Talking points for new WSL season: Emma Hayes' Chelsea successor and new era in women’s game | OneFootball

The Women’s Super League returns with the 2024-25 season's first round of fixtures being kicked off by champions Chelsea hosting Aston Villa on Friday evening.

Here, we look at some of the talking points heading into the opening matches.

Change at Chelsea

While Chelsea embark upon a familiar quest, bidding for a sixth successive league title, there is the major difference that they will do so without Emma Hayes, whose 12-year tenure at the helm ended in the summer as she took charge of the United States.

Former France international Sonia Bompastor, a Champions League winner during her time in charge of her previous club Lyon, is Hayes' successor - one of four changes of boss at WSL clubs since the end of last term. Villa are another side working under new management in Dutchman Robert de Pauw.

A thrilling 2023-24 title race saw Chelsea take the crown on goal difference ahead of Gareth Taylor's Manchester City, who start with Sunday's trip to Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal, last season's third-placed finishers. WSL all-time top-scorer Vivianne Miedema is in line to face her old club at the Emirates Stadium having left the Gunners and joined City in the summer. Chelsea's new signings include England right-back Lucy Bronze.

Manchester United made history last season by claiming their first major trophy in the FA Cup, but it proved a disappointing league campaign as they slipped from a final position of second in 2022-23 to fifth.

The transfer activity that has followed has featured some significant outgoings in Mary Earps, fellow England internationals Katie Zelem and Nikita Parris, their top scorer last term, and Lucia Garcia, while Elisabeth Terland, who netted 13 WSL goals for Brighton last term, is among those to have joined Marc Skinner's squad.

Their attempt to bounce back commences with a meeting with West Ham at Old Trafford on Saturday, while Matt Beard's Liverpool, the side that beat them to fourth place in May, begin on Sunday by hosting Leicester - newly managed by Frenchwoman Amandine Miquel - at their new home, St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium.

(The FA via Getty Images)

Big names at Brighton

The other team with a new manager are Brighton, with former Australia player Dario Vidosic now in charge, and although Terland and England forward Katie Robinson have departed the club, new recruits include two Lionesses in Parris and Fran Kirby, a star for so many years at Chelsea.

It will certainly be interesting to see what it all adds up to for the Seagulls, who host Everton in their opener on Saturday and are looking to improve on coming ninth in 2023-24.

Enter Eagles

The new club in the division are Crystal Palace, whose WSL debut fixture is away against Tottenham on Sunday.

Boss Laura Kaminski's CV includes three seasons as as an assistant at Spurs, during which they went up to the top flight in 2019, before she guided the Eagles to promotion last term in her first year in the job.

The WPLL era

There is also a new, independent entity overseeing both the WSL and Championship from the start of this season - what is now known as Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL).

Nikki Doucet, former general manager of Nike Women UK and Ireland, is the chief executive of the new body, which has been backed by a £20million interest-free loan from the Premier League. While no longer in charge of the divisions, the Football Association has a special share and representation on the WPLL board.

The new Women's Super League season in numbers.

5 - consecutive titles for Chelsea, with a record seven in total. They begin this season under new manager Sonia Bompastor after Emma Hayes was appointed United States boss.

4 - teams to have won the WSL, with three titles for Arsenal, two for Liverpool and one for Manchester City - who have been runners-up on six occasions.

55 - Points total last season for both Chelsea and City as Hayes' side won the title on goal difference.

1 - Bristol City won just one game last season as they were relegated with six points, a record low for a 22-game season.

22 - the record for goals in a WSL season, by Vivianne Miedema for Arsenal in 2018-19 and Rachel Daly for Aston Villa in 2022-23. City's Khadija Shaw was just one off the record last season.

80 - Miedema is the competition's record scorer, entering the new season - her first at Manchester City - six clear of Tottenham's Bethany England.

11-1 - Arsenal's 2019 win over Bristol City came by a record scoreline for the competition. Miedema scored six and added four assists.

192 - Sophie Ingle's record WSL appearance total - 123 for her current club Chelsea. Last season saw Ingle, Jordan Nobbs and Mary Earps all pass Kerys Harrop's previous record of 183.

60,160 - Arsenal's win over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium last season set a WSL attendance record. The Gunners will use the Premier League venue as their primary home ground from this season.

14 - this will be the 14th WSL season, and the first under the governance of the newly-established Women's Professional Leagues Limited.