The restructuring had begun in 2015 by requiring four SWPL clubs to be effectively relegated.
Lewis Melee quoted a manager critical of the SWF's consultation and lack of notice for the league's new clubs: "Rather than saying we need to finish 11th for our first year in the league they were having to finish 8th and they didn’t have a 6 to 12-month plan to prepare… they were probably the ones that suffered more than anyone".
[2] At the end of the season in October 2016, Glasgow City were champions, ahead of Hibernian.
[3][4] City became the first senior football club to win ten Scottish league titles in succession.
The champions of SWPL 2 were Hamilton Academical,[5] replacing Forfar Farmington in the top tier for the 2017 season.