WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

IN THIS WEEK’S ROUND-UP...

• Picks from the pitch: Park, Holmgaard and Asseyi on fire

• Latest headlines: Palace relegated. Man Utd confirmed for inaugural World Sevens tournament

• UWCL: Chelsea crash out of semi-final

• What we’re watching: Our pick of the week’s upcoming matches

• Jobs: New opportunities in football

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🏆 UWCL SEMI-FINALS

Arsenal Stuns Lyon, Chelsea Humiliated

It was a dramatic end to the semi-finals with Chelsea in back-to-back 4-1 defeats at the hands of a brutal Barcelona, while Arsenal mounted a second-leg comeback for the ages, putting four past Lyon to secure their first Champions League final in 18 years. Let that sink in.

So, an Arsenal vs Barcelona final. We’ll see you in Lisbon!

Chelsea 1-4 Barcelona (2-8 agg)
→ Watch the highlights

Lyon 1-4 Arsenal (3-5 agg)
→ Watch the highlights

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Our Top Five WSL Moments this Week

1. Jess Park was not messing about and secured the win for City.

2. Nikita Parris finished off a lovely piece of Brighton build-up play.

3. Sara Holmgaard’s volley to open the scoring for Everton. 👌 Hello.

4. Vivianne Asseyi take a bow. What an individual goal to take the Hammers beyond reach. 

5. Emma Harries smashed this home from a tight angle to make it six for West Ham.

Side note… Shekiera Martinez banged in four goals past Palace to seal their relegation.

RESULTS: WSL MATCHDAY 20

• Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Highlights)

• Crystal Palace 1-7 West Ham United (Highlights)

• Everton 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion (Highlights)

• Leicester City 0-1 Manchester City (Highlights)

AS IT STANDS

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

🗓️ Manchester City’s Vivianne Miedema has urged football authorities to overhaul the women’s calendar, warning that the relentless schedule is putting players’ physical and mental health at risk. Currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, Miedema highlighted the toll of repeated injuries and called for urgent action to prioritise player safety.

⬇️ Crystal Palace’s first season in the WSL ended in relegation after a 7-1 thrashing by West Ham. The Eagles, who have managed just nine points, are seven adrift with two games left. Manager Leif Smerud admitted the team “hasn’t been good enough.” Palace return to the Championship, while the promotion race remains tight in the second tier. 

💼 Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL) has named Two Circles as its exclusive sponsorship agency for the Barclays WSL and Championship. The deal includes creating a league-wide Principal Sleeve partner for all 24 clubs (a first in European football) and aims to boost commercial growth and visibility through the 2028/29 season.

🌍 Manchester United joins Bayern Munich, Ajax, and Benfica as the first four teams announced for the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament in Estoril, Portugal, from 21–23 May. The 7-a-side event features eight teams (with four more TBC), a $5m prize pool, and matches of two 15-minute halves on a half-size pitch. The tournament aims to bring a fresh, fast-paced format to women’s football, with all games streamed on DAZN. 

👟 Barcelona women’s players’ tunnel fits have been cut due to a new deal with Nike. Previously, it was all very ‘NWSL-esque’ as players showed off their fashion x football credentials pre-match, racking up huge social numbers and engagement. However, Barca’s new Nike contract means players must wear official gear in the tunnel. Goodbye personality. Hello, generic Nike tracksuits.

🩺 A 58-year-old man was arrested after posing as a doctor to access players’ underwear at Dijon’s match against Saint-Étienne. Armed with fake credentials, he claimed to be conducting anti-doping tests before being caught by suspicious officials. Police later found he’d been stalking a player for over a year; the case goes to court in July.

🏆 Bayern Munich have sealed their third consecutive Frauen-Bundesliga title with a 3-1 win over Freiburg. Bayern has won every game in the second half of the season and now eyes a domestic double with the German Cup final up next.

⚽ The NWSL has filed an application with U.S. Soccer to launch a Division II league from 2026, aiming to bridge the gap between college and the pro game. Eight NWSL clubs (including Bay FC, Kansas City Current, and Seattle Reign) are lined up for the inaugural season, with a double round-robin format and play-offs planned. The league is pitched as a crucial development step for young players.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

→ Only two NWSL teams have a woman as head coach. Could expansion exacerbate the issue?

→ What now for Chelsea after succumbing (once again) to a superior Barcelona team?

