2021–22 Scottish Women's Football Championship
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Montrose (North) Gartcairn (South) |
← 2022–23 → | |
The 2021–22 Scottish Women's Football Championship was the inaugural season of the SWF Championship after its formation as the third tier of women's football in Scotland.
The previous two planned seasons in 2020 and 2020–21 were both abandoned due to the coronavirus pandemic.[1][2][3]
The league was split into two divisions – Championship North and Championship South. Planned to have 'approximately 12 teams each',[4] the divisions in the inaugural season actually contained 9 and 17 teams respectively.
Montrose secured the Championship North title on 10 April, with a 4–1 win over their promotion rivals East Fife.[5] In the Championship South, Gartcairn finished as the division winners on 24 April, ahead of 2nd-placed Rossvale.[6] East Fife won the third available promotion place to SWPL 2, by winning the single-match promotion play-off 3–1 against Rossvale on 8 May in Alloa.[7][8]
Teams
[edit]Championship North
[edit]| Team | Location | Home ground | 2019 position[Note 1][Note 2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buchan | Maud | Maud Pleasure Park | 4th |
| Drybrugh Athletic | Dundee | Lochee Park | 2nd in SWFL2 North/East |
| Dundee West | Dundee | Charlotte Street Pitches | 1st in SWFL2 North/East |
| East Fife | Leven | King George V Park | 6th |
| Grampian | Aberdeen | Cults Academy | |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Inverness | Millburn Academy | 2nd |
| Montrose | Montrose | Links Park | 7th |
| Stonehaven | Stonehaven | Mineralwell Park | 11th |
| Westdyke | Westhill | Lawsondale Pitches | 9th |
Source:[9]
- Notes
- ^ Note 1: Finishing position in SWFL1 North unless otherwise stated.
- ^
Championship South
[edit]Source:[9]
- Notes
- ^ Note 3: Finishing position in SWFL1 South unless otherwise stated.
- ^
SWPL play-offs
[edit]For the first time, a system of promotion/relegation play-offs was introduced to the SWPL. The two runners-up from Championship North and Championship South were intended to take part in play-off semi-finals, with the winner playing the team finishing eighth in SWPL2 in the play-off final, to determine the last place in the 2022–23 SWPL.[10] Instead, East Fife won promotion in a single promotion play-off,[7] and no club was relegated from SWPL 2, due to expansion of the SWPL in 2022.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Lewis, Jane (29 July 2020). "SWPL season declared null and void after one round of games". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "SWF Statement – Senior Performance Arm update (29/04/21)". SWPL. 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b c "SWF STATEMENT – SENIOR PERFORMANCE ARM UPDATE (29/04/21)". SWF. 5 May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "New Senior Structure for 2020 and beyond". Scottish Women's Premier League. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ^ "Montrose promoted to SWPL 2". She Kicks. 11 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022.
- ^ "Gartcairn boss toasts title winners after five star performance on final day". Daily Record. 29 April 2022. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022.
- ^ a b Frith, Will (9 May 2022). "Park's SWPL: Rangers Women champions for first time". Archived from the original on 9 May 2022.
- ^ East Fife FC [@EastFifeFC] (8 May 2022). "👏 Congratulations to @East_Fife_GWFC on their promotion to @SWPL 2 following their 3-1 win over Rossvale this afternoon! 🖤💛 https://t.co/AS2ZxMzyS1" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b "SWF Club Finder". Scottish Women's Football. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ Scottish Women's Football announces new league structure, SheKicks.net, 20 September 2019