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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox football league
| image =
| pixels = 250px
| country = England
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| founded = 1991
| first = [[1991–92 WFA National League Premier Division|1991–92]]
| divisions = 6 <br> [[FA Women's National League North|
| teams =
| promotion = [[FA Women's Championship]] (since 2014–15)
| relegation = Regional Leagues
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| tv =
| website = [http://www.thefa.com/wpl thefa.com/wpl]
| current = [[
}}
The '''FA Women's National League''', formerly '''WFA National League''' and '''FA Women's Premier League''' ('''WPL'''), is a group of six football divisions which was run by the English [[The Football Association|Football Association]] until 2014 when it changed to become an FA branded league run by an independent elected management committee.
The League now sits at step 3 and 4 of the [[Women's football in England#Pyramid|women's football pyramid]]
The League's [[FA Women's Premier League National Division|Premier Division/National Division]] contained England's top women's clubs from [[1991–92 WFA National League Premier Division|1991–92]] until the season [[2009–10 FA Women's Premier League|2009–10]]. During this time, [[Arsenal W.F.C.|Arsenal Ladies]] won 12 League titles. Below the National Division was a [[FA Women's National League North|Northern Division]] and [[FA Women's National League South|Southern Division]], whose teams could win promotion.
The WPL National Division became the country's level 2 division from [[2010–11 FA Women's Premier League|2010–11]] to [[2012–13 FA Women's Premier League|2012–13]]
The feeder divisions of the [[Combination Women's Football Leagues]] (1998–2014) became officially part of the WPL system in [[2014–15 FA Women's Premier League|2014]] at level 4. From these four divisions (North, Midlands, South East and South West), clubs can win promotion to the level 3 [[FA Women's National League North|National League North]] or [[FA Women's National League South|National League South]].
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Before the National League, women's teams nationally had competed in the [[Women's FA Cup|WFA Cup (Women's FA Cup)]] since 1970, and there were English regional leagues, but this was the first regular nationwide competition of its kind.
The Women's National League was inaugurated in [[1991–92 WFA National League Premier Division|the 1991–92 season]] by the [[Women's Football Association]] (WFA),<ref name="RSSSF">{{cite web |last1=Garin |first1=Erik |last2=Di Maggio |first2=Roberto |title=England
[[File:BellesvBirminghamKeepmoatStadium20110828.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Doncaster Belles]] were the first champions of the Women's National League in 1991–92]]
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The National Division's most successful clubs were [[Arsenal L.F.C.|Arsenal]] (12 titles), [[Croydon L.F.C.|Croydon]] (3 titles), [[Doncaster Belles]] (2 titles and 7 times runners-up), [[Everton L.F.C.|Everton]] (1 title and 5 times runners-up), and [[Sunderland A.F.C. Ladies|Sunderland]] (3 titles at league level 2).
The Women's Premier League lost several clubs prior to [[2010–11 FA Women's Premier League|the 2010–11 season]] and the National Division was demoted to level 2, due to the creation of the [[FA WSL]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thefa.com/superleague | title=Women's Super League | access-date=9 March 2010 | archive-date=15 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315033711/https://www.thefa.com/superleague | url-status=live }}</ref> (The WSL was a summer league for its first six years, as opposed to the WPL's winter format.) Strangely, the lower divisions were still given the name "Premier League" for eight more seasons. The number of clubs competing in the Northern and Southern Divisions decreased from 12 to 10. The National Division decreased from 12 clubs to eight ([[2010–11 FA Women's Premier League|2010–11]]), then increased to 10 clubs ([[2011–12 FA Women's Premier League|2011–12]] and [[2012–13 FA Women's Premier League|2012–13]]).
After the WPL National Division's three seasons at level 2, that division was scrapped after [[2012–13 FA Women's Premier League|2012–13]], due to the FA's decision to add another WSL division, [[WSL 2]], for its [[2014 FA WSL|2014 season]], which included some clubs that moved from the WPL.
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The only divisions in [[2013–14 FA Women's Premier League|2013–14]] with WPL branding were the Northern and Southern Divisions at league level 3.
From the [[2014–15 FA Women's Premier League|2014–15 season]], the Women's Premier League incorporated the four existing [[Combination Women's Football Leagues]] (level 4), as the Premier League's "Division One", with four groups of Division One leagues: North, Midlands, South East and South West.<ref>{{cite news |title=An introduction to the FA Women's Premier League |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2014/aug/13/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-fa-womens-premier-league-130814 |access-date=2 September 2020 |work=The FA |date=13 August 2014
2014 saw a significant change with the operation of the league moving away from The FA with an independent Management Committee elected by the clubs to run league operations and administer the competition on their behalf.
