Investment is key but I am confident our report into the game can help turn vicious cycles into virtuous onesWhen I played for England, we had a saying that each individual was a custodian of the shirt and it was their job to leave it in a better place by the time they finished. I see my role in leading the review into women’s football in a similar vein, hoping that through the efforts of the team that took part we will have done the same for the game as a whole through our research and recommendations.The headlines in the women’s game make it look as if it is in a healthy position: records for attendances and TV viewing figures...
Chelsea will go to Barcelona with hope, Arsenal’s mentality is changing, City are flying and the relegation battle is hotting upChelsea may have lost 1-0 in the first leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona but afterwards they were relatively buoyant. Playing against the possession-heavy and quick-moving Catalans is one of the trickiest tests in football. “You have to be in the tie. We’re in the tie,” said the Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes. She is right but Barcelona walked away the more content side. Yes, they did not capitalise on their dominance to a greater extent, but their play (and injuries to Millie Bright and Kadeisha Buchanan) forced Chelsea to change shape, to a back five. As the...
Emma Hayes said she needed to ‘build her to last’ despite a record fee – now club and country are reaping the rewardsNot since Kelly Smith have I been as excited by a player as I am by Lauren James in the women’s game. The England and Chelsea striker has the potential to be one of the best in the world.James is only 21 but she has shown her raw attributes for a number of years and has constantly improved to become one of the most exciting players in the Women’s Super League. Continue reading...
Beth Mead is among a host of players sidelined with ACL injuries, yet Fifa’s response is to add to a packed scheduleThe photograph of Beth Mead and her partner and Arsenal teammate, Vivianne Miedema, on the red carpet before the England forward’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year win, illustrated a problem rocking women’s football. Both were standing there, two of the best female players on the planet, on crutches. Mead ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee in November, before Miedema, the Women’s Super League record goalscorer, did the same this month. Both will probably miss the Women’s World Cup next year in Australia and New Zealand.Their situation is not unique. In the past year a whole...
Danger lies ahead if the game follows the men’s lead and ends up locked in a toxifying money-driven arms race to the topRule number one of English football: when Leah Williamson tells you to do something, you do it. Particularly when she is screaming it at you over the din over 90,000 supporters at Wembley. “We want them to come to WSL games!” she yelled of the 17 million viewers watching the triumphant climax of the Euro 2022 final on the BBC.Happily, the public have taken Williamson’s advice to heart. Something has changed here. On Friday night, Arsenal and Brighton kicked off the new Super League season with a sell-out at Meadow Park. Manchester City have already sold 20,000 tickets...