The Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship have today unveiled their new The Stakes Have Never Been Higher season launch campaign.
Given that the Championship kicked off two weeks ago I would have considered dropping this a few weeks ago but that’s just me.
The campaign features twenty players from clubs across both the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship, this year’s season launch creative campaign is reflective of the new heights reached by the women’s game in recent seasons.
Bringing the players together at the top of a high-rise building, their competitiveness and incredible skills shine through as a mass game of keeping the ball off the ground breaks out – officiated by referee Mel Burgin – with only one winner come the end. Watch below to find out who…
Showcasing some of the leagues’ finest talent, the creative features Barclays WSL stars Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Jordan Nobbs (Aston Villa), Fran Kirby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Sam Kerr (Chelsea), Aurora Galli and Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Jutta Rantala (Leicester City), Taylor Hinds (Liverpool), Kerstin Casparij (Manchester City), Hannah Blundell (Manchester United) and Martha Thomas (Tottenham Hotspur).
From the Barclays Women’s Championship, newly promoted Portsmouth and Newcastle United are represented by Ava Rowbotham and Shania Hayles while Christie Harrison-Murray (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Beth Hepple (Durham), Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah (London City Lionesses), Molly Graham (Sheffield United) and Molly Pike (Southampton) also take centre stage.
Fair play to Dark Horse, the agency behind this, they have done a great job.
Football fans of my generation will vividly remember the iconic Nike ads. Inspired by them, I would’ve loved to have seen an extended or a deeper cut of this with the two teams competing against each other against the backdrop of members of the public using the car park.
Imagine the cameos, Jill Scott driving an original Mini Cooper or Emma Hayes in a Mustang!
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With the Barclays Women’s Championship already underway, having kicked off on September 8, the 2024-25 Barclays WSL season is set to begin on Friday, September 20. Defending champions Chelsea will host Aston Villa at Kingsmeadow, with the match being broadcast live on BBC.
The opening weekend promises some exciting fixtures, including matches at Old Trafford (Manchester United vs. West Ham United on Saturday, September 21, 12:00 pm KO) and the Emirates Stadium (Arsenal vs. Manchester City, live on Sky Sports on Sunday, September 22, 12:30 pm KO).
As someone who typically focuses on the FA Women’s National League, I’m particularly excited for this season of the Super League and Championship. Even though we’re only two match weeks in, it’s already shaping up to be a highly competitive season, with seven teams looking like they could challenge for promotion to the Super League.
At this point, my money is on Bristol City, with Newcastle United also being strong contenders. If Newcastle are anywhere near the top by Christmas, I expect them to open the chequebook and bring in Super League-level talent to push them over the line.
In the WSL, it’s hard to look past Chelsea for the title, but Manchester City under Gareth Taylor impressed me last season. If City can keep the spine of their team fit, I believe they’ll pose the biggest challenge to Chelsea’s dominance.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have been weakened by the loss of key talent in recent summers. Yet, there’s an argument to be made that Marc Skinner’s squad is more balanced than it has been in a long time. The only lingering question is whether Skinner can lead this team to the top of the Super League and back into the UEFA Women’s Champions League. I have my doubts, particularly given his record with integrating new signings, but I would love to see a dynamic United team taking points off their rivals. What’s certain is that the Adobe Women’s FA Cup win is now history, and Skinner cannot afford a slow start like last season.
While the title race in both divisions is exciting, it’s disheartening to see that the leagues haven’t expanded yet. It’s hard to imagine anything other than a tough relegation battle for Palace and Portsmouth, who are up against more established teams. Expanding both divisions to 14 teams would offer newly promoted clubs a better chance of survival, potentially creating ‘mini-leagues’ where they could realistically compete to stay up.
I would love nothing more than to see clubs like Portsmouth, my hometown team, stay up, but breaking into the top half of the table without significant investment is difficult. This is why I see Newcastle United doing well. Say what you will about their funding, but at least they’re investing in their women’s team, something other Premier League-backed clubs, like Wolverhampton Wanderers, are failing to do.
Meanwhile, this season all WSL matches not selected for broadcast by the BBC or Sky will be streamed live on the league’s new YouTube channel, Barclays WSL. Selected Championship fixtures will also be broadcast on the Barclays WC YouTube channel.
This could be fantastic for growing the women’s game, but I do hope that the increased coverage doesn’t negatively impact live attendances by encouraging fans to stay home and watch online.
Although it won’t be the same without Emma Hayes, like an episode of Game of Thrones, it’ll be exciting to watch everyone battle it out to claim her crown.
