Four Women’s Super League ­academy sides will play in the third tier of the ­pyramid from the ­2027-28 ­season after the ­controversial ­proposal was approved by the ­Football ­Association’s board.

The change forms part of what the FA described as a package of reforms to the Women’s National League “designed to strengthen the women’s football pyramid, raise standards across the league, and improve the development pathway for young players”.

Data showed that young English players were getting significantly fewer competitive ­minutes than their counterparts across Europe’s leading leagues, the FA said.

WNL clubs will receive central funding for the first time and changes to the loan market will encourage clubs from the top two divisions to loan players to clubs in the third and fourth tiers.

The WSL academy teams will not be eligible for promotion and will be chosen against criteria to be ­developed in the coming months, the FA said. With the third tier split into two geographical regions, it is expected that two academies will be placed in the northern division and two in the southern.

Sue Day, director of women’s ­football at the FA, said:

“For the game to continue moving forward, the FA Women’s National League must evolve alongside the professional game, and we need to create more opportunities for talented young English players to develop in senior football.”