Women’s Super League fixture chaos: what went on?

By Amelia Clayton

On 29th September, only one week before Chelsea were scheduled to play Manchester United at a sold out Kingsmeadow Stadium, the Women’s Super League (WSL) announced that the game would be postponed for the indefinite future. New guardians of the WSL, Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), took this decision at such short notice due to scheduling problems following confirmation of the Women’s Champions League group stage schedule on Saturday.

An issue arose after Chelsea were scheduled to play Real Madrid on 8th October, only two days after they would have hosted Manchester United. It is a requirement that players have a minimum two days recovery between games, a rule that is essential for welfare and the prevention of injuries, meaning it would be impossible for both games to go ahead safely. Consequently, either UEFA or the WSL were required to make a change.

While the schedule for the Women’s Champions League was released over a year ago, and Chelsea were England’s first and only confirmed participants up until the 26th of September, the WPLL were only aware that Chelsea could be playing on either Tuesday or Wednesday when the TV rights for Chelsea v Manchester United were granted to Sky. 

In previous years, with Chelsea being England’s only representative in the Women’s Champions League, it may be that their game could have been switched to the Wednesday slots. However, the qualification of Manchester City and Arsenal creates further complications. A spokesperson for UEFA told BBC, “There are two well-established draw principles concerning teams from the same national association”, one of which being that the two highest seeded clubs from each country must play on “different days of every match week”. 

It is a requirement that players have a minimum two days recovery between games, a rule that is essential for welfare and the prevention of injuries

Chelsea therefore cannot play on the same day as Manchester City, absolving UEFA of the responsibility to change their schedule. Granted, the WPLL could not have known for certain that Manchester City would qualify successfully, however their lack of foresight raises significant concerns on the capabilities of the WPLL to run this rapidly growing league with the precise care that it requires. 

In a statement released by the WPLL, they emphasise their prioritisation of players’ health, saying “We apologise for any inconvenience to fans. In this instance, we have to put player welfare first”. 

The club statement released by Chelsea further highlights their concerns for player welfare and assures fans that “numerous discussions have since taken place in an attempt to find an amicable solution to this scheduling conflict between the league and UEFA”, although ultimately no favourable resolution could be found. 

Unfortunately, thousands of fans now find themselves paying the price for the league’s mistake. Ticket refunds have been offered to all fans up until 48 hours of the rescheduled fixture, a date which still remains indefinite, but this does not account for all expenses. Manchester United have a well established travelling fanbase, many of which will now be losing out financially after paying for transport and accommodation, as well as Chelsea fans who may be travelling from outside of London. 

Unfortunately, thousands of fans now find themselves paying the price for the league’s mistake

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has lamented the postponement, stating that players and staff alike were left “disappointed” and that the decision has “changed everything” in regard to the team’s preparation for their clash against Real Madrid. Bompastor urged the WPLL to “help the English clubs compete in the Champions League”, arguing that they should be “proud” to have three English teams in Europe and therefore should provide favourable conditions for them to succeed. However, it is important that the WPLL do not find themselves mistreating the other nine WSL clubs who are not currently representing England internationally.

The now former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall was also critical of the decision, claiming that Arsenal “will get more of a challenge” with scheduling than the other WSL teams. “We never get a preferred schedule from the league,” he stated.

Ultimately, it can be taken as a positive that player welfare was prioritised. As the WSL continues to grow and improve, the intensity of the league is increasing and fixture congestion is becoming more of a concern. Across the WSL, there are currently 18 players recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, four of which being Chelsea players whose fixture congestion problems were increased in comparison to other teams last season due to being the only English club playing European matches. 

Furthermore, an ACL injury has been suffered in at least one game of every WSL match week so far this season. This is a huge concern for the league, causing squad depth problems as well as meaning top talents are missing out on crucial seasons of their careers. The WPLL must recognise the significant injury risk and ensure that they are more mindful with their scheduling from now on.

Image: LHC88 via Wikimedia Commons