Chelsea will get their Women’s Super League title defence under way with a clash against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on October 1.
The 5.30pm kick-off between Emma Hayes’ champions and Spurs, in their first match under new head coach Robert Vilahamn, is one of three games on the 2023-24 season’s opening day that are set to take place at Premier League grounds.
Last term’s runners-up Manchester United play Aston Villa at Villa Park in the day’s earliest contest (12.30pm kick-off), and Arsenal face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Promoted Bristol City will begin their WSL return by taking on Leicester at Ashton Gate.
Tuesday’s fixtures announcement also revealed Manchester City are to go to West Ham and Everton host Brighton on the opening day.
Chelsea – who have lost their opener in each of the last two campaigns, and are bidding to secure a fifth successive title, and seventh overall – earlier this month announced the club were committed to holding four WSL games at Stamford Bridge during the 2023-24 season.
Arsenal had already confirmed they would be playing five at the Emirates, and after their match against Liverpool, the Gunners are scheduled to also play there in their next home fixture, against Villa on October 15.
The stadium is then set to host Jonas Eidevall’s side playing Chelsea on December 10, Manchester United on February 18 and Tottenham in a March 3 derby. Last September, Arsenal beat Spurs 4-0 there in front a WSL record crowd of 47,367.
The second round of fixtures on October 8 features Manchester City v Chelsea and Manchester United v Arsenal.
The ‘Women’s Football Weekend’ pencilled in for March 23-24 includes derbies of Manchester City hosting Manchester United and Everton entertaining Liverpool, while the concluding round of fixtures, on May 18, includes Chelsea playing United away.
The new top-flight season starts six weeks after the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the final of which takes place on August 20.
The Women’s Championship is set to begin on August 26 with Birmingham, who finished second last season, facing Blackburn at Ewood Park, while promoted Watford hosting Durham is among five fixtures taking place the next day.
Tottenham have signed Bethany England from Chelsea for a reported fee of £250,000, a British-record amount for a domestic transfer in women's football.
The previous record was the £200,000 paid by Chelsea to Manchester United in 2021 for Lauren James, sister of the Blues' men's player Reece James.
The biggest fee paid for a women's player in world football was the reported £350,000 (€397,000) spent by Barcelona to sign midfielder Keira Walsh from Manchester City in September.
England has signed a three-year deal with Spurs, who are eighth in the Women's Super League, 18 points behind table-topping Chelsea with a game in hand.
A part of the England squad that won the European Championships last year, the 28-year-old has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Lionesses.
England spent seven years at Chelsea, scoring 74 goals in 164 appearances and winning nine major trophies.
Reggae Girlz striker Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was again on the scoresheet for Manchester City Women as they defeated Tottenham Women 3-0 in the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) at Brisbane Road in London on Saturday.
Shaw produced a double to help City get their second win in four games, moving to fifth in the WSL.
Her first came just before halftime in the 41st minute before getting her second just after the break in the 47th minute. Lauren Hemp got City’s third goal in the 76th minute.
Shaw is now the leading scorer in the WSL so far this season with five goals from four games.
The Women's Super League attendance record was sent tumbling on Saturday as 47,367 fans watched Arsenal thrash north London rivals Tottenham 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
A high crowd at the Emirates was significantly larger than the previous record – set when 38,262 people watched the same two sides face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2019.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall said the match would represent a historic moment for the women's game on Friday, declaring: "They're not giveaways, they're not discounted, they're sold tickets.
"I think that's really special, because that means the interest there, it is for real."
Those in attendance at the Emirates on Saturday were not disappointed, as Vivianne Miedema's brace, as well as goals from Beth Mead and Rafaelle, fired Eidevall's side to a dominant win.
Miedema's tally of eight goals against Spurs is a WSL record, while Arsenal have become the first team in the competition's history to keep eight consecutive clean sheets after shutting their rivals out.
The landmark occasion represents another high-point for the women's game in England.
A record crowd for any European Championship fixture – men's or women's – was set at Wembley Stadium when 87,192 watched the Lionesses win their first major trophy by beating Germany on July 31.
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall believes years of effort and investment have paid off as the Gunners prepare to shatter the Women's Super League attendance record against Tottenham.
Over 50,000 fans are expected at Emirates Stadium for Saturday's north London derby, as WSL clubs seek to build on the shining success of England's home Euro 2022 triumph.
A record crowd for any European Championship fixture – men's or women's – was set at Wembley when 87,192 spectators saw the Lionesses beat Germany after extra time on July 31.
Now the Gunners are poised for a bumper crowd of their own, and Eidevall was keen to highlight there had been no fudging the numbers with the impressive ticket take-up.
"It's 50,000 sold tickets," he said. "They're not giveaways, they're not discounted, they're sold tickets. I think that's really special, because that means the interest there, it is for real.
"The investment the team has done, but also all the past generations to take us to this stage here, that is phenomenal. We want to make the most of it tomorrow, so it can happen more freely."
