Women's Premier Division: Five set to challenge for ultimate prize

There can often be too much of a good thing.

But when it comes to teams with the ambition and capability to win a league title, can there ever be too many?

This year's SSE Airtricity Women’s Premier Division is set to have at least five of its 11 members all vying for the ultimate prize.

Last year’s WNL had the most unpredictable conclusion in its history with four teams all hoping to win the title right to the very end.

There can’t have been many league run-ins in football history with so many clubs competing. But 2023 could go one better with Shamrock Rovers joining the league and showing their intent in the transfer window acquiring several big-name players.

The Hoops, along with Athlone Town, Peamount United, Shelbourne and Wexford Youths, can all make arguments why it can be their league title this season.

We look at the numbers which give one reason in favour and one against each of the five ending the season in triumph.

American influence

Athlone were the unlikely success story of the 2022 season. In only their third year in the league, following two relatively modest seasons, they came within two points of winning a league title. Their leap of seven places from the previous year’s league table to last was the biggest single-season jump in the decade-long history of the WNL. Their improvement in points of 39 (19 to 58) is also the biggest increase any team has recorded.

However, as we will shortly outline, they have lost their top scorer Emily Corbet to Wexford making finding her replacement the key task for Tommy Hewitt. Possible solutions may have arrived from across the pond in 2022. American Maddie Gibson joined in July and in her 15 appearances scored seven goals and contributed six assists.

The nature of those stats