The English Women’s Super League is to be "switched from a summer to a winter calendar," according to Louise Taylor of the London GUARDIAN. It represents a "radical shift in thinking" at the FA that has been driven by a "determination to offer England women the best chance of succeeding at major tournaments." The elite women’s season runs from March until November with a month’s break from late May until late June but, from '17, "it will roughly mirror the men’s game by moving to a September to May format." By way of bridging the gap next year, "there will be a one-off competition" -- the FA WSL Spring Series -- that will take place between February and May and provide Mark Sampson’s England side with a platform for the summer’s European Championship in the Netherlands. It is "also hoped one of the biggest changes in the sport’s history will minimise fixture congestion and reduce injuries while potentially increasing attendances." The latter ambition "remains debatable" as the original idea behind a summer game was to "avoid clashing with men’s football and grow the league against a backdrop of better, more spectator-friendly, weather." There is also a "sense attendances will be improved by marrying the season to the school year and no longer clashing with many fans' summer holidays." FA Women's Football Head Sue Campbell has "been an instigator behind the changes" (GUARDIAN, 7/12). SKY SPORTS reported the changes will "also better support the FA WSL clubs taking part in the UEFA Women's Champions League and align the league with the FA Women's Premier League and wider women's pyramid." The SSE Women's FA Cup will also be "better integrated, with the showpiece Final at the end of the season." FA Football Participation & Development Dir Kelly Simmons said, "When we launched the FA WSL in 2011 it was the right decision to play it as a summer league. ... However, there are still a number of issues holding the league back, such as fixture scheduling and ground availability. We want to keep building on the momentum and growth of the league and we believe now is the right time to change the calendar" (SKY SPORTS, 7/12).
