Manchester United will stir things up at the top, although Birmingham and Yeovil have their work cut out to stay upThe Women’s Super League starts this weekend in explosive style, with a Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium, a London derby at Stamford Bridge and clear ambition to carry on the momentum from the World Cup. Scheduling big games in big stadiums shows it is not just words – everything is being put in place to help the domestic game capitalise on the extraordinary interest attracted over the summer. The FA Player, which will broadcast every game of the WSL season for free, and deals to show matches on TV in Mexico and Scandinavia, show a more professional, commercial outlook...
On Saturday night the season kicks off with Barcelona v Real Madrid, though the latter are strictly not called thatOn Saturday night the Spanish season opens with el clásico but this time it is different. At 6pm at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, for the first time ever, FC Barcelona Femení will play Real Madrid – even if they are not actually called that yet. By popular demand Madrid have finally joined the women’s professional game and they make their debut in Catalonia against the team set to be their great adversaries, last season’s league and Champions League runners-up. Tickets are on sale from €5 and they anticipate a full house for a historic rivalry with an entire history still to...
Belgium and Norway games again exposed frailties at the back but manager should be given a chance to make improvementsFive goals conceded, four scored. England’s travels to Belgium and Norway have been bountiful. Just not in the right way.If England’s 3-0 victory in the World Cup quarter-final against Norway gave the impression that Phil Neville’s team had clicked, then a 2-1 defeat by the same side just over two months later, albeit in a friendly and pre-season, has had a chastening effect. Related: England manager Phil Neville says links to USA manager’s job are ‘flattering’ Continue reading...
Post-World Cup research reveals big rise in fans of the women’s game and large increase in pitch bookings by women’s teamsFollowing record-breaking television audiences for England at the Women’s World Cup, research has revealed a big rise in fans of the women’s game and a large increase in pitch bookings by women’s teams.The FA Women’s Super League season kicks off on Saturday and, according to the WSL sponsors Barclays and a YouGov poll, an impressive third of adults consider themselves interested in the women’s game, while 69% of those believe women’s football deserves the same profile as the men’s game and 28% of people who followed the World Cup are becoming fans of women’s football. Related: Lucy Bronze in spotlight...
The future of the women’s game has never looked brighter but keeping fans interested after the World Cup is vital to its growthThe Women’s World Cup has been a tournament we will look back on as the point when all of our longstanding expectation of what women’s football could be was realised. You just have to look at television viewing figures around the world, which have been better than anything the men’s game has managed this year with nearly 12 million people tuning in to watch England’s semi-final defeat by USA and another 25 million in Brazil watching their last-16 game. That is immense. Related: Fifa's VAR bumbling hurt a World Cup in which the women's game shone | Hope...