The FA has announced the launch of a Super League Hall of Fame for women as part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary, with the first class of legends to be introduced later this year.
Countless individuals, from players to coaches, club staff and managers in the league, have contributed to the development of WSL, which will continue rapidly in the coming years.
An expert panel will weigh up and consider who deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Here is a look at possible candidates with a chance to be in the first class …
Gemma Bonner | Chloe Knott – Danehouse / Getty Images
Bonner started his WSL career with Chelsea in the first season of 2011 and went on to captain Liverpool to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. The defender has been a key player with Manchester City since 2018 and undoubtedly deserves more England meetings. . .
Kim Little | Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Little has contributed to all three of Arsenal’s WSL triumphs, each side of a successful period abroad in the United States with the Seattle Reign, as they were known at the time. She has a productive goal-scoring record for a midfielder and led the WSL in both goals and assists in 2012.
Rachel Williams | Visionhaus / Getty Images
Few international encounters with England make Williams an often underrated player in WSL history. The striker was the top scorer in the first WSL season ever and has played in the competition for Birmingham, Chelsea, Notts County and now Tottenham.
Nick Cushing | Charlotte Tattersall / Getty Images
Cushing was promoted to Manchester City manager ahead of the club’s first best flight season in 2013 and is still one of the most successful coaches in WSL history. His team won the 2016 title, as well as several domestic cups over the years.
Gilly Flaherty | James Chance / Getty Images
Flaherty has won four WSL titles during her illustrious career, as well as the Spring Series 2017, after spending over a decade in total with Arsenal and Chelsea between 2006 and 2018. She has been a regular presence in the league and is now with West Ham.
Ellen White | Quality Sport Images / Getty Images
White has had a prolific WSL record for Arsenal, Notts County, Birmingham and Manchester City over the past ten years. England’s hero is one of the league’s top scorers all the time and her career development has reflected WSL’s growth.
Laura Harvey | Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Harvey was the manager of the Arsenal team that lifted the WSL trophy in 2011 and 2012. She was only 29 when she was appointed manager in 2010 and is considered a major loss for English football as a result of working in the US for the last nine years.
Lucy Bronze | Alex Livesey / Getty Images
Bronze was named the world’s best player by FIFA 2020 and could soon claim to be the best English player of all time. The right-back has been a WSL title winner with both Liverpool (twice) and Manchester City and was named PFA Player of the Year in 2014 and 2017.
Katie Chapman | Christopher Lee / Getty Images
Chapman, one of the real pioneers in taking women’s football in England to the next level when the WSL era waved, is another multiple champion. The awesome midfielder won the new league twice with Arsenal and later also with Chelsea.
Rachel Yankey | Charlie Crowhurst / Getty Images
Yankey became one of the earliest stars in English women’s football as a result of her two spells with Arsenal and a long England career. Having already dominated the previous top flight, she landed two WSL titles at the start of the new era in 2011 and 2012.
Matt Beard | Jordan Mansfield / Getty Images
Beard managed Liverpool to WSL titles in a row in 2013 and 2014 and finally broke Arsenal’s long-standing domestic dominance and ushered in a new era of competitiveness. He has also managed Chelsea, West Ham and Bristol City in the league.
Alex Scott | Getty Images / Getty Images
Scott is breaking new ground when it comes to broadcasting and presenting, but she was first and foremost a star on the all-conquering Arsenal side. The former defender returned from a spell in the United States to rejoin the Gunners for a third spell in 2012 and won the WSL title that year.
Karen Carney | Nathan Stirk / Getty Images
Carney is another who pushes the boundaries of media work. Like Scott, she is also among England’s most equalized and greatest players ever, while playing for Birmingham and Chelsea during the WSL era and winning FA Cups with every club.
Jill Scott | Visionhaus / Getty Images
Scott has been one of the players who has defined the growth and development of WSL, and played during the 2011 season at the age of 24 and remained in the league at a high level all the time. She won the title with Manchester City 2016.
Fara Williams | Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Williams has played for Everton, Liverpool, Arsenal and Reading in the WSL and has had a huge impact on them all. She won back-to-back titles with Liverpool, is England’s most equalized player ever, male or female, and is still strong for Reading at the age of 37.
Steph Houghton | Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA / Getty Images
Houghton was a two-time WSL champion with Arsenal but has really established himself as a WSL legend as captain of Manchester City and won his third title there in 2016. The midfielder has also been England’s skipper since 2014.
Kelly Smith | Ben Hoskins / Getty Images
Smith started her long-term association with Arsenal in the 1990s and returned to north London for her third spell with the Gunners in 2012. She was England’s first modern superstar and inspired a whole generation of female players who are now forging their own paths in the WSL.
Casey Stoney | Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Stoney is making as much of an impact in the WSL as a manager as she did as a player. The former Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool player was named Manchester United’s first manager in 2018 and has monitored a rapid rise thanks to her careful attitude and high standards.
Emma Hayes | James Gill – Danehouse / Getty Images
Hayes has amassed more wins than any manager in WSL history and Chelsea have become a destination for world-class players under her leadership. She has been in charge since 2012 and has guided the Blues to three titles since 2015, as well as the Spring Series 2017.
Click here for more information about WSL’s 10th anniversary and plans for future growth and development.
For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!
