Minimum salaries breakthrough for WSL and WSL 2
- BBC News
Chelsea have won six successive WSL titles
Minimum salaries for players in the top two tiers of professional womens football in England are being introduced for the first time this season.
It is one of the requirements brought in by WSL Football - the company overseeing Englands professional leagues.
WSL Football would not disclose what the minimum level will be, but it is described as a "full-time wage".
It is expected the salary range will be made public when the updated WSL and WSL 2 regulations are published later this season.
The salaries will be based on thresholds such as the age of players, what league they are playing in, and their experience in the game following consultation with the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).
"We feel thats a really positive move. We have so many players who have had to juggle part-time roles while playing football," WSL Footballs chief operating officer Holly Murdoch told BBC Sport.
"Being able to ensure all our players can earn a full-time wage from football is very, very important. I would say its the start as its a framework we can develop on.
"We have worked really closely with the PFA on what those thresholds should look like. We will be reviewing that constantly."
On top of minimum salary requirements, clubs must meet increased criteria around high-performance environments.
It comes after a multi-year partnership was agreed between WSL Football and Nike. Part of the agreement will see Nike provide football boots and goalkeeper gloves to all players in the WSL and WSL 2 who do not have an endorsement deal.
There is also a new collaboration with external company Kyniska Advocacy - an athlete-led organisation aimed at evolving new standards for safeguarding.
All players will gain access to their confidential support service as an independent route for raising welfare concerns.
"We know that due to the fact the game has grown so rapidly, we have disparity. Part of that creates a competitive advantage, so there are elements we have to mandate," added Murdoch.
"One of the requirements will be to have a performance wellbeing role. We will be asking all clubs to employ that role full-time by the end of this season.
"We want to make sure we are preparing our players for life on the pitch, both mentally and physically, as well as off it. That role is critical."
The 2025-26 WSL season begins on Friday as champions Chelsea face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, on the back of England winning a second consecutive European Championship title.
In May, Blackburn Rovers withdrew from WSL 2 because the clubs owners were unwilling to meet the leagues new requirements.
The criteria includes minimum standards on aspects such as elite facilities, the number of full-time staff, wellbeing support and contact hours with players.
A compliance and development review is carried out at each club at the start of the season.
In a statement issued by Blackburn at the time, they said: "The growing financial and operational constraints tied to tier two status, including the requirement to move to a fully professional model, have reached a point where they can no longer be sustained under the clubs current financial framework."
Wolves decided not to apply to compete in WSL 2 despite pushing for promotion.
Murdoch acknowledged the rapid growth of the game has presented challenges.
"We have been working on how we put in the appropriate frameworks to support all our clubs, players and fans on that development journey," said Murdoch.
"It is a balance. Over the last six months, we had over 40 formal meetings with member clubs in the leagues or critical stakeholders.
"Were mindful of making sure we set the bar of what professional womens football looks like in this country and what that looks like in its minimum standards.
"Its never easy when youre trying to make fundamental shifts. There are many clubs who are committed to the professionalised journey we are all on."
One of the biggest developments in womens football is the range in ownership models that are now coming to England.
American businesswoman Michele Kang bought London City Lionesses in December 2023 and they earned promotion to the WSL in May.
Kang also owns eight-time Womens Champions League winners Lyon and Washington Spirit in the United States.
Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian also bought a stake in WSL champions Chelsea in May and was the founding control owner of American club Angel City.
Multi-club ownership has been controversial with players moving between those teams in the transfer window. So where does WSL Football stand on it?
"The multi-club ownership model is obviously a hot topic in football at the moment. I dont think we have a hard and fast this is the way we should do it," said Murdoch.
"We are absolutely considering how multi-club ownership models will work in womens football but not at the detriment of the leagues integrity.
"There is strict regulation in mens football around this. Its something were looking into at the moment and reviewing.
"We need to understand how we unlock that investment. Theres no direct answer as its evolving, but we have to make sure we have the right guidance in place."
In April, it emerged Chelsea had sold their womens team to parent company BlueCo for £198.7m, a process that helped put the wider business into profit.
Everton and Aston Villa followed suit, selling their womens teams to parent companies The Friedkin Group and V Sports respectively.
"There are obviously huge positives to having a separate board, separate leadership teams and separate investors," said Murdoch.
"The womens team is a very different type of business at a different stage of growth. You can see how those changes bring huge positives.
"We have to be really mindful of our priority - protecting the integrity of the game but also unlocking investment to achieve global success."
As part of the WSLs new welfare regulations, they hope to provide further support for players suffering from online abuse and racism.
Last month, a man was arrested over racist abuse sent on social media to England footballer Jess Carter during Euro 2025.
A man was also arrested after Bournemouths Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused during their Premier League opener against Liverpool.
WSL Football says it has the same measures in place as the Premier League to deal with racism.
"We feel great accountability towards this. Womens football is inclusive and always has been. We want to protect that," said Murdoch.
"It feels foundational to the success of the game. We want a game that collectively fans can be really proud of and our players can thrive in.
"The incidents over the summer were horrific and unacceptable.
"While it was awful to see, I was pleased to see how it was handled in the Premier League game. We have exactly the same protocols.
"Hopefully seeing those things being managed really well will give everyone confidence to talk openly. We want action and not just words."