durham
10 September 2023
All statistics correct as of 28 April 2024.

The 2023–24 Women's Championship season (known Barclays Women's Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the rebranded Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England, and the ninth season since the creation of the WSL 2.[1]

In April 2023, The Football Association board announced changes to the Women's Championship, increasing the number of relegation spots in the 2023–24 season to two in order for both FA Women's National League champions (North and South) to win promotion at the end of the season. Previously only one team had been relegated and replaced by the winner of a playoff match between the Northern Premier Division and Southern Premier Division champions. The changes will not impact the structure of the Women's Super League with a one up, one down system.[2]

On 14 April 2024, Watford were the first team to be mathematically confirmed as relegated from the Championship after only one season back in the second division. They sat seven points adrift from safety with two games remaining.[3] Lewes' relegation was confirmed on 21 April 2024 after defeat to Crystal Palace coupled with a victory for Reading over Durham left Lewes four points behind with only one game left to play. Relegation ended Lewes' six-season spell in the Championship stretching back to the 2018–19 campaign.[4] The 2023–24 Women's Championship title was still mathematically undecided until the final day of the season although Crystal Palace went in to the day three points ahead of Charlton Athletic and had a superior goal difference by 22.[5] Crystal Palace secured the title with a point on the final day, playing out a goalless draw with Sunderland at Selhurst Park.[6]

Teams

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Location of clubs for the 2023–24 season

Twelve teams competed in the Championship for the 2023–24 season, the same number as the previous season. Bristol City were promoted to the Women's Super League as 2022–23 Women's Championship winners.[7] They will be replaced by Reading who were relegated on the final day of the 2022–23 Women's Super League season,[8] ending a seven-season stay in the WSL which began in 2016 following the club's promotion as 2015 WSL 2 winners.[9] Coventry United were relegated to the FA Women's National League after four seasons in the second division.[10] They were replaced by the winners of the 2022–23 FA Women's National League playoff, Southern Premier Division winners Watford, who beat Northern champions Nottingham Forest 1–0. They returned after just one season away having been relegated at the end of the 2021–22 season.[11]

Team Location Ground Capacity 2022–23 season
Birmingham City Birmingham St Andrew's 29,902 2nd
Blackburn Rovers Bamber Bridge Sir Tom Finney Stadium 3,000 10th
Charlton Athletic Crayford Oakwood 1,180 4th
Crystal Palace Sutton Gander Green Lane 5,032 5th
Durham Durham Maiden Castle 1,700 7th
Lewes Lewes The Dripping Pan 3,000 9th
London City Lionesses Dartford Princes Park 4,100 3rd
Reading Reading Madejski Stadium 24,161 WSL, 12th
Sheffield United Sheffield Bramall Lane 32,050 8th
Southampton Southampton St Mary's Stadium 32,384 6th
Sunderland Hetton-le-Hole Eppleton CW 2,500 11th
Watford Ruislip Grosvenor Vale 4,085 WNL, 1st

Managerial changes

[edit]
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Reading England Kelly Chambers Resigned 20 June 2023[12] End of season (WSL, 12th) England Liam Gilbert 18 August 2023[13]
London City Lionesses England Nikita Runnacles (interim) End of interim period 4 July 2023 End of season (3rd) Italy Carolina Morace 4 July 2023[14]
Crystal Palace England Mike Lowne (interim) End of interim period 14 July 2023 End of season (5th) England Laura Kaminski 14 July 2023[15]
Blackburn Rovers England Matt Bee (interim) End of interim period 17 July 2023 End of season (10th) England Simon Parker 17 July 2023[16]
Sheffield United England Jonathan Morgan Sacked 2 February 2024 8th England Luke Turner (interim) 2 February 2024[17]
London City Lionesses Italy Carolina Morace Sacked 7 February 2024 10th England Darren Smith (interim) 7 February 2024[18]
London City Lionesses England Darren Smith (interim) End of interim period 2 March 2024 10th England Remi Allen 2 March 2024[19]
Birmingham City England Darren Carter Mutual consent 11 April 2024[20] 5th England Emily Simpkins (interim) 12 April 2024[21]
Birmingham City England Emily Simpkins (interim) End of interim period 15 April 2024 5th England Amy Merricks 15 April 2024[22]

Table

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Crystal Palace (C, P) 22 14 4 4 55 20 +35 46 Promotion to the WSL[a]
2 Charlton Athletic 22 13 6 3 32 17 +15 45
3 Sunderland 22 12 5 5 31 18 +13 41
4 Southampton 22 13 0 9 39 25 +14 39
5 Birmingham City 22 11 3 8 33 19 +14 36
6 Blackburn Rovers 22 11 3 8 25 28 −3 36
7 Sheffield United 22 9 2 11 32 31 +1 29
8 London City Lionesses 22 7 4 11 26 36 −10 25
9 Durham 22 6 5 11 24 44 −20 23
10 Reading 22 5 7 10 20 40 −20 22
11 Lewes (R) 22 4 4 14 22 39 −17 16 Relegation to the National League
12 Watford (R) 22 4 3 15 22 44 −22 15
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Dependent on obtaining a licence.

