The Wolfsburg captain and Sweden international is an outspoken advocate of women’s football and LGBT rights who sees her profession in perspective“We take one step in the right direction and two back if we don’t keep up the fight.” Wolfsburg’s Nilla Fischer has seen women’s football change a lot in her 20-year career and she is adamant that progress has been won only by fighting for it. “You can never let it be or let it rest. To get better surroundings, money, everything, it’s always a fight.”Fischer is known for being outspoken in defence of women playing football but also, as a gay woman, in being an advocate of LGBT rights. She is one of three top European footballers to...
Few would expect football clubs to be at the forefront of an effort to break the taboo around periods. Yet here we are“Sorry to spoil your breakfasts with talk of periods,” tweeted one supporter of the On the Ball campaign, “but as a teenager who suddenly got her period at Stockport away & had to spend the whole afternoon and journey home on the coach with only a wedge of toilet paper & in a panic, this sort of thing would have been very welcome.”Few would expect football clubs to be at the forefront of an effort to break the taboo around periods. Yet here we are. In less than five months 29 grounds have responded to the campaign of...
Juventus had a tough baptism in Europe’s elite competition this week but with more interest than ever in women’s football, Uefa must seize the initiative to ensure it continues to growWednesday was a historic occasion for Juventus Women. Everyone knows the men’s team have been synonymous with success in Europe over the years and that’s certainly what the women are trying to build as well after we began our Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw against the Danish champions, Brondby.This is the first time Juventus have been in this competition and we are not seeded, so that meant we could have been drawn against anyone including the reigning champions, Lyon, or Wolfsburg, . At this stage you want to...
A fully professional Women’s Super League could change the game beyond recognition if problems are properly tackledWomen’s football in England takes a great leap forward on Sunday when the WSL kicks off. Advocates of a radically restructured competition, featuring a fully professional 11-team elite division, speak of the project with a sort of evangelism but sceptics fear clubs folding against a backdrop of stubbornly low crowds.While this bold project remains fragile, its principal architect, the Football Association’s head of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell, is undeterred. She is convinced the potential rewards not only outweigh the risks but have the potential to change the entire English footballing landscape almost beyond recognition. Related: Women’s Super League: five things to look out...
After missing out on silverware, the Manchester City manager has strengthened his squad to aid their challengeAt the start of the year Manchester City were flying. With the side unbeaten in all competitions and two points ahead of Chelsea, their nearest rivals, the prospect of finishing the season empty-handed seemed almost laughable. Yet as the curtain fell, the humbled club were without silverware. Related: Lauren Hemp warms to occasion as England’s Under-20s thrive in the heat Related: Sky is the limit for the Matildas after another impressive outing in US | Lisa Portolan Continue reading...