# 2015 FA WSL

The 2015 season of the Women's Super League was the fifth season of the FA WSL, the top-level women's football league of England. The season was played from 25 March to 4 October.
Liverpool were the defending champions from the 2014 FA WSL. Chelsea became the title winners and together with Manchester City (who finished as runners-up) qualified for the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League.
This was the second season since the WSL 2 was introduced. As part of a two-year expansion plan, the WSL 1 will increase to nine teams for the 2016 season. By the end of the 2015 season two teams (Reading and Doncaster Rovers Belles) were promoted from WSL 2 to WSL 1 and only one team (Bristol Academy) relegated to WSL 2, with one team being promoted from Premier League to WSL 2.

## Background

In December 2014, the FA WSL announced a two-year plan to expand WSL 1 from an eight to 10-team league. Two teams will be promoted from WSL 2, while one team will be relegated to WSL 2. Also, for the first time, a team from the FA Women's Premier League earned promotion to WSL 2, effectively connecting the WSL to the rest of the English women's football pyramid.
This will leave WSL 1 with nine teams and WSL 2 with 10 teams for the 2016 season, and with the process repeated the following year, both WSL 1 and WSL 2 will have 10 teams each for the 2017 season.

## Teams
### WSL 1

| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2014 WSL 1 finish |
| Arsenal | Borehamwood | Meadow Park | 4,502 (1,400 seated) | 4th |
| Birmingham City | Solihull | Damson Park | 3,050 (280 seated) | 3rd |
| Bristol Academy | Filton | Stoke Gifford Stadium | 1,500 | 7th |
| Chelsea | Staines | Wheatsheaf Park | 3,009 (300 seated and 800 covered) | 2nd |
| Manchester City | Manchester | Academy Stadium | 7,000 (5,000 seated) | 5th |
| Liverpool | Widnes | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | 1st |
| Notts County | Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 20,229 | 6th |
| Sunderland | Hetton-le-Hole | Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground | 2,500 | 1st (WSL 2) |

### WSL 2

| Team | Location | Ground | Capacity | 2014 WSL 2 finish |
| Aston Villa | Sutton Coldfield | Central Ground, Coles Lane | 2,000 | 4th |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | Doncaster | Keepmoat Stadium | 15,231 | 2nd |
| Durham | Durham | New Ferens Park | 3,000 | 6th |
| Everton | Widnes | Halton Stadium | 13,350 | 8th (WSL 1) |
| London Bees | Canons Park | The Hive Stadium | 5,176 (3,434 seated) | 10th |
| Millwall Lionesses | London | The Den | 20,146 | 8th |
| Oxford United | Abingdon | The Armadillo Stadium | 2,000 | 9th |
| Reading | Farnborough | The Rushmoor Community Stadium | 7,000 | 3rd |
| Watford | Berkhamsted | Broadwater | 2,000 | 7th |
| Yeovil Town | Sherborne | Raleigh Grove | 1,500 | 5th |

