As expected Arsenal Ladies have secured their place in the Super League which will replace the Premier League next year.
The Super League will run through the summer in 2011 and will be made up of
- Arsenal
- Everton
- Chelsea
- Doncaster Rovers
- Bristol Academy
- Birmingham City
- OOH Lincoln
- Liverpool
The top six names come from the existing Premier League, the remaining two are from the Northern League.
This means Sunderland are out, which is ironic given that they were top of the league on the day the announcement was made and were in the Cup Final in 2010.
The idea behind the change is to stop the exit of top players to the professional league in the US – something that Arsenal has suffered from in particular.
There is a a salary cap, and other limits to try and balance the league – from which there will be no relegation for the first two years.
The FA will provide development funding of up to £70,000 for each club each year, clubs have to match that funding.
The season starts in March 2011. What happens between May 2010 and March 2011 is not yet clear.