Results

[edit]
Home \ Away BIR BLB CHA CRY DUR LEW LCL REA SHU SOU SUN WAT
Birmingham City 0–0 0–1 1–2 3–1 2–0 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 5–2
Blackburn Rovers 1–0 0–1 0–4 2–2 2–1[a] 0–3 0–0[b] 2–1 2–1 0–2 1–0
Charlton Athletic 3–1 3–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–1[c] 1–1 2–0 1–1 2–3
Crystal Palace 1–0[d] 4–0 0–1 9–1 3–2 6–1 1–1 1–0[e] 3–4 0–0 3–0
Durham 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–5 2–0 1–0 0–2 2–5 1–0 0–1 0–2
Lewes 0–0 0–2 0–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–2 2–1 1–4 0–2 2–1
London City Lionesses 0–1 0–1 0–2 0–2 2–2 3–2 1–1 1–2 1–0 1–0 3–2
Reading 0–4[f] 1–4 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–2 1–3 1–4 1–0 0–0
Sheffield United 0–4 1–3 2–2 2–0 0–1 1–0 3–1 5–1 0–1 0–1 1–0
Southampton 1–3 2–0 0–2 1–2 2–1 2–1 3–1 5–0 2–1 0–1 3–0
Sunderland 0–3 0–1 0–1 1–1 5–3 4–3 0–0 3–1 3–0 1–0 2–1
Watford 2–0 0–1 0–2[g] 0–3 1–1 1–2 3–3 3–2 1–3 0–2 0–3
Source: Source
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 17 December, the Blackburn Rovers match against Lewes was postponed due to Lewes playing in the FA Cup.
  2. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 19 November, the Blackburn Rovers match against Reading was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
  3. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 18 February, the Charlton match against Reading was postponed due a waterlogged pitch.
  4. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 3 March, the Crystal Palace match against Birmingham City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
  5. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 30 September, the Crystal Palace match against Sheffield United was postponed due to the death of Maddy Cusack.
  6. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 21 January, the Reading match against Birmingham City was postponed due to an outbreak of illness in the Reading camp.
  7. ^ Originally scheduled to be played on 3 March, the Watford match against Charlton was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Top scorers

[edit]
As of 28 April 2024[23]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Wales Elise Hughes Crystal Palace 16
2 England Isobel Goodwin Sheffield United 15
3 England Annabel Blanchard Crystal Palace 11
4 England Carly Johns Watford 8
England Sophia Pharoah Southampton
England Molly Sharpe Crystal Palace
England Katie Wilkinson Southampton
8 England Megan Hornby Blackburn Rovers 7
England Molly Pike Southampton
England Emily Scarr Sunderland

Awards

[edit]

