WSL 2023/24 season dates, transfer window & fixture releases
When does the 2023/24 WSL season start and finish; When are the 2023/24 WSL summer & winter transfer windows; And when is the 2023/24 WSL winter break.
The WSL enjoyed a huge surge in 2022/23, riding the wave of popularity created by England's success at Euro 2022 and providing fans new and old with plenty of drama and excitement.
It was a record breaking campaign that saw attendances grow by 173%, with all but one of the 12 clubs reporting either new club or stadium records. TV audiences also surged, with a 36% growth season on season and Sky Sports alone reporting a 53% increase in their viewing figures.
With the success of last season, a World Cup this summer in which England are expected to do well and a general feel-good factor around the women's game, 2023/24 promises to be another big one.
Even with the last WSL campaign not long over, excitement is already building for the new season.
What are the 2023/24 WSL season dates?
The FA confirmed a month before the 2022/23 season finished when the 2023/24 campaign will be.
It will begin noticeably later than last season, which was originally due to start in early September until the opening weekend was postponed after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. That is due to the scheduling of the 2023 Women's World Cup, for which the final won't be played until 20 August.
As a knock-on effect, the season will begin on Friday 29 September ensuring players involved will have at least some rest period. However, 2023/24 will be more squeezed than the previous campaign too and will end on the weekend of 18/19 May, over a week earlier than 2022/23 did.
When are the 2023/24 WSL fixtures announced?
The FA is yet to confirm when 2023/24 WSL fixtures will be released. However, the fixture list for last season was published on 12 July and some time in mid-July is expected to be the case again.
When does the 2023 WSL summer transfer window open?
Although the official season start date is 1 July, which is when new contracts typically begin, the actual WSL summer transfer window is open for business a few days beforehand and clubs are able to start registering new signings from 26 June 2023.
Teams will then have the best part of three months to recruit players, with the summer transfer deadline to fall on 14 September 2023. However, that deadline only applies to incoming transfers as players will still be able to leave for clubs in other countries where the transfer window is open longer - like France. But the summer window in Spain, Germany and Italy all close earlier than England.
When does the 2023/24 WSL season start?
The opening round of 2023/24 WSL fixtures will be played between Friday 29 September and Sunday 1 October. It is likely that there will be just a single Friday night game to kick off the season that will be broadcast live on television, with the remaining five matches to follow over the weekend.
When is the 2023/24 WSL winter break?
The exact dates of the 2023/24 WSL winter break will be known once the fixture list is released. But it is likely to be similar to recent seasons, which will mean pausing around a week before Christmas - the weekend of 16/17 December 2023 - and then resuming on the weekend of 6/7 January 2024 to account for both the fourth round of the Women's FA Cup and the slightly earlier season end date.
When does the 2024 WSL January transfer window open?
This is pretty straightforward. The WSL January transfer window midway through the 2023/24 season will open on 1 January 2024 and close at the end of the month on 31 January 2024.
When is the final weekend of the 2023/24 WSL season?
Last season, the final round of WSL fixtures was brought forward 24 hours due to a disappointing and avoidable initial scheduling clash with the Premier League's final day.
In 2023/24, both the WSL and Premeir League will conclude on the same weekend again. The Premier League is already set for Sunday 19 May, but there is no confirmed date for when the six final WSL fixtures will simultaneously be played - only at some point during the weekend. Common sense dicates it will again be 24 hours earlier than the Premier League, on Saturday 18 May.
When is the 2023/24 Women's FA Cup final?
The earliest preliminary rounds for the 2023/24 Women's FA Cup will get underway as early as Sunday 10 September 2023, although WSL clubs won't enter until the fourth round many months later. That is scheduled for Sunday 14 January 2024.
Once the fifth round, quarter-finals and semi-finals are played, the 2024 Women's FA Cup final, which will be the milestone tenth to be staged at Wembley, is scheduled for the weekend of 11/12 May.
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