DIRECTOR of women's football Marieanne Spacey-Cale wants to see the Women's Super League and Championship expanded, provided it is done sustainably.

Currently, there is only one promotion spot on offer in the 12-team Women's Championship, while just one team drops down from the top flight.

Southampton FC Women were locked in a promotion race for the majority of last season, but ultimately finished fourth, seven points behind promoted Crystal Palace.

This year's Championship campaign promises to be even more competitive. Newly promoted Newcastle United are extremely ambitious and relegated Bristol City will pose a strong threat.

London City Lionesses, owned by American businesswoman Michele Kang, are also reportedly set to land women's football icon Kosovare Asllani from AC Milan.

With the women's game ever-expanding, Spacey-Cale has urged the powers that be to increase the number of promoted teams.

She told the Daily Echo: “With the way the game is going, it’s crying out for both leagues to be expanded over the next few years.

“We need to give a real competitive element because if you lose three of four games in the Championship, what are you playing for?

“It needs to be done in a way that allows the leagues to remain competitive and it closes the gaps between (potentially) the two going up and maybe two going down.

“The two going up would need to be able to go into the WSL and be competitive, while the two that would come down would make the Championship more exciting.

“Everyone is pushing up. (For) the structure of the game, it needs to happen in the next couple of years.

“But it needs to be done in a way where it preserves the sustainability of the leagues. The game is growing, not just from a football perspective, but on the business side."

Playing in the WSL is currently much more lucrative for clubs than playing in the Women's Championship.

Research from Deloitte discovered that the average revenue for WSL clubs during the 2022/23 season was £4million, a significant increase from 2021/22's £2.7million.

Deloitte have projected that WSL clubs could earn £5.7million a year in revenue by 2024/25.

“The broadcast deals and the attraction for sponsorship opportunities in the WSL are huge," Spacey-Cale continued.

"If you can get there, you can enhance your squad. It’s about the knock-on effects of going up to stay up rather than going up to then come straight back down.

“It’s about having two leagues with the correct number of teams and games so as to not create a division where teams feel like there isn’t something to play for because they’ve lost a few games.”