The FA proposed rebranding the WPL collectively as the ''Women's Championship League'',<ref>{{cite news |title=From the 2014/15 season The FAWPL and Combination Leagues will merge to form the Women's Championship League |url=https://www.thefa.com/news/2013/nov/29/new-league-structure-for-womens-game |access-date=2 September 2020 |work=The FA |date=29 November 2013 |archive-date=21 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221095411/http://www.thefa.com/news/fawsl/2013/nov/new-league-structure-for-womens-game |url-status=live }}</ref> but instead the clubs elected to keep the name Women's Premier League until 2018, thereafter it became known as The FA Women’s National League - still an FA branded league but run independently from The FA.
The winners of the Northern and Southern Divisions have played each other since [[2014–15 FA Women's Premier League|2014–15]] in a single play-off at a neutral venue, to win the Women's Premier League/National League championship and promotion into the level 2 division. This was the first instance of promotion from the WPL to the WSL when the first play-off occurred in 2015. In that year's play-off between [[Portsmouth F.C. Ladies|Portsmouth]] and [[Sheffield F.C. Ladies|Sheffield F.C.]] at Stratford FC's ground, Sheffield won through a stoppage-time goal.
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===National Division champions===
Below is a list of women's [[FA Women's Premier League National Division|
The League was run by the [[Women's Football Association]] in [[1991–92 WFA National League Premier Division|1991–92]] and [[1992–93 WFA National League Premier Division|1992–93]]
'''Level 1 national champions'''
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| '''[[Tottenham Hotspur L.F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]'''
|-
| [[2017–18 FA Women's Premier League|2017–18]]<ref group="lower-alpha">2018: [[West Ham United
| [[Blackburn Rovers L.F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]
| '''[[Charlton Athletic W.F.C.|Charlton Athletic]]'''
|-
| [[2018–19 FA Women's National League|2018–19]]<ref group="lower-alpha">2019: Promotion of both champions to
| '''[[Blackburn Rovers L.F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]'''
| [[Coventry United L.F.C.|Coventry United]]
|-
| [[2019–20 FA Women's National League|2019–20]]
| colspan=2 style="text-align: center" |''Not awarded
|-
| [[2020–21 FA Women's National League|2020–21]]
| colspan=2 style="text-align: center" |''Not awarded (COVID-19 pandemic)''
|-
| [[Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]
| '''[[Southampton F.C. Women|Southampton]]'''
|-
| [[2022–23 FA Women's National League|2022–23]]
| [[Nottingham Forest Women F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]
| '''[[Watford F.C. Women|Watford]]'''
|}
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
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|-
| [[2019–20 FA Women's National League|2019–20]]
| colspan=4 style="text-align: center" |''Not awarded
|-
| [[2020–21 FA Women's National League|2020–21]]
| colspan=4 style="text-align: center" |''Not awarded (COVID-19 pandemic)''
|-
| [[2021–22 FA Women's National League|2021–22]]
|-
| [[2022–23 FA Women's National League|2022–23]]
| [[Stourbridge F.C. Women|Stourbridge]]
|}
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
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[[File:London Bees v Sheffield FC Ladies, 1 April 2017 (030).jpg|thumb|300px|[[London Bees]] v [[Sheffield F.C. Ladies]] in 2017]]
[[File:Tottenham Hotspur LFC v West Ham United LFC, 19 April 2017 (356).jpg|thumb|300px|[[West Ham United L.F.C.]] in the [[FA Women's National League South|Southern Division]] in 2017]]
Currently there are 71 clubs in the League, with two tiers and six divisions: the Northern and Southern Premier Divisions (level 3 in the football pyramid), and the regional Division One North, Division One Midlands, Division One South East and Division One South West (all level 4).<ref>{{cite web |title=FA Women's Championship: New name chosen for England's second tier |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43155787 |date=26 February 2018 |access-date=29 May 2018 |archive-date=1 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301145332/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43155787 |url-status=live }}</ref>
