The Women's Super League has been on an upward curve for a while, but in 2022 its growth was supercharged.
England won the Euros on home soil and - according to Deloitte - aggregate WSL club revenue more than doubled the following season.
Interest levels exploded, greater commercial opportunities followed.
The trend continued last season. Arsenal's average attendance rose from 16,796 to 29,999 after they played more games at the Emirates Stadium. In May, they confirmed the Emirates will be their primary home ground for the coming campaign with demand for tickets showing zero signs of slowing down.
Things aren't perfect. While the Gunners are a shining light in terms of matchday crowds, the likes of Liverpool, Everton and even the well-resourced Manchester City actually had slight dips in their average gates last season.
There's also a disparity between those at the top and at the lower end of the division, with clubs' commitment levels on a sliding scale when it comes to pumping resources into their women's teams.
However the landscape generally looks healthy, ripe for more improvement, and the sense of purpose has been further enhanced by the establishment of a new independent entity - Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) - that will oversee both the WSL and the Championship from the start of this season.
WPLL has been backed by a £20m interest-free loan from the Premier League, while Nikki Doucet, the former general manager of Nike Women UK and Ireland, will serve as the body's chief executive. One of her most important tasks will be to negotiate a new broadcast deal after the current rights agreement with the BBC and Sky Sports ends next year.
She'll take a seat at the table holding a pretty strong hand.
"It's a festival feeling, it's welcoming, it's fun, it's competitive, it's passionate, and I think people want to be part of that."
Doucet has previously described women's football as "a unique product with a unique fan base", likening the match-going experience to being "kind of like Glastonbury... it's a festival feeling, it's welcoming, it's fun, it's competitive, it's passionate, and I think people want to be part of that".
An innovative, aggressive approach to sustaining growth in the WSL and Championship could reap big rewards, and ultimately impact the ambitions of young female footballers in Ireland.
There are 13 Irish players currently on the books at Women's Super League clubs, three of them at newly-promoted Crystal Palace (Abbie Larkin, Hayley Nolan and Izzy Atkinson). Making the leap from the SSE Airtricity Women's Premier Division to the top tier in England is the dream for a lot of our players, but it's never been harder to do it.
As the profile and financial strength of the WSL grows, the standards are rising, with internationals from all over the world attracted to England to ply their trade.
Irish players in the WSL
- Courtney Brosnan (Everton)
- Heather Payne (Everton)
- Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace)
- Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
- Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace)
- Aoife Mannion (Manchester United)
- Jess Ziu (West Ham)
- Jessie Stapleton (West Ham)
- Megan Walsh (West Ham)
- Katie McCabe (Arsenal)
- Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool)
- Niamh Fahey (Liverpool)
- Tara O’Hanlon (Manchester City)
Brexit means Irish players can't make the move until they're 18 and though that keeps talent in our domestic league for longer, it also puts greater pressure on under-funded LOI clubs to develop potential future internationals. The reality is that most are ill equipped to do that.
The FAI's decision to disband its Emerging Talent Programme as part of wider financial cuts is another setback as the gap to the elite leagues and countries widens.
One obvious sanctuary is the Championship. England's second tier is a bridge to the WSL that offers younger players the opportunity to get used to the cut and thrust of professional football at a high, but more forgiving, level.
It's served the likes of Atkinson and Larkin well, two players who left the League of Ireland for Scotland (Celtic and Glasgow City respectively), only to move on pretty quickly when their minutes dried up.
The pair have improved at Palace who won the Championship last season. The struggles of Bristol City last term are an indication of how tough it will be for the Eagles to survive in the top flight, but life at the sharp end of the club game will be good in particular for Larkin, a highly-promising winger who perhaps needs to become more robust to achieve better consistency.
Irish players in the Championship
- Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City)
- Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers)
- Dee Bradley (Durham FC)
- Emily Kraft (Southampton)
- Eleanor Ryan Doyle (Durham FC)
- Erin McLaughlin (Portsmouth)
- Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses)
- Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
- Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses)
- Jamie Finn (Birmingham City)
- Lily Agg (Birmingham City)
- Louise Quinn (Birmingham City)
- Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)
- Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic)
Erin McLaughlin will hope to follow in her compatriots' footsteps as she prepares for a maiden Championship campaign with Portsmouth. The Donegal striker signed for Pompey from Peamount United back in July.
Now aged 21, this looks like a smart step for McLaughlin, who will want to put more pressure on Kyra Carusa in the battle to lead the line for Ireland.
Elsewhere Tyler Toland has been named Blackburn Rovers captain as her steady revival continues. And Irish supporters will be keeping a close eye too on the fortunes of the highly-ambitious London City Lionesses, home to Grace Moloney, Megan Campbell and Ruesha Littlejohn.
The acquisition of Spanish midfielder Maria Perez, England attacker Izzy Goodwin and and Sweden internationals Kosovare Asllani and Sofia Jakobsson shows they mean business under the ownership of Michele Kang, who also runs NWSL team Washington Spirit and French outfit Lyon Women.
Ireland have solid prospects playing in England, the USA and across Europe but it's stating the obvious to say they need more footballers competing at the highest level.
Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan (pictured above) are now 28 and 30 respectively. Without them, the Girls in Green start to look quite average.
Such creative diamonds are hard to unearth, though there is one gem that could step up to the plate over the next 12 months.
Tara O'Hanlon's development at Manchester City has been hindered by injury, but the attacking full-back has been included in their Champions League squad for 2024/25 and is on a deal that lasts until 2027. City have clearly identified her as being one for the future. Indeed, O'Hanlon's old Peamount United team-mate Karen Duggan believes she's Ireland's best prospect since McCabe.
That is high praise for sure, and if the 19-year-old can stay injury free this year, we could witness the rise of our next star.
If Ireland are to genuinely target qualification for the 2027 World Cup and major tournaments beyond, she cannot be an anomaly.
WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Friday
Chelsea v Aston Villa, Kingsmeadow Stadium, 7pm
Saturday
Manchester United v West Ham United, Old Trafford, 12pm
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton, Broadfield Stadium, 12.30pm
Sunday
Arsenal v Manchester City, the Emirates Stadium, 12.30pm
Liverpool v Leicester City, Totally Wicked Stadium, 2pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, Gaughan Group Stadium, 2pm
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