There was a lot to admire in Australia’s Cup of Nations win over Spain, not least the timing of it with the World Cup on the horizonThe ball had barely left Cortnee Vine’s right boot and Tony Gustavsson and Mel Andreatta were already losing their minds, celebrating a stunner of a goal that opened the floodgates. To be any manager and assistant on the bench five months out from a World Cup would surely feel fraught. But to be a manager and assistant under pressure, five months out from a World Cup which they are co-hosting, might do something altogether different to the levels of cortisol in one’s body.There were a lot of eyes on CommBank Stadium on Sunday night,...
Watching England in the Six Nations was a reminder of how much football can learn from rugby, cycling and othersThe ball was sent long, launched off the right boot in the hope of getting his team up the other end to put pressure on opposition defenders. Possession was lost, though, and the visitors took control, quickly regained the territory and nearly scored on the counter. The fan next to me bemoaned this waste of an attack from the hosts, claiming short passes at speed are a better way of playing than that “lazy” style.All this took place at Twickenham, where it was fascinating to analyse the differences and similarities between rugby union and football. I spent last Sunday at England’s...
With the global showpiece on home soil looming the three-team mini tournament is crucial for coach Tony Gustavsson’s planningTony Gustavsson possesses an undeniable stage presence. Enthusiastic – almost earnest – he arrives in Matildas camp from the air via umbrella, toes out-turned, ready to dance in dreamed-up settings with a smile and some catchy quotes. Five months before a World Cup for which Australia is still not convinced his national team is adequately prepared, he is in dress-rehearsal mode. “Everything we do now is like a World Cup rehearsal,” Gustavsson said on Wednesday, the eve of the Cup of Nations tournament – effectively a series of friendlies against Czechia, Spain and Jamaica.Whether the main act turns out to be Mary...
We must give children a voice and a choice about sport; it’s the key to helping more children enjoy sport and physical activitySport teaches you so many important life skills and one of the most essential is resilience. My life has been dedicated to one simple mission – changing girls’ and women’s lives in sport and through sport. It has not been easy and there have been many setbacks, but the strength of my purpose has helped me to recover and continue the journey.I started my professional career as a PE teacher in Manchester and later became chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust and chair of UK Sport, supporting our Olympic and Paralympic teams to achieve success at London...
Beth Mead is among a host of players sidelined with ACL injuries, yet Fifa’s response is to add to a packed scheduleThe photograph of Beth Mead and her partner and Arsenal teammate, Vivianne Miedema, on the red carpet before the England forward’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year win, illustrated a problem rocking women’s football. Both were standing there, two of the best female players on the planet, on crutches. Mead ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee in November, before Miedema, the Women’s Super League record goalscorer, did the same this month. Both will probably miss the Women’s World Cup next year in Australia and New Zealand.Their situation is not unique. In the past year a whole...