National team protests are not new but club move shows readiness to fight for decent day-to-day living standards tooThe announcement that footballers in Spain’s top division will begin an indefinite strike on the weekend of 16-17 November is hugely significant in the battle for a global professional women’s game.There have been strikes and player protests before but these have often revolved around the conditions and pay of the national team. Related: Toni Duggan: ‘I wanted the ground to suck me in, for the game just to end’ Continue reading...
The WSL wants better atmosphere at games but must make sure that what happened at United v Liverpool is not repeatedGrowth brings change. It is inevitable. Women’s football is growing at an impressive rate. Attendances are starting to climb. The showpiece fixtures – 24,790 at the London Stadium on Sunday, 24,564 at Stamford Bridge and 31,213 at the Etihad on the opening weekend – are stealing the headlines and attendance figures are already closing on the number of fans across all 110 WSL games last season (92,000). But the more standard home venues of women’s teams are also seeing more fans through the turnstiles too.Providing a welcoming environment for all is important. It would be easy and understandable for long-time...
Basics such as medical care and insurance are being left behind and players are paying with their careers in a growing gameWhen Crystal Palace forward Gemma Bryan took to social media last week out of exasperation at having been left “in limbo” by the club after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in April, it caused a wave of disgruntlement.Because, while there has been a drive towards professionalism in the women’s game – with the FA, sponsors and increasing support of clubs for their women’s teams leading the charge – player welfare has been neglected. And that is not OK. Related: Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action Continue reading...
The England Women’s manager has done a reasonable job, but has yet to live up to the high standards he has set himselfShow don’t tell. It’s an age-old technique employed by writers and film-makers who wish to put across their story in a way that places readers or movie-goers in the shoes of the characters involved. “Don’t tell me the moon is shining,” said Anton Chekhov, a man who knew a thing or two about stringing together a few lines of dialogue. “Show me the glint of light on broken glass.”One wonders what old Anton might have made of Phil Neville’s approach to managing the England Women football team, a modus operandi that appears to fly in the face of...
Adaptability was key for our injury-hit side last season. Now we’re fit and ready for a Champions League challenge tooEvery time someone gets injured, a bit of your game falls away, and you have to fill the gaps. Last season, with a huge injury list including players such as Jordan Nobbs, Kim Little and Danielle Carter, I think we did amazingly well at Arsenal. Wherever people had to play they did – we picked up the roles quite quickly.As one of the players who was still fit, I weirdly didn’t feel more pressure. I just really wanted to win the title. We were all desperate for that first title for Arsenal in seven years and everyone was on the same...