2022–23 Scottish Women's Football Championship

The 2022–23 Scottish Women's Football Championship is the fourth season of the SWF Championship, the present third-tier division of women's football in Scotland. Due to league restructuring by Scottish Women's Football (SWF) after the 2021–22 season, there is a national eight-club Championship division and, one level below, a new fourth league tier, Scottish Women's Football League One, with 12 clubs (initially 14; two have withdrawn).[1][2] The Scottish women's league last had four national divisions from 1999 to 2004.

Most of the competing clubs have moved from last season's Championship North and Championship South divisions. Those North/South divisions have been discontinued after three seasons. Twelve of the initial 14 clubs who entered League One were effectively relegated in 2022, by moving to the level 4 division from level 3. The regional Scottish Women's Football League was demoted to level 5. The SWFL's most successful club in recent years, Bishopton, joined League One for 2022–23,[3] but withdrew before the season kicked off, as did Buchan Ladies.[4]

Two clubs will be promoted from League One in 2022–23, and none relegated from the Championship.[1][4] Each division's season will kick off on 14 August 2022.[5] The season is scheduled to finish on 16 April 2023 in the Championship.[6]

Overview

In the 2021–22 Championship, three of the 26 entrant clubs won promotion to SWPL 2 (Montrose, Gartcairn and East Fife). Four clubs withdrew during the 2021–22 season: United Glasgow,[7] Dunfermline Athletic[8] (moved to SWFL), Stonehaven[9] (moved to SWFL), and Clyde Ladies FC folded in protest when Clyde F.C. re-signed David Goodwillie, who was found guilty of rape by a civil court in 2017.[10][11]

The Falkirk Stadium, home ground of Falkirk FC Women

The 2022–23 Championship has two clubs from the former Championship North and six from the South. In 2022–23 League One initially had four clubs from the North and eight from the South. Two clubs joined League One from outwith the Championship: Bishopton (from the SWFL) [3] and Giffnock SC Women (founded in 1995 as a youth football club). In July 2022, Bishopton and Buchan were withdrawn from League One before the division's fixture list was published.[4] Buchan were a former Championship North club, from Maud, Aberdeenshire.

The Championship clubs will play against each other four times, totalling 28 matches per side, starting on 14 August 2022 and ending on 16 April 2023.[4] League One is scheduled to play a double round-robin of the 12 clubs, each team playing 22 matches, concluding on 26 March 2023;[12] that will be followed by a divisional "split" in League One, and an extra round-robin: "the league will split after teams have played each other home and away into a top six and bottom six for one remaining round".[4] The late change of format was necessitated by the withdrawal of Bishopton and Buchan from League One.[4]

The nationalised format was devised by SWF in reaction to the growth of women's football and to professionalise the sport.[1][13] Clubs are admitted to the third and fourth tiers based on meeting criteria related to player welfare.[1][14] The Scottish women's league last had four national divisions from 1999 to 2004: the Premier Division/Premier League, the SWFL First Division, Second Division, and Third Division. CEO Aileen Campbell of SWF said the Championship would be "an exciting and competitive contest among eight teams from right across Scotland".[1]

Teams

Championship
Team Location Home ground 2021–22 position
Ayr United Alloway Cambusdoon Sports Club
Dryburgh Athletic Women Dundee Lochee Park
Hutchison Vale WFC Edinburgh WHEC Education Centre
Inverness Caledonian Thistle WFC Inverness Millburn Academy
Livingston WFC Blackburn New Murrayfield Park
Morton FC Women Greenock Cappielow
Rossvale FC Women Glasgow Huntershill Recreation Centre
Renfrew Ladies FC Renfrew New Western Park

League One
Team Location Home ground 2021–22 position
Airdrie Ladies FC Airdrie Excelsior Stadium
BSC Glasgow Women Clydebank Clydebank Community Sport Hub
Dundee City West WFC Dundee Charlotte Street Pitches
Edinburgh Caledonia FC Edinburgh Peffermill 3G
Edinburgh City Women Edinburgh Ainslie Park
Falkirk FC Women Falkirk Falkirk Stadium
Giffnock SC
Grampian Ladies FC Aberdeen Cults Academy
Gleniffer Thistle Ladies Paisley Ralston Community Sports Centre
St Mirren Women Linwood Mossedge Football Pitch[15]
Stenhousemuir Women FC Stenhousemuir Ochilview Park
Westdyke Ladies FC Westhill Lawsondale Pitches

Withdrawn clubs (League One):

Team Location Details Ref
Buchan Ladies FC Maud Withdrew before 2022–23 season [4]
Bishopton FC Ladies Bishopton Withdrew before 2022–23 season

References
  1. "SWF unveil new-look women's league structure". SWF. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022.
  2. Henderson, Andrew. "Inverness Caledonian Thistle to compete in new-look National Championship for 2022/23 as Scottish Women's Football unveil restructure of remaining leagues". Inverness Courier. Archived from the original on 3 June 2022.
  3. Ramage, Ben (16 June 2022). "Dream Come True". Paisley Daily Express. Next season marks a new era for Bishopton Ladies as they make the step up to the SWF League One.
  4. "New SWF Championship and League One launch with 2022/23 fixture list". SWF. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 1 August 2022.
  5. "Competitive, local and affordable: New Scottish Women's Football leagues kick off". SWF. 11 August 2022.
  6. "Scottish Women's Championship: Season 2022/2023".
  7. "Perform and Win Committee Update". SWF. 3 March 2022.
  8. "Dunfermline Athletic Ladies withdraw from SWF league [Championship North]". Dunfermline Press. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
  9. "Stonehaven Ladies football club". Facebook. 20 February 2022. SWF have accepted the club's request to move from the Championship North league to the SWFL North/East league
  10. "SWF statement on Clyde Ladies FC". SWF. 3 March 2022.
  11. "Clyde women's team quit club over signing of David Goodwillie". The Guardian. 3 March 2022.
  12. "Scottish Women's League One: Season 2022/2023". SWF.
  13. "Women's Football: Warriors re-sign four key players". Falkirk Herald. 12 July 2022.
  14. "Stonehaven Ladies look to establish competitive presence in SWF Championship North". The Press and Journal. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021.
  15. "About Us - St. Mirren's WFC". St. Mirren Football Club.
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