2023–24 Women's Championship
Football league season / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023–24 Women's Championship season (known Barclays Women's Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the rebranded Women's Championship, the second tier of women's football in England, and the ninth season since the creation of the WSL 2.[1]
Season | 2023–24 |
---|---|
Champions | Crystal Palace |
Relegated | Lewes Watford |
Matches played | 132 |
Goals scored | 361 (2.73 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Elise Hughes (16 goals) |
Biggest home win | Crystal Palace 9–1 Durham 10 September 2023 |
Biggest away win | Blackburn Rovers 0–4 Crystal Palace 1 October 2023 Sheffield United 0–4 Birmingham City 15 October 2023 Reading 0–4 Birmingham City 20 March 2024 Durham 1–5 Crystal Palace 31 March 2024 |
Highest scoring | Crystal Palace 9–1 Durham 10 September 2023 |
← 2022–23 2024–25 →
All statistics correct as of 28 April 2024. |
In April 2023, The Football Association board announced changes to the Women's Championship, increasing the number of relegation spots in the 2023–24 season to two in order for both FA Women's National League champions (North and South) to win promotion at the end of the season. Previously only one team had been relegated and replaced by the winner of a playoff match between the Northern Premier Division and Southern Premier Division champions. The changes will not impact the structure of the Women's Super League with a one up, one down system.[2]
On 14 April 2024, Watford were the first team to be mathematically confirmed as relegated from the Championship after only one season back in the second division. They sat seven points adrift from safety with two games remaining.[3] Lewes' relegation was confirmed on 21 April 2024 after defeat to Crystal Palace coupled with a victory for Reading over Durham left Lewes four points behind with only one game left to play. Relegation ended Lewes' six-season spell in the Championship stretching back to the 2018–19 campaign.[4] The 2023–24 Women's Championship title was still mathematically undecided until the final day of the season although Crystal Palace went in to the day three points ahead of Charlton Athletic and had a superior goal difference by 22.[5] Crystal Palace secured the title with a point on the final day, playing out a goalless draw with Sunderland at Selhurst Park.[6]