### FA WSL 1 Transfers

    As of 27 July 2015
Arsenal :
| Player | Position | From |
| Lianne Sanderson | FW | Boston Breakers |
| Natalia Pablos | FW | Bristol Academy |
| Jemma Rose | DF | Bristol Academy |
| Vicky Losada | MF | Barcelona |
| Chioma Ubogagu | FW | Stanford University |
| Marta Corredera | MF | Barcelona |
| Dominique Janssen | DF | SGS Essen |
| Sari van Veenendaal | GK | FC Twente |
Birmingham City :
| Player | Position | From | Ref. |
| Alex Windell | MF | Bristol Academy | |
| Freda Ayisi | FW | Arsenal | |
Bristol Academy :
| Player | Position | From |
| Isobel Dalton | MF | Brisbane Roar |
| Hayley Ladd | MF | Coventry United |
| Nadia Lawrence | FW | ÍBV |
| Sharla Passariello | FW | South Florida Bulls |
| Lauren Townsend | DF | Cardiff City Ladies |
| Christie Murray | MF | unattached |
| Caroline Weir | MF | Arsenal |
| Hannah Short | DF | East Tennessee State University |
| Hannah Reid | GK | Hibernian |
| Evdokiya Popadiynova | FW | NSA Sofia |
| Jade Boho | FW | Rayo Vallecano |
| Marije Brummel | DF | Apollon Limassol |
| Tatiana Pinto | MF | SC Sand |
Chelsea :
| Player | Position | From |
| Gemma Davison | MF | Liverpool |
| Millie Bright | MF | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
| Niamh Fahey | DF | Arsenal |
| Hedvig Lindahl | GK | Kristianstads DFF |
| Marija Banušić | FW | Kristianstads DFF |
| Fran Kirby | FW | Reading |
Liverpool :
| Player | Position | From |
| Satara Murray | DF | University of North Carolina |
| Ingrid Ryland | DF | Arna-Bjørnar |
| Line Krogedal Smørsgård | FW | Klepp IL |
| Asisat Oshoala | FW | Rivers Angels |
| Rosie White | FW | University of California LA |
Manchester City :
| Player | Position | From |
| Lucy Bronze | DF | Liverpool |
| Jen Beattie | DF | Montpellier |
| Nikita Parris | FW | Everton (on loan) |
| Demi Stokes | DF | University of South Florida |
| Sarah Wiltshire | FW | Yeovil Town |
| Natasha Harding* | FW | Bristol Academy |
| Daphne Corboz | MF | Georgetown University |
Notts County :
| Player | Position | From |
| Rachel Williams | FW | Chelsea |
| Laura Bassett | DF | Chelsea |
| Alex Greenwood | DF | Everton |
| Jessica Sigsworth | FW | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
| Fern Whelan | DF | Everton |
| Danielle Buet | MF | Chelsea |
| Leanne Crichton | MF | Glasgow City |
| Siobhan Chamberlain | GK | Arsenal (on loan) |
| Danielle Hill | GK | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
Sunderland :
| Player | Position | From |
| Alice Harkness | GK | Glentoran Belfast United |
| Victoria Williams | DF | Doncaster Rovers Belles |
| Suzanne Mulvey | FW | Rangers |
| Brooke Chaplen | MF | Everton |
| Stephanie Roche | FW | unattached |
| Hilde Gunn Olsen | GK | Arna-Bjørnar |
Arsenal :
| Player | Position | To |
| Christie Murray | MF | end of contract |
| Yukari Kinga | DF | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| Shinobu Ohno | FW | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| Freda Ayisi | FW | Birmingham City |
| Lianne Sanderson | FW | unattached |
| Niamh Fahey | DF | Chelsea |
| Caroline Weir | MF | Bristol Academy |
| Siobhan Chamberlain | GK | Notts County (on loan) |
Birmingham City :
| Player | Position | To | Ref. |
| Abbeyleigh Stringer | DF | Aston Villa | |
Bristol Academy :
| Player | Position | To |
| Corinne Yorston | DF | Yeovil Town |
| Natalia Pablos | FW | Arsenal |
| Jemma Rose | DF | Arsenal |
| Alex Windell | MF | Birmingham City |
| Natasha Harding* | FW | Manchester City |
| Laura del Río | FW | Washington Spirit |
| Isobel Dalton | MF | Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky, USA) |
| Alexandra Hurst | MF | Swindon Town |
| Alice Evans | GK | Yeovil Town |
| Nicola Watts | FW | Reading |
Chelsea :
| Player | Position | To |
| Yūki Ōgimi | FW | Wolfsburg |
| Rachel Williams | FW | Notts County |
| Laura Bassett | DF | Notts County |
| Danielle Buet | MF | Notts County |
| Rosella Ayane | FW | Millwall Lionesses (on loan) |
| Jackie Groenen | MF | 1. FFC Frankfurt |
Liverpool :
| Player | Position | To |
| Amanda DaCosta | MF | Washington Spirit |
| Nina Frausing Pedersen | DF | 1. FFC Turbine Potsdam |
| Megan Alexander | DF | Everton |
| Ellie Stewart | DF | Everton |
| Gemma Davison | MF | Chelsea |
| Lucy Bronze | DF | Manchester City |
| Nicole Rolser | MF | Bayern Munich |
Manchester City :
| Player | Position | To |
| Danielle Young | FW | Everton |
| Danielle Lea | DF | Everton |
| Sarah Wiltshire | FW | Yeovil Town |
Notts County :
| Player | Position | To |
| Danielle Brogan | DF | Adelaide United |
| Rachel Corsie | DF | Seattle Reign |
| Emily Roberts | MF | Doncaster Rovers Belles (on loan) |
| Katie Duncan-Hoyle | MF | FC Zürich |
Sunderland :
| Player | Position | To | Ref. |
| Helen Alderson | GK | Durham | |
| Natalie Gutteridge | FW | Durham | |
* Natasha Harding was supposed to join American team Washington Spirit, as she was denied a visa, she joined Manchester City instead.

