Pandemic has exposed inequalities that lie beneath shiny veneer of Women’s Super League and the need for changeThere has rightly been much outrage and confusion about the suspension of girls’ academies and regional talent clubs during the latest lockdown while, at the same time, boys in Premier League and Football League clubs’ youth pathways can continue to train.It is outrageous. There should never be a situation where a young female footballer is being told she cannot play while her male equivalent can continue. It shatters even the illusion of equality and could actively hinder the “be whatever you want to be” message that women’s football is trying to instil in young girls. Related: Women’s football has seen a decade of...
The WSL has been nurtured well but the top of the domestic game may need to strike out to get the showcase it deservesIt all kicked off on women’s football Twitter this month. Not because of something Phil Neville said, which is the usual cause of button bashing, but as a result of TV coverage, or lack thereof.Women’s football fans are a unique, loyal and opinionated tribe. So the news that very few of the first-round of games in the Continental Cup, including the mouth-watering Chelsea-Arsenal match, were going to be available to watch live went down like a lead balloon. Related: Kay Cossington: 'We have the world's best league – and we want success' | Suzanne Wrack Continue reading...
A partnership with the local university is designed to benefit players in the short and long term, the club and EnglandThroughout my playing career, balancing professional football and studying, there was one recurring question that I asked myself: why don’t clubs invest more in the education of their players?So when I joined Aston Villa in March I had one project at the front of my mind and close to my heart that I wanted to drive right away. The first proposal I wrote was for an expanded partnership with Aston University that would allow the club to support female players in their education, from youth to first team. It has taken a lot of work, collaboration and support at the...
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?...
Everton look unstoppable but face competition from the two Manchester clubs – meanwhile, West Ham need to be tougher Everton keep on soaringI don’t know what Everton are feeding their players at their Finch Farm training base, but it is working. Like the men’s team, the women have a 100% record and are flying, with Aston Villa the latest to feel the impact in a 6-0 home defeat. The new signings are coming good: Valerie Gauvin, who joined from Montpellier in the summer, came off the bench to score; Hayley Raso joined in January and has become an important part of the team. When I saw them beat Birmingham last week Nicoline Sørensen, another summer arrival, was also brilliant. They...