After England’s stunning UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 triumph, the FA Women’s Super League (WSL) returns this Friday, along with the biggest Fantasy game in women’s football – Aerial Fantasy.
Here, last season’s world number 30 and five-time top 100K Fantasy Premier League (FPL) finisher Jono (@FWSL_Jono) talks us through his latest Gameweek 1 draft.
SIGN UP TO PLAY WSL FANTASY HERE
I’ve played plenty of Fantasy formats over the years, but there’s something refreshing about Aerial Fantasy. Each Gameweek, you get two free transfers; however, you can’t roll them. Like FPL, there are price changes, points hits and bonus points.
The biggest difference between Aerial Fantasy and FPL is the ‘Visionary’ player rule. A ‘Visionary’ is a player who is selected by fewer than 2% of managers. If they pick up any returns beyond appearance points, they earn an additional three ‘Visionary Points’.
As well as the Triple Captain, Bench Boost and Clean Slate (Free Hit) chips, there is also ‘The Wall’, which doubles your clean sheet points in any given Gameweek.
GAMEWEEK 1 TEAM REVEAL
Goalkeepers
In goal, I’ve paired Hannah Hampton (£6.0m) of Chelsea and Rafaela Borggrafe (£4.0m) of Liverpool. Hampton is as safe as it gets as Chelsea are one of the league’s strongest defensive units and she is a relatively cheap way into the champions’ defence. At £4.0m, Borggrafe frees up budget and looks to be the Reds’ starting goalkeeper. I’ll probably start her against Everton in Gameweek 1.
Defenders
Maya Le Tissier (£8.0m) is a nailed starter and one of the most reliable picks in the game. Manchester United’s fixtures are decent, and she has a strong set-piece threat. Steph Catley (£7.0m) covers Arsenal’s backline and is cheaper than both Emily Fox (£7.5m) and Katie McCabe (£8.0m). The Gunners begin with promising-looking fixtures against London City and West Ham United.
Grace Fisk (£5.0m) represents a value route into a solid Liverpool side. She often picks up bonus points and can play at full-back or centre-back.
Rion Ishikawa (£4.0m) and Mayumi Pacheco (£4.0m) are the two cheap picks on my bench. I don’t expect big hauls, but they’ll get regular minutes and allow me to push funds further forward. As it stands, the former qualifies as a ‘Visionary’ player.
SIGN UP TO PLAY WSL FANTASY HERE
Midfielders
Midfield is where I’ve invested most of my budget. Stars of the summer, Chloe Kelly (£8.0m) and Ella Toone (£9.0m) are both very popular and should deliver consistent points. Kelly is 2m cheaper than her penalty-taking teammate Mariona Caldentey (£10.0m).
Sandy Baltimore (£8.5m) is someone I really like as a slightly differential pick. Not many Chelsea players are nailed, but she can play anywhere on the left side. Spurs’ Eveliina Summanen (£6.0m) offers value and has taken penalties in the past. Olga Ahtinen (£4.0m) is in mainly as a bench option, but should get some minutes.
Forwards
Up front, I’ve gone heavy. Alessia Russo (£12.5m) is a lock in my team. The Arsenal forward has kind fixtures to start and could move on to the likes of Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw (£12.0m) or Nikita Parris (£8.0m) when the fixtures swing.
Michelle Agyemang (£6.0m) is one of the highest owned budget forwards and frees up cash elsewhere. Finally, Shekiera Martinez (8.0m) has averaged more than a goal a game since joining the WSL.
Watchlist
- Katie McCabe (£8.0m) – DEF
- Celin Bizet (£8.5m) – MID
- Mariona Caldentey (£10.0m) – MID
- Aggie Beever-Jones (£10.0m) – FWD
- Elisabeth Terland (£11.0m) – FWD
I’m not ruling out a late tweak or two before the deadline on 18:30pm (BST), Friday September 5. Good luck to everyone locking in their Gameweek 1 squads, enjoy the ride!
