August 2024 target set for independent structure to run women’s top two leagues

The Football Association has set an August 2024 target for the Women’s Super League and Championship to operate under an independently club-owned, club-run structure, the PA news agency understands.

Plans for the top two flights of English women’s football to shift out from under the current direct FA management model have been in the works for some time.

The move will follow a series of consultations with a working group of 10 WSL and Championship executives, chaired by Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, established to steer the next phase of the professional women’s game.

Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA’s director of women’s football, said: “I honestly feel we’ve made incredible progress. There’s been a real acceptance that the women’s g…