The Push for Stadium Upgrades
WSL releases a guideline document for designing elite women's football stadiums
Late November 2025 might go down as a milestone moment for women’s club football in England. On the 13th, WSL Football unveiled a pioneering document, “Design Guidelines for the Delivery of Elite Women’s Stadiums in England:” the world’s first comprehensive framework aimed specifically at designing or upgrading football venues for the women’s game.
For decades, most stadiums in English and European football have been built around the male game, from changing-room layouts and toilet ratios to seating, facilities and match-day experience.
But as women’s football grows in popularity, professionalism, and ambition, that default is no longer good enough. The new guidance reflects that shift: it enshrines inclusivity, accessibility, sustainability and human-centred design as core principles for any stadium intended to host elite women’s matches.
Guiding Principles
The guiding principles run deep. On the practical side, the document urges that stadia move away from traditional male-skewed facilities. Toilets and WCs should aim for a 45 % male / 45 % female split, with 10 % gender-neutral facilities.
Family-friendly amenities such as baby-changing stations, family toilets, breastfeeding or childcare rooms, and multifaith/reflection spaces are now recommended.
Inside the stadium, changing rooms and team facilities should reflect the realities of modern women’s squads, with adequate space, lighting, power, and provisions for menstruation.
Youth and under-18 squads get separate changing facilities; staff and backroom teams have distinct dressing rooms; attention is paid to comfort, dignity, and privacy.
From a fan experience standpoint, the guidance pushes for accessibility and inclusivity. That includes proper accommodations for disabled supporters (changing-place toilets, audio-descriptive commentary, sensory rooms), varied seating sizes and spacing (recognising that match-goers come in all shapes, ages and family groupings), and options like alcohol-free seating zones and dedicated fan-zones.
Beyond the basics, the document embeds longer-term thinking, including environmental sustainability, climate resilience, transport connectivity, safe and well-lit access routes, waste reduction, water stations and shade zones.
Clubs, local authorities, and architects are encouraged to consider renewable energy, sustainable materials, flood-risk mitigation, and future-proof infrastructure from the very beginning.
A Collaborative Approach
Behind the guidelines sits a process of rigorous consultation. Over three years, WSL Football worked alongside architects, clubs, current and former players, technical staff, match officials, broadcasters, supporters, and sustainability specialists. Everyone from medical professionals and media teams to fans and local authorities had input.
That collaborative approach is deliberate. This isn’t about retrofitting a men’s-game template for women’s football, but building something new: a blueprint for stadiums designed around the realities of the women’s game and its evolving audience.
As AFL Architects put it, the guidance “champions a human-centred approach that reflects the values of women’s football, from flexible layouts and equitable facilities to sustainable and welcoming architecture.”
Importantly, the guidelines are not mandatory. Clubs aren’t penalised for failing to meet every recommendation. Instead, WSL Football describes them as a “benchmark”. This is a starting point and a resource for clubs, councils, developers, and architects that believe in the long-term growth of the women’s pyramid.
At a time when women’s football is expanding rapidly, this feels like more than just good intentions. It feels like infrastructure finally catching up with aspiration.