These numbers
===Current teams===
In the
====Premier Division====
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*'''Northern'''
**[[Boldmere St. Michaels Women F.C.|Boldmere St. Michaels]]
**[[Burnley F.C. Women|Burnley]]
**[[Derby County F.C. Women|Derby County]]
**[[Fylde Ladies F.C.|Fylde]]
**[[Halifax F.C. Women|Halifax]]
**[[Huddersfield Town Women F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]
**[[
**[[Loughborough Foxes W.F.C.|Loughborough Foxes]]
**[[Middlesbrough W.F.C.|Middlesbrough]]▼
**[[Nottingham Forest Women F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]
**[[Sheffield F.C. Ladies|Sheffield F.C.]]▼
**[[Stoke City F.C. (Women)|Stoke City]]
**[[West Bromwich Albion F.C. Women|West Bromwich Albion]]
**[[Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]
*'''Southern'''
**[[Bridgwater United W.F.C.|Bridgwater United]]
**[[
**[[Chatham Town WFC|Chatham Town]]
▲**[[Chichester & Selsey Ladies F.C.|Chichester & Selsey Ladies]]
**[[
**[[
**[[
**[[London Bees]]
▲**[[Keynsham Town L.F.C.|Keynsham Town]]
**[[Milton Keynes Dons F.C. Women|MK Dons]]
**[[Oxford United W.F.C.|Oxford United]]
**[[Plymouth Argyle L.F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]]
**[[Portsmouth F.C. Women|Portsmouth]]
**[[
{{div col end}}
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**[[Barnsley W.F.C.|Barnsley]]
**[[Bradford City W.F.C.|Bradford City]]
▲**[[Brighouse Town L.F.C.|Brighouse Town]]
**[[Chorley F.C. Women|Chorley]]
**[[Durham Cestria]]
**[[Hull City Ladies F.C.|Hull City]]
**[[Leeds United Women F.C.|Leeds United]]
**[[Merseyrail Ladies FC|Merseyrail]]
▲**[[Liverpool Feds W.F.C.|Liverpool Feds]]
**[[Newcastle United W.F.C.|Newcastle United]]
**[[Norton & Stockton Ancients L.F.C.|Norton & Stockton Ancients]]
**[[Stockport County L.F.C.|Stockport County]]
**[[York City L.F.C.|York City]]
*'''Division One Midlands'''
▲**[[Bedworth United F.C. Ladies|Bedworth United]]
▲**[[Boldmere St. Michaels Women F.C.|Boldmere St. Michaels]]
**[[Doncaster Rovers Belles L.F.C.|Doncaster Rovers Belles]]
**[[Leafield Athletic L.F.C.|Leafield Athletic]]
**[[Leek Town Ladies F.C.|Leek Town]]
**[[Lincoln City F.C. Women|Lincoln City]]
**[[Long Eaton United L.F.C.|Long Eaton United]]
**[[Northampton Town Women F.C.|Northampton Town]]
**[[Solihull Moors F.C. Women|Solihull Moors]]
**[[Sporting Khalsa W.F.C.|Sporting Khalsa]]
**[[Stourbridge FC Women|Stourbridge]]
**[[
{{div col end}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
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**[[Actonians L.F.C.|Actonians]]
**[[AFC Wimbledon Ladies|AFC Wimbledon]]
**[[
**[[Cambridge City
**[[Cambridge United
**[[
**[[Hashtag United F.C. Women|Hashtag United]]
**[[
**[[London Seaward FC|London Seaward]]
▲**[[Kent Football United F.C.|Kent Football United]]
**[[Norwich City L.F.C.|Norwich City]]
**[[
**[[Wymondham Town L.F.C.|Wymondham Town]]
*'''Division One South West'''
**[[AFC Bournemouth Women|Bournemouth]]
**[[
**[[
▲**[[Chesham United L.F.C.|Chesham United]]
**[[Exeter City Women F.C.|Exeter City]]
**[[Keynsham Town L.F.C.|Keynsham Town]]
**[[Larkhall Athletic L.F.C.|Larkhall Athletic]]
**[[Maidenhead United F.C. Ladies|Maidenhead United]]
**[[
**[[
**[[Southampton Women's F.C.|Southampton]]
**[[AFC St. Austell Ladies|St. Austell]]
**[[Swindon Town W.F.C.|Swindon Town]]
<br>
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==Sponsorship==
The league's sponsors have included [[AXA]] (until 2004), [[Nationwide Building Society]] (2004–2007) and [[Tesco]] (2007–?).{{Outdated inline|date=May 2020}}
==See also==
*[[FA Women's Premier League National Division]]
*[[FA Women's
▲*[[FA Women's Premier League Cup]]
==References==
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==External links==
*[http://full-time.thefa.com/Index.do?league=872938 The Football Association – Women's
{{FA Women's National League}}
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