## WSL 1

Sunderland earned promotion last season after they won WSL 2 and met off-field licensing requirements. Everton were relegated.

### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Chelsea (C) | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 10 | +20 | 32 | Qualification to Champions League |
| 2 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 11 | +14 | 30 | Qualification to Champions League |
| 3 | Arsenal | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 27 | |
| 4 | Sunderland | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 20 | |
| 5 | Notts County | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 15 | |
| 6 | Birmingham City | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 13 | |
| 7 | Liverpool | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 13 | |
| 8 | Bristol Academy (R) | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 38 | −26 | 8 | Relegation to FA WSL 2 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | ARS | BIR | BRI | CHE | LIV | MCI | NTC | SUN |
| Arsenal | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| Birmingham City | 0–1 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Bristol Academy | 1–1 | 0–3 | | 0–4 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 2–5 | 1–4 |
| Chelsea | 0–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Liverpool | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Manchester City | 0–1 | 1–0 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Notts County | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | | 4–2 |
| Sunderland | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |

### Top goalscorers

    As of 5 October 2015
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Beth Mead | Sunderland | 12 |
| 2 | Jess Clarke | Notts County | 7 |
| 2 | Natalia Pablos | Arsenal | 7 |
| 4 | Eniola Aluko | Chelsea | 6 |
| 4 | Isobel Christiansen | Manchester City | 6 |
| 4 | Gemma Davison | Chelsea | 6 |
| 4 | Toni Duggan | Manchester City | 6 |
| 4 | Chioma Ubogagu | Arsenal | 6 |
| 4 | Rachel Williams | Notts County | 6 |
| 10 | Karen Carney | Birmingham City | 5 |
| 10 | Ji So-yun | Chelsea | 5 |

## WSL 2

Everton were relegated from WSL 1 last season.

### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Reading (C) | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 15 | +46 | 45 | Promotion to FA WSL 1 |
| 2 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 18 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 57 | 15 | +42 | 45 | Promotion to FA WSL 1 |
| 3 | Everton | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 24 | +19 | 31 | |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 31 | |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 25 | |
| 6 | Oxford United | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 40 | −14 | 24 | |
| 7 | Durham | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 32 | −8 | 20 | |
| 8 | London Bees | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 53 | −34 | 13 | |
| 9 | Millwall Lionesses | 18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 17 | 39 | −22 | 12 | |
| 10 | Watford | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 55 | −43 | 5 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | AST | DON | DUR | EVE | LON | MIL | OXF | REA | WAT | YEO |
| Aston Villa | | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 2–1 | | 3–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 5–0 | 2–1 |
| Durham | 1–4 | 0–2 | | 1–6 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–5 | 4–0 | 0–1 |
| Everton | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 4–1 | 5–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| London Bees | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–7 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–7 | 4–0 | 2–2 |
| Millwall Lionesses | 1–2 | 0–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | | 2–3 | 0–4 | 3–2 | 2–2 |
| Oxford United | 0–2 | 2–5 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | | 0–4 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Reading | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 8–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | | 3–0 | 2–4 |
| Watford | 1–4 | 0–5 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 | | 2–4 |
| Yeovil Town | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 7–1 | |

### Top goalscorers

    As of 19 October 2015
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 20 |
| 2 | Bethany England | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 13 |
| 3 | Emma Follis | Reading | 12 |
| 4 | Fran Kirby | Reading | 11 |
| 4 | Sue Smith | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 11 |
| 6 | Helen Ward | Reading | 8 |
| 7 | Lauren Bruton | Reading | 7 |
| 7 | Kayleigh Hines | Oxford United | 7 |
| 7 | Danielle Turner | Everton | 7 |
| 7 | Katie Wilkinson | Aston Villa | 7 |
| 7 | Corinne Yorston | Yeovil Town | 7 |

## WSL Cup

All WSL 1 and WSL 2 teams take part. In addition to last season a quarter-final stage was added to the knock-out stage. The first match was played on 21 July 2015, after the WSL break for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.

