The Football Association has approved a controversial plan to let four Women's Super League academy teams compete in the third tier of the women's football pyramid from the 2027-28 season. The FA says the move, part of a wider package of Women's National League reforms, is intended to raise standards and give young English players more competitive minutes, after data showed they were falling behind counterparts in Europe's leading leagues.

The academy sides will not be eligible for promotion, with two expected to join the northern regional division and two the southern, and selection criteria still to be finalised. Alongside this, WNL clubs will receive central funding for the first time, and changes to loan rules aim to encourage top-tier clubs to loan players down to the third and fourth divisions. Sue Day, the FA's director of women's football, said the league "must evolve alongside the professional game" to create more development opportunities.