So who will the renamed Chelsea FC Women be lining up against next season?

The FA decided on Wednesday which teams would be in and which would be out of the top tier and second tier (the FA Women’s Super League and The FA Women’s Championship) for 2018/19.

There will now be 11 clubs in the Super League – a curious number, and an increase of one from last season.

Alphabetically, the clubs in the top flight are:

• Arsenal
• Birmingham City Ladies
• Brighton & Hove Albion Women
• Bristol City Women
• Chelsea FC Women
• Everton Ladies FC
• Liverpool Ladies FC
• Manchester City Women
• Reading FC Women
• Yeovil Town Ladies
• West Ham United Ladies

The 12 clubs in the Championship are:

• Aston Villa Ladies FC
• Doncaster Rovers Belles
• Durham Women FC
• London Bees
• Millwall Lionesses
• Sheffield FC Ladies
• Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
• Charlton Athletic Women
• Leicester City Women
• Lewes FC Women
• Manchester United Women
• Sheffield United Ladies

Baroness Sue Campbell, FA head of women’s football, said: “The revised competition structure will positively impact on the delivery of the women’s game across all levels, both on and off the pitch.

“Such is the strength of women’s football in this country, there have been some difficult decisions to make but they’ve been made with the sport’s best interests at heart.  This is a hugely exciting time for the game and I am hopeful that we will look back upon this as one of the most significant decisions made in its history.”

The season begins on the weekend of August 18 and 19 with the opening round of group fixtures of The Continental League Cup. The Super League and Championship league fixtures start on September 8 and 9.

Katie Brazier, FA head of women’s leagues and competitions, explained that Tier 1 clubs had to “provide a full-time professional environment for their players”, and that applications had been assessed by experts in the fields of finance, marketing and commercial, facilities, player development, coaching and performance. Each club was interviewed.

Charlton Athletic Women, as the winner of Sunday’s Championship Play-Off, squeezed in at the last minute. New to the top division, West Ham United Ladies. New to the Championship: Leicester City Women, Lewes FC Women, Manchester United Women and Sheffield United Ladies.

Asked why the Super League had an uneven number of teams, Ms Brazier explained: “We have 11 teams because just one club applied for Tier 1 within the open application phase.

“West Ham United Ladies’ application was extremely impressive and warranted a place in Tier 1, and congratulations to them. We will even the numbers for the following season via promotion and relegation.”

Next month, new logos will be unveiled for the leagues.