WPWL Restructure Licensing Process
About FAW
2 December 2020

WPWL Restructure Licensing Process

In May 2020, The Football Association of Wales announced a major domestic restructure for the women’s game in Wales, which will be in place from the 2021/22 season.

Club Licensing Regulations

Tier 1 (WPWL)

Tier 2

Tier 1 remains a National League administered by the FAW, with the champions qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions. Tier 2 will be regionalised with new northern and southern leagues, that will be affiliated to the FAW.

As part of the re-structure, The FAW will manage an open application process to determine which clubs will be granted a place in Tier 1, Tier 2 North and Tier 2 South. There are 8 places available in each of the leagues.

The application process will be as follows:

  • In Phase 1, clubs will submit their license application documentation to the FAW by 26 March, which will be reviewed by the First Instance Body in early April.

  • The FAW will then confirm which clubs have met the license criteria and which clubs are invited to Phase 2.

  • In Phase 2, clubs are invited to present their club development plans to a panel made up of FAW, FAW Trust and independent experts and will be assessed across 7 key areas.  

  • The final 8 clubs for Tier 1, Tier 2 North and Tier 2 South will be confirmed and announced at the end of May.

The aim of the open application process is to ensure the clubs that are granted a place in the relevant divisions are those which will best support our aims for the development of the domestic game in Wales, which are as follows:

  • AWARENESS AND VISIBILITY: Clubs to play  key role in raising the profile, increasing visibility, driving awareness and challenging perceptions around the women’s game in Wales

  • WOMEN IN FOOTBALL: Clubs support women and girls to fulfil their potential on and off the field

  • PATHWAYS: Clubs to provide a clear player pathway to the senior team

  • SUSTAINABILITY & GROWTH: Clubs who have a clear development and growth plan

  • PLAYER  DEVELOPMENT: Clubs provide access to a high-quality training programme and performance support to enable female players across all areas of Wales to reach their potential

In order to support the development of clubs in the new structure, the FAW are providing all Tier 1 clubs with a development grant of £6,000 per year for four years and a one off £3,000 for all Tier 2 clubs for 2021/22 season.

The club licensing regulation documents can be found through the links below:

Tier 1 (Welsh Premier Women's League)

Tier 2