WSL and WC clubs finally agree to elite game breakaway under ‘NewCo’ | OneFootball

The Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship clubs have finally come to an agreement that will see a new organisation (NewCo) take over the management of the elite game.

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official press release from The Football Association this afternoon.

NewCo will take over the day-to-day running of the two leagues from The Football Association while each of the 24 participating clubs will act as shareholders. The transition to NewCo will start in the remainder of the current season before the new organisation take complete ownership from 2024/2025. Nikki Doucet has been appointed as CEO of the NewCo and she will start her role with immediate effect.

Speaking following the announcement, new CEO Doucet said “This is an incredibly exciting time for women’s football – and I’m delighted to be appointed as the new CEO of the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship.

“Having already worked with the clubs and The FA for a number of months, I’ve been incredibly encouraged by the collective desire and shared ambition to make our leagues the most distinctive, competitive and entertaining women’s club competitions in the world.

“It’s a great privilege to help lead the next phase of this inspirational journey, which has been started by The FA through passion, investment and a steadfast commitment to the evolution of women’s football.

“Together, we now have an opportunity to see further transformational growth across our leagues by maximising the unique qualities, values and principles that we see in the women’s game, and keeping the players and the fans at the heart of everything we do.”

The process of agreeing a deal with NewCo had been ongoing for some time with a number of Barclays Women’s Championship clubs believed to have initially rejected the proposal. Differences have been settled and the overwhelming majority have now accepted the deal.