👀 FAVE FINDS

Coming soon: Roord to Recovery
Manchester City are releasing a docu-film following Jill Roord’s recent recovery from a ruptured ACL. Expect to see the reality of the mental and physical toll of the long-term injury as Roord fights to get back on the pitch. Watch the trailer here.

Gotham’s Midge Purce is hitting Broadway, delivering the opening monologue to Chicago at 7pm on 1 May to promote Gotham’s upcoming Broadway night. Gotham fans can get 40% off tickets for the show.

🔍 IN FOCUS

Eni Aluko in Wright Row

Eni Aluko’s comments about Ian Wright have put the spotlight (and a bit of drama) back on opportunities for women in football media.

What happened?

• Aluko was on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and said big-name male pundits like Ian Wright should be mindful of “dominating” women’s football coverage, arguing there are only so many broadcast seats to go round.

• She called Wright a “brilliant broadcaster” and “role model,” but suggested his high profile could unintentionally block women from breaking through.

The fallout

• Cue social media meltdown: fans and Lionesses stars like Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, and Mary Earps all jumped in to support Wright.

• After the internet did its thing, Aluko apologised on Instagram, admitting it was “inappropriate” to single out Wright and clarifying she just wants more women in the studio, full stop.

• Some reckon Aluko’s bigger point about opportunities for women got totally lost in the drama, while others questioned if a male pundit would get the same heat for similar comments.

• There’s now chatter about whether Aluko’s TV gigs could be at risk, with ITV reportedly reviewing her future.

The Wright response

• Wright has responded to Aluko’s comments and subsequent apology with this video. Spoiler alert, despite their long working relationship, he isn’t accepting the apology.

• He pointed out his years of backing the women’s game and called for everyone to focus on the real issue… breaking down the barriers women still face in football media.

• Although it feels like Aluko’s comments have been blown out of proportion by the media, suggesting Ian Wright is part of the problem when it comes to limited opportunities for women was never going to fly. But as he requested, let’s leave this one here.

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Lotte Wubben-Moy has signed a new deal with Arsenal, which will see the fan favourite stay for three more years. The announcement was accompanied by a cute (but slightly cringe) poem written by the gal herself. 

Phallon Tullis-Joyce has signed a new contract that will keep her between the sticks at Manchester United until 2028.

Brian Sorensen has secured a new two-year deal with Everton. The manager has had a difficult season with two key players out with ACL injuries in the first two games of the season, but the club has backed Sorensen, who said creating consistency and stability would be key in trying to close the gap with teams who have bigger budgets. 

RUMOUR HAS IT THAT…

• Lily Yohannes could be off to PSG despite her Ajax contract running to 2026

• Everton’s Kelly Gago is heading to PSG in the summer

• Niamh Charles might leave Chelsea for Real Madrid

• Irene Paredes is negotiating a contract extension with Barca until 2027

🩼 ACL + INJURY UPDATES

Lauren Hemp is back, and it can’t come soon enough for a City squad that’s on its knees. Hemp came on in the 60th minute against Leicester, her first appearance for City since picking up a knee injury in November.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

Euro 2025 at Big Penny Social (London)
The countdown is on to the Women’s Euros and Big Penny Social will be screening every England match live on their giant screen, with electric vibes and top-tier entertainment to match.⁠

🎟️ Tickets for England games are live and just £6.50, including a house drink and entertainment!⁠

Is there a women’s football event happening near you? Give us a heads-up.

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Women's Super League
Wednesday 30 April
18:00 - Aston Villa vs Arsenal Women [Sky Sports]
20:15 - Manchester United vs Chelsea [Sky Sports]

Sunday 4 May
12:00 - Liverpool vs Everton [WSL YouTube]
12:00 - Manchester United vs Manchester City [Sky Sports]
14:00 - Crystal Palace vs Leicester City [WSL YouTube]
14:15 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea [BBC Two, BBC iPlayer]
15:00 - West Ham United vs Aston Villa [WSL YouTube]

Monday 5th May
16:00 - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal [Sky Sports]

All kick-off times are BST

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

• Head of Social Content | Brentford FC | Apply by 30 April

• Ecommerce and Licensing Manager | The Premier League | Apply by 5 May

• Senior Legal Counsel – Football Regulation & Litigation | The Football Association | Apply by 11 May

• Audio Visual Manager | Chelsea FC | Apply now

• Editorial designer/project manager (freelancer) | FIFA | Apply now

More women watching, playing and working in football