The game is growing in England and beyond but recent findings show pay, contracts and basic support for those with families are simply not sufficientMore than 90% of female footballers have considered quitting the game. That is the outcome of the most extensive survey of its kind, carried out by world players’ union Fifpro, which interviewed more than 3,000 footballers at the top of the game for its report, Working Conditions in Professional Women’s Football. The fragility of the foundations on which women’s football is being built has been laid bare.It has been a tumultuous year for the sport. Huge highs – not least the phenomenal support around Euro 2017 and increasing professionalism across the top of European leagues –...
London Bees goalkeeper navigates two male-dominated lines of work with aplomb but may soon have to choose between her abiding passion and her workThe London Bees goalkeeper Nicola Hobbs was between the sticks at the Hive on Saturday as the Bees recorded their first win of the WSL2 season, a 2-1 victory over Oxford United. Yet just 24 hours earlier she was sitting in a gilded hall in the capital at the excellence in fire and emergency awards 2017. Because Hobbs is also a firefighter, and one who was nominated for this year’s most influential woman in fire award.A woman navigating one male-dominated line of work is impressive, but two is rarer. Related: Ellie Brazil, the English teenager testing herself...
Australian coach admits it feels ‘surreal’ to be in charge of Arsenal Women but says he will uphold club’s reputation for attractive footballThe Arsenal Invincibles’ unbeaten season will probably never be replicated. Arsène Wenger’s 2003-04 side sealed their place in history when Patrick Vieira scored against Leicester City to ensure the achievement was completed with a win. So it is perhaps apt that Arsenal have looked to another manager who has presided over an invincible season to turn around the fortunes of their women’s side.Pedro Martínez Losa’s abrupt departure one month into a stuttering new campaign despite strong recruitment came after a disappointing tenure. In Losa’s three years he won the 2015 Continental Cup (League Cup) and the FA Cup...
A pioneering scheme run in partnership with the local university is offering promising female players the chance to have a career in the gameWhile many have concerns about the Football Association’s restructure of women’s football and this blog has highlighted many of them, others, such as Derby County Ladies, who have had long-held WSL ambitions, have thrown their support behind the plans. Related: Switch to winter season boosts Manchester City and Chelsea in Europe | Suzanne Wrack Related: Speed of change in women’s football is leaving some clubs behind | Suzanne Wrack Continue reading...
English clubs in the Champions League are benefiting from the change in the calendar of the women’s game with two of two their number in the quarter-finalsLast week Manchester City and Chelsea secured their places in the Champions League quarter-finals. Both sides won in style over the two legs, Chelsea beating Rosengard 4-0 overall and City gaining their last-eight place with a 7-1 aggregate score against LSK Kvinner.These were no mean feats. Rosengard are Champions League quarter-final stalwarts, having made the last eight seven seasons running. The Swedish side were runners-up in the 2017 Damallsvenskan (Swedish league) to the quarter-finalists Linkopings for the second year in a row. Related: Vivianne Miedema: ‘We put the same effort in – we deserve...