ICYMI: Southampton apply to enter women’s team in next season’s Women’s Championship

According to the BBC, Southampton have joined Manchester United in applying to enter a women’s team in next season’s Women’s Championship - the second tier of professional women’s football.

United have been maligned for their lack of affiliated women’s team, but Southampton have also been guilty of the same. Though, Saints do currently have a number of youth women’s sides up to under-21 level as of last summer.

Saints and United are the only Premier League clubs to not have an affiliated senior women’s team. If both are approved, the Premier League has a full representation of affiliated women’s teams.

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The Football Association will not name the successful bids until after 27 May.

The FA renamed the second tier of professional women’s football as the Women’s Championship last month. But according to the BBC, the FA, who runs the women’s leagues in England, has seen too many applications for the second tier and the division is now oversubscribed.

Other teams looking to to join the Women’s Championship include Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, and Lewes FC. Meanwhile, Watford are thought to have bid to remain in the division after initially opting to not apply during autumn’s initial closed application phase.