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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Tom Garry

B teams proposal in English women’s lower leagues sparks mixed reaction

Millie Bright for Chelsea and Stina Blackstenius for Arsenal
Chelsea and Arsenal, who faced each other at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, are two of the teams who could have B teams in the lower leagues. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

The prospect of B teams from Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship clubs entering tier four of the pyramid from the summer of 2026 onwards is dividing opinion in the game, as consultations over the idea continue.

The proposals, revealed by the Guardian, have been put forward by the Football Association to clubs this month as part of a major restructuring of tiers three to six of the English women’s pyramid. No final decisions would be made at board level until March or April but the proposals also involve expanding the number of teams in each regional division of the lower tiers, such as moving from 12 to 14 teams in each league in tiers three and four.

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