Key talking points from the opening weekend, including questions for the FA over the League Cup and what the attendance for Manchester United’s big kick-off tells us

No one understands the Continental Cup

The Football Association will have hoped that the opening weekend of the women’s season, following a restructure of the pyramid, would showcase its newly simplified, cohesive competitions and branding. That was part of the aim. However, while the branding may look slick, the Continental League Cup has been shown to be anything but simple. It is odd enough that a cup competition has ushered in a new season but its format meant confusion reigned supreme.

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The League Cup differs from its men’s equivalent, with a group stage preceding knockout rounds and point-scoring akin to the Checkatrade Trophy: three points for a win inside 90 minutes, one for a draw and an extra point for a win on penalties. Straightforward if you know the rules, but clubs tweeted conflicting tables and even the FA seemed confused by its own competition, with the group tables on its website showing three points awarded for a win regardless of penalties. Even after a Monday morning update, Sheffield United, who beat Aston Villa 2-1 in normal time, sat bottom of their group with no points.

These may be teething problems but they do little to quell the criticisms of the FA’s ability to run women’s football.

Doggedly sticking to this format is also failing to respond to the needs of teams. Bristol City mocked the fact they were put in a ‘north’ group (as Reading have been). There are two six-team groups and two five-team groups but calls for the teams in the Champions League – Chelsea and Manchester City – to be placed in the smaller groups to alleviate their fixture pile-up and aid their European adventures have fallen on deaf ears.

The sad plight of Doncaster Belles

Three months after being crowned champions of the second tier Doncaster Rovers Belles were beaten 9-0 by Blackburn in the Women’s National League. Following a successful bid to remain in tier two, Donny Belles withdrew from the league, unable to meet the demands of the new semi-professional set-up following the loss of their main sponsor. Since then the club – with two top-division titles and six FA Cups in its 50-year history – have been picked apart by clubs able to offer football in the new professional and semi-professional leagues.

After the club lost the manager Neil Redfearn to Liverpool, Zoey Shaw stepped up from the development side. The Belles were forced to field six 16-year-olds and three 17-year-olds against Blackburn. Watching a side with such an illustrious history go into freefall as a casualty of the FA’s push to grow the game is hard to stomach.

Positives for newcomers

Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Liverpool in their maiden fixture stole the headlines but they were not the only side embarking on a new challenge to have a good Continental Cup weekend. Two goals each from Rebecca Carter and Avilla Bergin helped the Championship newcomers Lewes – the first side to pay their men’s and women’s teams equally – to a 5-0 win against the National League South winners Charlton.

Fellow Championship new arrivals Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United also won, with Leicester taking perhaps the biggest scalp of the round as they beat the Women’s Super League side Bristol City 4-2 on penalties.

The top-tier newcomers West Ham and Brighton lost 3-1 against Arsenal and Chelsea respectively but with neither looking out of their depth against title contenders they will see the positives.

Emma Hayes is superhuman

The Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes, had three‑month-old Harry with her post-match. Having spent the season pregnant with twins, Hayes lost one of the babies before the third trimester and gave birth to Harry in May, while her Chelsea side went unbeaten in the league and clinched the double. Just to have been there was impressive but to have won the league so emphatically while pregnant and undergoing unimaginable loss and be crowned league manager of the year is superhuman.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Emma Hayes led Chelsea to the double while pregnant and is back managing the club. Photograph: TGSPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Attendances: still the elephant in the room

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Media coverage of the launch of Manchester United’s women’s team, of Casey Stoney’s arrival and of the club’s opening game at Liverpool has been relatively colossal. BT Sport announced the match would be the first Continental Cup group game to be broadcast live. Yet the unprecedented interest did not translate to bums on seats. Yes the game was played at Tranmere’s Prenton Park, yes it was a League Cup fixture and the league does not get under way until 9 September, and yes Manchester United’s men were playing the same afternoon, but only 829 showed up – almost half the number who attended the opening game of last season, Liverpool v Everton. The highest figures available for other games were Chelsea v Brighton (1,095) and Birmingham v Manchester City (574).

The FA’s Gameplan for Growth aims to double participation by 2020. Yet its one-year review of the strategy showed attendances last season dropped 11% on 2016-17. The switch to a winter season has had an impact but the lack of publicity for these opening fixtures by most clubs and the FA and, critically, their late announcement (24 July) had a bigger effect.

Unlocking sponsorship deals, TV rights, club investment and pushing for wage increases and better facilities ultimately hinges on the ability of clubs to pull in crowds. It is also the key to silencing critics. Yet it is the one area still going backwards.

Talking points

• The former Manchester City midfielder Izzy Christiansen scored in Lyon’s 7-0 friendly win against SC Sand. Having also got goals against Grenoble and Freiburg, the England international is clearly settling into life with the European champions.

• The NWSL shield winners North Carolina Courage won their 16th game of the season, 3-0 against Orlando Pride, to stand one victory from the record for most wins in a season. At the other end of the table Sky Blue FC came agonisingly close to their first win but a late Amy Rodriguez goal for Utah Royals saw the game end 2-2.

• The England right-back Lucy Bronze has been nominated for Uefa’s goal of the season award. The Lyon defender’s volley against her former club Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final secured the eventual winners’ passage. Ronaldo’s overhead kick against Juventus and Elliot Embleton’s Under-19 European Championship strike for England are also on the 11-goal shortlist.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lucy Bronze has been nominated for Uefa’s goal of the season award for her volley for Lyon against Manchester City. Photograph: Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

• Manchester City have been handed a tough Champions League opener against the Spanish champions Atlético Madrid. Chelsea will play Bosnia and Herzegovina side SFK 2000 Sarajevo, while Glasgow City, who qualified via the play-off groups, will play Somatio Barcelona of Cyprus. The first legs will be on 12-13 September.