Khadijah Shaw got a belated birthday president on Thursday when she scored in Manchester City Women’s 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur to secure a place in the final of the WSL Continental Cup where they will face champions, Chelsea.
In the semi-final encounter played at the Academy Stadium Jess Park put City up 1-0 in the 21st minute before Shaw doubled the lead in the 27th after she tapped into an empty net after Caroline Weir’s shot took a deflection following a terrific run from Lauren Hemp.
Shaw, who celebrated her 25th birthday on Monday, January 31, actually had a chance to open the scoring when she surged into the box early in the game but she shot past goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer but wide of the far post.
Hemp sealed the victory in the 71st minute to send City into the final set for March 5.
Manchester United have a realistic chance of breaking into the top three of the Women's Super League this season, despite losing head coach Casey Stoney during the close season.
That is according to Tottenham defender Kerys Harrop, who told Stats Perform she is expecting the 2021-22 campaign to be the "most exciting yet".
Stoney departed United at the end of last season after steering the club into the top flight and then to successive fourth-placed finishes in the WSL across her three years in charge.
The Red Devils have opted for an experienced replacement, with former Birmingham City and Orlando Pride boss Marc Skinner taking the reins.
United led the way at the top of the division come the end of last year, but hampered by injury issues they slipped down to fourth, one point behind third-placed Arsenal.
United States duo Tobin Heath and Christen Press have departed, while Jessica Sigsworth, Amy Turner, Lauren James and Abbie McManus have also moved on.
But with Hannah Blundell, Aoife Mannion, Sophie Baggaley, Martha Thomas and Vilde Boe Risa all arriving, Harrop believes United can possibly go one better this time around.
"I think it's realistic ambition for them and certainly what Marc and the players I know there, former team-mates of mine, want," Harrop said.
"And then you've still got other teams like ourselves at Tottenham and you have got Brighton, who will be wanting to push on this year as well, Everton too.
"I know we say every year that it's going to be the most exciting season yet. But I believe it actually will be.
"Everton have invested as well as us, even Villa to an extent as well. So I think it's going to be really important for this game for the top three places.
"But certainly in and around the top half of the league, I think it's going to be really interesting and really exciting."
Skinner was widely praised for his work at Birmingham, whom he led to the FA Cup final in 2017 and to fourth in the table in the WSL in 2019.
The 38-year-old finished bottom of the National Women's Soccer League in his first season with Orlando before a more promising start to the 2021 campaign.
Harrop was part of the Birmingham side that achieved success under Skinner and expects her former manager to be a success on his return to the English game.
"It was really tough to see when he got the job [with Orlando]," Harrop said.
"You know, he kind of went out to Orlando and got that experience, but I think deep down he'd always wanted to manage in the WSL.
"I think he's got a quite unique style of play, certainly from when I was under him at Birmingham. And he's well respected. I know he'll get the best out of all the players there.
"That's certainly what he did with us at Birmingham. It's going to be interesting to see whether his style has changed since being out in America.
"He was quite adamant on the way that he wanted his teams play."
Harrop is entering her second season as a Tottenham player and has made the third-most appearances of any player in WSL history.
Spurs finished eighth in the top flight in 2020-21, but Harrop is hopeful of challenging United for a Champions League berth this coming season in their first full campaign under Rehanne Skinner.
"I definitely think we will improve," she said. "You know, we've already kind of stayed ourselves and we want at least a top four finish, if not higher.
"Rhian's recruited well. She's bought in a lot of good new quality, kind of international signings really. Every year you want to improve but I think realistically we can definitely develop on last season.
"I think just having Rhian in from the beginning will help. Last season she came in in January, so it was a lot harder for her to kind of implement all her tactics and her style of play.
"This year we've had everyone together from the beginning of pre-season in terms of her and the coaching staff. So hopefully there will be a bit of flow to the league this year."
Alex Morgan and her family are fighting back after catching COVID-19 in California over the festive season, the United States women's football superstar has revealed.
The 31-year-old, twice a Women's World Cup winner, left Tottenham last month after a three-month playing spell in England.
Although London has become a coronavirus hot spot, Morgan says she was back in the USA when the virus struck.
She wrote on Twitter: "Unfortunately, my family and I closed out 2020 learning that we had contracted Covid while in California over the holidays.
"We are all in good spirits and recovering well. After our isolation is completed, I will follow US Soccer's return to play guidelines to ensure my body is fully recovered and I can join my team-mates back on the field soon. Be safe and happy new year."
Morgan is married to former LA Galaxy and Orlando City footballer Servando Carrasco, and they celebrated a sixth wedding anniversary on December 31. Their first child was born last May.
The USWNT great signed for Spurs in September, having not played since August 2019 due to pregnancy and the disruption caused by the pandemic.
She made five appearances for Spurs in all competitions, scoring two goals. Morgan is a two-time Women's World Cup winner and has scored 107 goals in 170 appearances for the USA.
Morgan is expected to resume her club career with the Orlando Pride in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), ahead of playing at the Tokyo Olympics.
Orlando retained the 31-year-old forward's NWSL rights when she made the short-term move to Tottenham.
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