Liverpool and Manchester United have lagged behind other big clubs in support of their women’s teams and their interest now reeks of financial opportunismMaybe we should be grateful that those responsible for Project Big Picture have included support for the Women’s Super League within their plans for total football domination.Nestled within the proposed £100m “gift” to help the Football Association combat the £300m-plus hit it has taken because of the Covid-19 pandemic is a £10m to bail out the WSL and Women’s Championship, a commitment that “a new independent league for the women’s professional game will finally be developed and funded” and reportedly more than £50m a year for the WSL, Championship, Women’s FA Cup and grassroots. Related: 'Mo Marley?...
If the FA and Premier League were truly invested in women’s football, it may not have come to this for the WSL and ChampionshipTwo months after the Football Association informed clubs in the Women’s Super League and Championship that it would not be offering any specific Covid-19 financial support, making curtailment almost a foregone conclusion, that last resort is finally being discussed. And in one way it feels overdue. But should we be looking at cancellation at all?In Germany this Friday, two weeks after the resumption of the men’s Bundesliga, and in the same week the fate of the WSL and Championship will likely be confirmed, the Frauen-Bundesliga season will resume. Related: Inessa Kaagman: 'It's not just sport-minded at Everton,...
Issues the FA was willing to overlook have come home to roost and a quick decision must be made over the Tokyo OlympicsThe appointment of Phil Neville as manager of the Lionesses was shambolic. Not on the initial shortlist, or even longlist, rumour has it Neville’s name was dropped into the ring by a jesting journalist. As candidate after candidate fell out of the running, the Football Association’s handling of Mark Sampson and the increased scrutiny associated with the role putting some off, suddenly Neville was appointed.Unveiling a manager with no experience in women’s football raised eyebrows but was not necessarily a problem, in fact his lack of baggage within the women’s game was a plus. Giving the top job...
The FA has questions to answer but so too do governments past and present over the rapid rise of football betting since deregulation in 2005It was, on the face of it, classic haplessness of the Football Association to have used the FA Cup third round as a stage for its “take a minute” campaign for mental health, while a clutch of matches were streamed live exclusively on betting sites, a looming risk to financial and mental health. Packaged up by the marketing giant IMG, which bought the TV and media rights to football’s grand old competition from the FA, the deals offer yet another pathway for supporters to inextricably associate the game itself with betting,Charles Ritchie, whose son Jack killed...
Football offers numerous examples of why mental health matters and the importance of the saying, ‘it’s OK not to be OK’Jimmy Carr used to tell a joke about being stopped in the street by one of those clipboard-wielding charity muggers who asked him if he could spare her a minute for cancer research. “All right,” replied the comedian. “But I don’t think we’ll get much done.” Over the weekend, in collaboration with Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters and the Heads Up campaign, the Football Association asked all those – fans, players, backroom staff – at football grounds to set aside the same amount of time in order to “Take A Minute” to think about or discuss looking after their...