Impetus‘ new coverage of Scottish Women’s Football continues with all the news about the launch of the new Championship level which sits at the third tier of the game.
The fixtures for the first full Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) Championship season have been announced. SWF Championship North & South sit under the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) as part of the performance pathway.
Seventeen teams will enter the SWF Championship South and 10 teams will enter the SWF Championship North. In Championship North, teams will face each other three times to complete a 27-match league calendar. In Championship South, teams will face other once before the league will be split into a top nine and bottom eight. Teams will then play each other once more based on their league position after the first 16 games.
The opening round of fixtures in Championship South takes place on Sunday 8th August whilst Championship North kick-off their season on Sunday 15th August.
It has also been confirmed that for the 2022/23 season, the Championship will become a ten team national league. The new league will be made up of the SWPL 2 side that finished bottom from the 2021/22 season along with five teams from Championship South and four teams from Championship North who were not promoted.
The remaining Championship teams who don’t finish within the relevant positions to enter the National Championship will go into a new division, League One. This new level will allow for new teams to enter the performance pathway in a sustainable manner and provide growth opportunity for the performance pathway as a whole.
Scottish Women’s Football Chair, Vivienne MacLaren, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to confirm the fixtures for the upcoming 2021/22 Championship North and Championship South seasons. Due to COVID-19, this will be the first full Championship seasons and we’re excited to see this new league come to fruition.
“The Championship is set to be extremely competitive. Three of these teams will be promoted to SWPL 2 with one runner-up earning their place through a play-off final. There’s a lot to look forward to in the 2021/22 season.
Speaking about the new format for the 2022/23 season, MacLaren added: “The creation of a National Championship is positive for the performance pathway and the game as a whole. Both SWF and the clubs involved agree that a National Championship will better prepare teams for the potential of entering the SWPL. The new League One division will also offer new teams wishing to enter the performance arm a more sustainable entry point.
“With teams knowing a place in the National Championship is up for grabs based on their finishing position in 2021/22, every game is going to be competitive and there’s a lot to play for in each round of fixtures.”
The opening round of matches are as follows:
CHAMPIONSHIP SOUTH (Sunday 8th August)
| Ayr United | V | Hutchison Vale |
| BSC Glasgow | V | Airdrie |
| Clyde | V | Edinburgh City |
| Falkirk | V | Renfrew |
| Livingston | V | Edinburgh Caledonia |
| Morton | V | St Mirren |
| Rossvale | V | Stenhousemuir |
| United Glasgow | V | Gartcairn |
CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH (Sunday 15th August)
| Dryburgh Athletic | V | Buchan |
| Dundee West | V | Dunfermline Athletic |
| East Fife | V | Inverness Caledonian Thistle |
| Montrose | V | Stonehaven |
| Westdyke | V | Grampian |
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