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Premier League under discussion

Women's Football News 17 Jan 2008

The FA Tesco Women's Premier League was on the agenda this weekend as the FA met with the 36 clubs in the National, Northern and Southern Divisions to discuss the future of the game at the Special General Meeting in Leicester.

The FA has tasked Genesis Sports Consultancy to conduct a wide review of the League, and the consultation has so far included gathering opinions from clubs in the Premier League (including Managers, players and the invaluable volunteers who help run the clubs), supporters, commercial partners and members of the media.

The FA Women's Committee and FA staff have been working closely with Genesis to drive this review, to understand how the League in its current format needs to be transformed to achieve a more marketable product which would attract more spectators and media coverage.

Two issues on which there has so far been an overwhelming consensus of opinion is:

* the need to find a window in the sporting calendar when The FA Tesco Women's Premier League is not competing with the men's game [summer football has been proposed as one solution to this, in the same way that Rugby League altered the running of its season];

* as well as the need for more investment to be made by The FA to ensure that clubs are sustainable and able to meet basic running costs over a season.

There is a real desire by the FA to take women's football to the next level where attractive and exciting football can be played and watched by fans both in stadia and TV on a regular basis.

The unprecedented media coverage of England's performance at the FIFA Women's World Cup last year has demonstrated that women's football is of interest when the games are competitive and entertaining, and the FA's challenge is to now work towards a more 'professional' sport domestically.

The FA will meet again with the clubs in February and March to work together on a proposal for the future of the league as well as continuing to consult with all key stakeholders.