A partnership with the local university is designed to benefit players in the short and long term, the club and EnglandThroughout my playing career, balancing professional football and studying, there was one recurring question that I asked myself: why don’t clubs invest more in the education of their players?So when I joined Aston Villa in March I had one project at the front of my mind and close to my heart that I wanted to drive right away. The first proposal I wrote was for an expanded partnership with Aston University that would allow the club to support female players in their education, from youth to first team. It has taken a lot of work, collaboration and support at the...
Liverpool and Manchester United have lagged behind other big clubs in support of their women’s teams and their interest now reeks of financial opportunismMaybe we should be grateful that those responsible for Project Big Picture have included support for the Women’s Super League within their plans for total football domination.Nestled within the proposed £100m “gift” to help the Football Association combat the £300m-plus hit it has taken because of the Covid-19 pandemic is a £10m to bail out the WSL and Women’s Championship, a commitment that “a new independent league for the women’s professional game will finally be developed and funded” and reportedly more than £50m a year for the WSL, Championship, Women’s FA Cup and grassroots. Related: 'Mo Marley?...
Everton look unstoppable but face competition from the two Manchester clubs – meanwhile, West Ham need to be tougher Everton keep on soaringI don’t know what Everton are feeding their players at their Finch Farm training base, but it is working. Like the men’s team, the women have a 100% record and are flying, with Aston Villa the latest to feel the impact in a 6-0 home defeat. The new signings are coming good: Valerie Gauvin, who joined from Montpellier in the summer, came off the bench to score; Hayley Raso joined in January and has become an important part of the team. When I saw them beat Birmingham last week Nicoline Sørensen, another summer arrival, was also brilliant. They...
The arrival of a host of stars is great for women’s football but contracts which only last a few months can also be disruptiveTwo games into the Women’s Super League season and we’re starting to see some patterns emerging, with high-quality teams across the division but a few that look a cut above. The standard of foreign players coming into the league this summer demonstrates the way it’s seen now around the world, and will increase the quality still further, though I do have reservations about some of the signings. Related: Manchester City left frustrated by obdurate Brighton display Related: Women’s Super League: talking points from the weekend’s action | Rachel Brown-Finnis Continue reading...
The Chelsea midfielder reflects on last season’s title and how the arrival of more top players is raising the barI will definitely never forget my first Women’s Super League title. My Chelsea teammates and I were asked to join a Zoom call so I logged in from Norway during a camping trip. Emma Hayes came on and, all of a sudden, popped open a bottle of champagne: “We’ve won the league!” It felt so weird to find out we had won it on points per game and, although it was a fantastic reward for all our work, I hope we don’t have to celebrate that way again.We want to repeat the trick in front of our fans, but first we...