### Group 1

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARS | CHE | REA | MIL | WAT | LON |
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 15 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | — | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | — |
| 2 | Chelsea | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 4 | +16 | 12 | Advance to Knockout stage | 0–2 | — | — | 6–0 | — | 8–0 |
| 3 | Reading | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Millwall Lionesses | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 6 | | 0–4 | — | 1–3 | — | — | 5–3 |
| 5 | Watford | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 3 | | — | 0–3 | 1–3 | 2–4 | — | — |
| 6 | London Bees | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 22 | −16 | 0 | | 1–3 | — | — | — | 2–3 | — |

### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MCI | LIV | DON | SUN | EVE | DUR |
| 1 | Manchester City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 15 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 5–0 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 12 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–0 |
| 3 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 9 | | 0–3 | 0–3 | — | — | — | 5–0 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 6 | | 1–3 | — | 2–3 | — | 5–2 | — |
| 5 | Everton | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 3 | | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Durham | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0 | | — | — | — | 1–2 | 0–2 | — |

### Group 3

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NTC | BIR | BRI | YEO | AST | OXF |
| 1 | Notts County | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 15 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | — | — |
| 2 | Birmingham City | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 3 | +14 | 12 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | — | — | 4–0 | — | 3–0 |
| 3 | Bristol Academy | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | Advance to Knockout stage | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 6 | | — | — | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | — |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 20 | −15 | 3 | | 0–5 | 1–7 | 0–4 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Oxford United | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 16 | −12 | 0 | | 1–6 | — | — | 0–1 | 1–3 | — |

### Knock-out stage

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 13 September | 13 September | | | |
| Bristol Academy | 1 | | | |
| Bristol Academy | 1 | 11 October | 11 October | | |
| Liverpool | 4 | 11 October | 11 October | |
| Liverpool | 4 | Liverpool | 0 | |
| 13 September | 13 September | | Liverpool | 0 | |
| 13 September | 13 September | Notts County | 2 | |
| Notts County | 3 | Notts County | 2 | |
| Notts County | 3 | | | | 1 November | 1 November |
| Reading | 2 | | | | 1 November | 1 November |
| Reading | 2 | | | | Notts County | 0 |
| 1 October | 1 October | | | | | Notts County | 0 |
| 1 October | 1 October | | | | Arsenal | 3 |
| Arsenal | 1 | | | | Arsenal | 3 |
| Arsenal | 1 | 11 October | 11 October | | | |
| Manchester City | 0 | 11 October | 11 October | | | |
| Manchester City | 0 | Arsenal | 3 | | | |
| 13 September | 13 September | | Arsenal | 3 | | | |
| 13 September | 13 September | Birmingham City | 1 | |
| Birmingham City | 1 | Birmingham City | 1 | |
| Chelsea | 0 | | | |

#### Quarter-finals

Reading are the only WSL 2 team to progress from the group stages. The quarter-finals were drawn on 1 September 2015.

#### Final
### Top goalscorers

    As of 19 October 2015
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Natasha Dowie | Liverpool | 9 |
| 2 | Jess Clarke | Notts County | 6 |
| 2 | Ellen White | Notts County | 6 |
| 4 | Jade Boho | Bristol Academy | 5 |
| 4 | Courtney Sweetman-Kirk | Doncaster Rovers Belles | 5 |
| 6 | Rosella Ayane | Chelsea | 4 |
| 6 | Fliss Gibbons | Millwall Lionesses | 4 |
| 6 | Kirsty Linnett | Birmingham City | 4 |
| 6 | Jo Potter | Birmingham City | 4 |
| 6 | Helen Ward | Reading | 4 |
| 6 | Rachel Williams | Notts County | 4 |