Rose Lavelle: WSL continues to grow despite pandemic threat

When Rose Lavelle scored the USA’s second goal in their 2019 World Cup final victory over the Netherlands, she firmly consolidated her position as one of the top players in the women’s game. At the age of only 24, the sky was the limit for the tenacious midfielder, with Lavelle’s career firmly set on an upwards trajectory.

Many were therefore surprised to see the World Cup-winner sign for Manchester City, a team that, despite being one of the top sides in the Women’s Super League, has very little pedigree on the European stage. In fact, the only English team to actually win the Women’s Champions League was Arsenal, and that was 13 years ago.

Why then, did Lavelle make this decision, when she could very easily have stayed in the NWSL or moved to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin?

Investment is clearly paying dividends for the league’s standing

The WSL’s stature in the game has, however, strengthened significantly in recent years. Teams such as Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, while still primarily focusing on their men’s team, have also started to invest heavily into their women’s sides, and this is clearly paying dividends for the league’s standing in the global game.

Over recent years, Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema, both top ten finishers in the Ballon d’Or, have arrived in England, joining Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively. Kerr’s transfer was especially significant, as she turned down Lyon in order to sign, claiming that “the WSL is the best league in Europe”.

Kerr’s words certainly ring true in respect of the competitiveness of the WSL. What is perhaps the key to the WSL’s increasing success is in the fact that so many teams are being heavily invested in, meaning the quality is evenly spread out throughout the division.

Had this been France, Miedema, Kerr and Lavelle would all almost certainly have signed for one team: Lyon. The fact that they have signed for three separate clubs underlines the outstanding quality that runs throughout the league.

Wolfsburg are dominant in Germany, winning the last 4 titles

A comparison with other top European competitions highlights this further. Wolfsburg are dominant in Germany, winning the last 4 titles. Meanwhile in France, Lyon have been crowned domestic champions for 13-years running. Only the Champions League provides a genuine challenge to both sides, as they routinely win by ten or more goals domestically.

For a competitive game every week, it is becoming increasingly clear that the WSL is the place to go to become a better player.

This is not to say that the WSL does not have a long way still to go. In comparison to the Premier League, the discrepancy is vast, with clubs playing at smaller stadiums and on far worse pitches, which has sometimes undermined the quality of football on display.

The fact that the 2019/20 WSL campaign was curtailed and decided on PPG, compared to Premier League’s continuation, told many unfortunate tales in this respect. Furthermore, some of the England’s best players, such as Nikita Parris and Lucy Bronze, are still heading over to France, highlighting Lyon’s continued dominance.

If the WSL’s current ascent continues, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect that the Champions League could be return to English shores for the first time since the noughties.