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...
Chelsea can win the Women’s Super League on Tuesday to crown a season in which their experience, squad depth and goalscoring powers have given them the edgeThe final Women’s Super League One season before the autumn rebrand and restructure draws to a close this weekend. On Tuesday night, Chelsea will be crowned champions with one game to play if they avoid defeat at Bristol City. That is not a conclusion everyone had seen coming.At the end of January the top tier looked very much like the men’s Premier League. Manchester City were dominant, having won all seven league games and 17 in a row across three competitions. Although Chelsea had dropped two points, it felt as though the title was...
The clubs head into their Champions League semis hampered by the demands of moving from a summer to winter seasonChelsea’s manager, Emma Hayes, is no stranger to pressure. She led the club to the WSL1 and FA Cup double in 2015 and won the 2017 Spring Series. Yet this season the pressure has mounted in a very different way – and that is not a reference to her pregnancy with twins. Making the switch from a summer to a winter season has taken its toll.With Chelsea fighting for trophies on three fronts, the business end of the season has become brutally congested. The switch was designed to fit better with the international calendar and help teams to maintain momentum in...
The female teams and WSL viewing figures are on the increase, but falling attendances are a cause for concernOne year ago the Football Association gathered the media at Wembley with little detail on what would be discussed beyond “women’s football”. There, the new head of women’s football Sue Campbell, chief executive Martin Glenn and head of participation Kelly Simmons outlined their Gameplan for Growth – a bold plan to transform participation, support and success on an international stage. It was hard not to absorb the enthusiasm.One year on a lot has changed. For a sport that has struggled for media presence, the distasteful handling of off-field events has dominated headlines. Yet while the FA’s actions in those cases has been...