We have seen league structures change all over the world recently, and a country with a rich football heritage is going through some big changes as well. We look at what Italy is doing with the Serie A Femminile starting from the 2022/23 season with the approved changes by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio, the Italian FA.
Fully professional
The first point of the changes is that the Italian league will be going fully professional from next season. Currently, the league isn’t professional and has a salary cap of €30,000 per year. The salary cap will be removed from next season. This leaves clubs with the decision of how much they are going to pay a player.
The idea is that when clubs can offer greater salaries, the quality of the league will go up as well. The reasoning behind this is that they can attract more players with a higher standard of quality.
League changes
The second point of the changes is that the FIGC has approved new structural changes to the league. The format of the league will be different. There will be 10 teams in the league, instead of the 12 right now.
The first stage of the league is that all teams will play each other to determine league position. The first five teams on that league table will go into a championship group. The championship and two UWCL places are up for grabs in that first group. The second group will fight against relegation.
This means that the total number of matchdays will increase from 22 to 28. The reasoning behind this kind of play-off system in Italy is that it will be exciting to the last day and that every game will have some sort of stake.
This has also been confirmed by the chairwoman for the Serie A Femminile and women football in Italy Ludovica Mantovani, to La Gazzetta dello Sport: “The Governing Council – said Mantovani – observing the experience of other European championships has oriented itself towards this new format, which includes a second phase with two points.
“The goal is, on the one hand, to maintain the value of merit. sport of the first phase and, on the other hand, to increase the spectacle of the competition thanks to a second phase consisting of direct clashes, in which the protagonists involved will compete for the different objectives at stake.”
With the competitive nature of the Serie A Femminile getting higher, changes will come. More players are going to this league, and these changes only enhance the stability and excitement of the league.