Monthly awards

[edit]
Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month Goal of the Month Ref.
Manager Club Player Club Player Club
September England Laura Kaminski Crystal Palace England Annabel Blanchard Crystal Palace England Annabel Blanchard (vs. Durham) Crystal Palace [24][25]
October England Melanie Reay Sunderland Republic of Ireland Lucy Quinn Birmingham City England Araya Dennis (vs. Charlton Athletic) Crystal Palace [26][27][28]
November England Karen Hills Charlton Athletic England Gemma Lawley Birmingham City England Shauna Guyatt (vs. Watford) Crystal Palace [29][30][31]
December England Michelle Agyemang Watford Republic of Ireland Lily Agg (vs. Sunderland) Birmingham City [32][33]
January England Karen Hills Charlton Athletic England Emily Scarr Sunderland Malta Maria Farrugia (vs. Reading) Lewes [34][35][36]
February England Laura Kaminski Crystal Palace Republic of Ireland Isibeal Atkinson Crystal Palace England Emily Scarr (vs. Lewes) Sunderland [37][38][39]
March England Remi Allen London City Lionesses Malta Maria Farrugia Lewes England Beth Hepple (vs. Sunderland) Durham [40][41][42]
April England Karen Hills Charlton Athletic England Jade Richards Blackburn Rovers England Shanade Hopcroft (vs. Lewes) Crystal Palace [43][44][45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "New brand identity". www.thefa.com.
  2. ^ Rampling, Ali (28 April 2023). "Women's National League gains extra promotion spot from 2023-24". The Athletic.
  3. ^ "'This defeat didn't define our season but it certainly summed it up'". Watford Observer. 17 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Lewes relegated from Women's Championship as Crystal Palace win at Dripping Pan". Sussex Express. 21 April 2024.
  5. ^ Frith, Wilf (21 April 2024). "Crystal Palace Women champions elect of Barclays WSL - SheKicks". shekicks.net.
  6. ^ "Champions: The complete story of Palace Women's incredible season". Crystal Palace. 5 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Smith 'excited' as Bristol City return to WSL". BBC Sport. 23 April 2023.
  8. ^ "What next for Reading after relegation from WSL?". BBC Sport. 27 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Royals crowned champions after 3-2 win away at Aston Villa". www.thefa.com.
  10. ^ "Coventry United relegated from the Barclays Women's Championship". FAWSL Full-Time. 2 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Women: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Watford". www.watfordfc.com.
  12. ^ "Kelly Chambers set to leave the club for pastures new". Reading FC. 20 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Liam Gilbert takes the reins of Reading FC Women". Reading FC. 18 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Italian legend Morace appointed head coach of London City Lionesses". FAWSL Full-Time. 4 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Palace Women appoint Laura Kaminski as head coach". Crystal Palace F.C. 14 July 2023.
  16. ^ "Blackburn Rovers Women appoint Simon Parker as head coach". Lancashire Telegraph. 17 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Club Statement: Jonathan Morgan". Sheffield United FC. 2 February 2024.
  18. ^ "London City Lionesses part company with Carolina Morace & Nicola Williams". London City Lionesses. 7 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Birmingham City midfielder Allen appointed London City Lionesses first team head coach". WSL Full-Time. 2 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Darren Carter leaves Blues Women". Birmingham City FC.
  21. ^ "Emily Simpkins to lead Blues Women against Crystal Palace". Birmingham City FC.
  22. ^ "Merricks named as new Birmingham boss". BBC Sport. 12 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Women's Championship Top Scorers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Laura Kaminski named Championship Manager of the Month". Crystal Palace F.C. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  25. ^ "Blanchard wins Women's Championship POTM and GOTM". Crystal Palace F.C. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  26. ^ "Mel Reay wins October Manager of the Month". Sunderland F.C. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Lucy Quinn wins monthly award". Birmingham City F.C. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Dennis wins Championship Goal of the Month for Charlton thunderbolt". Crystal Palace F.C. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  29. ^ "Karen Hills named November Manager of the Month". Charlton Athletic F.C. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  30. ^ "Gemma Lawley wins monthly award". Birmingham City F.C. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Guyatt wins Women's Championship Goal of the Month". Crystal Palace F.C. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  32. ^ Barclays Women's Champions [@BarclaysWC] (17 January 2024). "In fantastic form for @WatfordFCWomen! Michelle Agyemang is the #BarclaysWC Player of the Month! 🤩" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Lily Agg strike wins Goal of the Month". Birmingham City F.C. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Karen Hills named January Manager of the Month". Charlton Athletic F.C. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Emily Scarr wins Player of the Month award". Sunderland F.C. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  36. ^ Barclays Women's Champions [@BarclaysWC] (13 February 2024). "Sensational strength and strike from Maria Farrugia 🤩 The #BarclaysWC Goal of the Month goes to the @LewesFCWomen midfielder's finish 🙌" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  37. ^ "Kaminski wins second Manager of the Month award". Crystal Palace F.C. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Atkinson wins Championship Player of the Month". Crystal Palace F.C. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  39. ^ Barclays Women's Championship [@BarclaysWC] (7 March 2024). "A cheeky finish from @emilyscarr11! Her goal against Lewes is the #BarclaysWC Goal of the Month 🤩 @SAFCWomen" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 March 2024 – via Twitter.
  40. ^ "Remi Allen named Barclays Women's Championship Manager of the Month for March 2024". London City Lionesses. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  41. ^ "Maltese Maria Farrugia Awarded Barclays Women's Champion Player for March". Malta Daily. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  42. ^ Women FC, Durham (18 April 2024). "Beth Hepple wins Barclays Women's Championship Goal of the Month!". Durham Women FC. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  43. ^ "Barclays Women's Championship Manager of the Month - April". League Managers Association. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  44. ^ Barclays Women's Championship [@BarclaysWC] (7 May 2024). "Leading @RoversWFC to an unbeaten final month! @jadey_5 is the #BarclaysWC Player of the Month 🤩" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 June 2024 – via Twitter.
  45. ^ Barclays Women's Championship [@BarclaysWC] (7 May 2024). "A sensational strike for @cpfc_w! @shanadehopcroft's strike against Lewes is the #BarclaysWC Goal of the Month 🌟" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 June 2024 – via Twitter.
[edit]
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