Former Manchester United player has a desire to learn – and this will be tested very soon in the She Believes CupThere were many banana skins for Phil Neville to navigate around in his first flurry of interviews since being appointed the new England women’s national team manager last week.With the FA’s stewardship of the women’s game under scrutiny following the Eni Aluko and Mark Sampson sagas, its choosing of Sampson’s successor hasn’t filled many with the confidence that much has been learned, or changed. Related: Phil Neville has rocky ride on first outing as England women’s manager Continue reading...
While use of the Academy of Light has been offered for training to hard-up Hartlepool, Sunderland’s women feel left out in the coldThe plight of Hartlepool United, who are on the brink of administration, has captured the attention and support of fans and clubs. With the National League team £1.8m in debt and needing to raise £200,000 by Thursday, the football community in the north-east and beyond has rallied. More than £70,000 has been raised via crowdfunding online, Rangers and Middlesbrough fans have helped fill Victoria Park in recent weeks and hopes of a takeover are strong.Sunderland have become the latest club keen to jump in and offer support to their struggling neighbour. Except as they soak up the praise...
Surprising frontrunner for the job of England women’s manager sums up the FA’s continuing bumbling approachWhat an amusing inevitability to learn that Phil Neville is the frontrunner for the job of managing the England women’s side. I very much enjoyed my colleague Louise Taylor’s report into the matter, which stated: “It is understood the 40-year-old’s name was initially suggested to the Football Association in a lighthearted manner by a well-known broadcaster at a drinks reception last month.”This is my favourite How Job Applications Work story since George Osborne’s friends asked the former chancellor for his advice on their pitches for the Evening Standard editorship. Sorry, guys – he had a look at your proposals, but in the end the opportunity...
The Nigerian’s third African player of the year award, playing for Dalian Quanjian, has been the sweetest after a torrid time at Liverpool and ArsenalMohamed Salah’s player of the year award stole the headlines at the Confederation of African Football awards in Ghana but the triumph of the Nigerian forward Asisat Oshoala in collecting the women’s equivalent was similarly special.On receiving the accolade for the third time – the others coming in 2014 and 2016 – Oshoala was teary as the road to her latest win has been anything but straightforward. Related: Meet Liv Cooke: the freestyler with the outrageous skills from Euro 2017 advert Continue reading...
Taking pride of place next to Tom Finney, a three-tonne memorial was unveiled to the women’s team that drew record crowds and defied sexist FA legislationIt is apt that a year when the profile of women’s football has taken a leap forward marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dick, Kerr Ladies.Commemorating the team’s first game at Deepdale, a memorial to the pioneering side was unveiled at the home of Preston North End last Friday. And what a memorial. A staggering 3.5 tonnes of granite has been used for the tribute. This is no small plaque tucked away in a corner; at six metres high by four metres wide it’s a towering presence in the corner of the ground,...