The former England coach, back in management with Brighton after a four-year absence, discusses her ambitions for her new club, why Mark Sampson’s successor should be a woman and why she is backing Mo Marley for that jobBrighton & Hove Albion are a club on a mission. Most are familiar with the journey of the men’s team to the top flight and the building of the Falmer stadium after an almost 15-year exile following the Goldstone Ground’s sale. It’s a club with a feelgood factor. It has been invested in.Fewer are familiar with the fortunes of the women’s team. But they are also reaping the rewards of investment and the ambition of the board. Having won a promotion play-off into...
Many clubs and players are up in arms about the significant changes involved in the haphazard and hasty decisions to overhaul the WSL and WPLThe Football Association’s plans to restructure women’s football, announced last week, have divided opinion. What unites everyone is the intention behind the proposals.There is much to be lauded about the seriousness with which the FA has turned to the women’s game. The governing body has been shrouded in controversy in recent months, with Eni Aluko’s complaint and Mark Sampson’s sacking raising huge questions about its competence and ability to govern. Related: Baroness Sue Campbell begins to right women’s football’s historic wrongs Related: Notts County Ladies ‘jobless and homeless’ as club folds on eve of season Related:...
The huge media attention generated by the England manager’s sacking has demonstrated women’s football is now operating at a different levelAs spring drew to a close, many opinion pieces sang about this being the breakthrough summer for women’s sport. With Euro 2017, the women’s Rugby World Cup and the cricket World Cup taking place unobscured by a major men’s competition, coupled with some of the most competitive England teams in recent history, expectations were rightfully high. And the sport did not disappoint. Thrilling performances took place in all three as coverage of women’s sport reached an all-time high. Each England team came away from this summer with their heads held high. Rightfully, the relevant sporting bodies hoped to capitalise on...
The holes in the FA’s version of events make a case for its chief executive to stand down on the Lady Bracknell principle of administrative bunglingThe FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, has acted decisively – if confusingly and belatedly – in dismissing Mark Sampson from his post as the manager of the England women’s team.Glenn’s next step should be to offer his own resignation. Again this should be done promptly, and with an acceptance the public expects more from the governing body of its national sport than bungled attempts at spin and reputation management, or moral principles that appear to bend with the weather vane of bad publicity. Related: Embarrassment for FA as Glenn contradicts lawyers about Sampson investigation Related:...
From Arsenal to Yeovil, we assess the contenders and likely strugglers for the maiden winter campaign – as Manchester City look to maintain their supremacyOnce the dominant force in women’s football, Arsenal have slipped behind Chelsea and Manchester City in recent years and have not lifted the title since 2012. Not that they should be taken lightly – they were the only team to remain unbeaten in the Spring Series. However, finishing third highlighted the need for greater efficiency. Related: Winter wonderland? Women’s Super League prepares for 2017-18 kick-off | Suzanne Wrack Yeovil know they will be up against it after finishing bottom with one point in the Spring Series Continue reading...