Bompastor reveals 13-year relationship | Rubiales Guilty | England in nervy Nations League start

February 24, 2025

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY
IN THIS WEEK’S ROUND-UP...

  • Picks from the pitch: Nations League round-up

  • Latest headlines: Rubiales guilty

  • Fave finds: Bompastor reveals secret 13-year relationship

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

  • Jobs: New opportunities in football

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

🏛️ Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault against Jenni Hermoso but was acquitted on the charge of coercion. He escaped a prison sentence, was fined €10,000 and given a restraining order. Meanwhile, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed his appeal against a three-year ban handed to him by FIFA after he kissed Hermoso at the Women’s World Cup Final. He remains banned from any football-related activity until October 2026.🐀

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England Lionesses U19’s got their first win of 2025 after beating the USA 2-0 in the Albir Garden Tournament. Lola Brown and Jessie Gale bagged the goals

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England’s U23’s didn’t fair so well. Despite a brace from Michelle Agyemang, Germany won 3-2.

👹 Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s report card after one year at Manchester United is not one to shout about. Amongst the many awkward moments reported by The Telegraph, the standout example of how much importance he’s placed on the women’s team is the story of him being shown around Carrington’s facilities, and asking Katie Zelem what she did at the club - at the time she was the women’s captain. Enough said really.

🎟️ UEFA has opened ticket applications for the Champions League final in Lisbon. The final takes place on Saturday 24 May. Apply here until 26 Feb

🗳️ Denver, the latest NWSL franchise has asked fans to vote on its new name. Perhaps learning from the backlash Bos Nation’s (Boston) name attracted, fans can choose from six shortlisted names as well as write in their suggestions.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

Our best reads this week…

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

UEFA Women’s Nations League

The international break almost started with some shock upsets in Group A3. Spain was 2-0 down against Belgium (both goals completely against the run of play) until the 77th minute, with two more goals in the space of four extra-time minutes rescuing them from some serious blushes.

England started well, outplaying Portugal in the first half, Russo got on the end of an impressive cross from Bronze (on the volley!) within the first 15 minutes but it all went downhill after the break. England struggled to adapt to Portugal’s change of formation, looking sloppy in possession, and all out of ideas. In the end, the draw felt like a victory for both sides.

RESULTS

Group A1 
Austria 1-0 Scotland (Highlights)

Group A3
Spain 3-2 Belgium (Highlights)
Portugal 1-1 England (Highlights)

Group A4 
Italy 1-0 Wales (Highlights)

👀 FAVE FINDS

Bompastor and Abily partnership goes beyond football

Sonia Bompastor has revealed she has been in a secret relationship with her assistant coach Camille Abily for 13 years. They have four children together. She discussed their relationship for the first time just before her new autobiography, ‘A life of football’ was released. 

“Revealing my life together with Camille, our relationship, after – as I say in the book – these 13 years of lies, is still a subject on which we are not entirely comfortable today. We are rather discreet and we like to have a completely normal life. Growing up, feeling attracted to a woman, not knowing what’s going on, not understanding what’s going on, not having the answers and also not having people around you with whom you can talk about the subject, it’s not easy.”

Lieke Martens has given birth to a baby boy, Lowen Erbe van Leer. Welcome to the world Lowen!

🤓 KNOWLEDGE

‘Every Stain Should Be Part of The Game’

Arsenal has teamed up with Persil to launch the ‘Every Stain Should Be Part of The Game’ campaign. 6 out of 10 girls fear playing sports because of period leaks and players, Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Kim Little and Katie MaCabe open up the conversation around periods, sports and the stigma surrounding blood stains.

While we’re talking periods, new research from FifPro suggests that professional women’s players are more likely to encounter irregular menstrual cycles than the general population. 30% of football players in the sample reported irregular cycles – compared to the typical 15-25% average. Whether this difference is associated with their playing career remains unanswered, and hopefully further research will shed light on whether connections exist.

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

17-year-old Vera Jones signs for Chelsea

Vera Jones is an exciting, dynamic young player who has just signed her first professional contract with Chelsea until 2027. She’s been on Chelsea’s radar for a while now, having played a key midfield role for England U17s in their Euros and World Cup tournaments. Follow her here

👟 KIT DROP

Adidas International Away Kit

We’ve seen a lot of love for the Adidas Away kits that came out this week. Perhaps a bit too much love? Well, we decided to bring a big dose of reality and rated each kit out of 10. Side note… we didn’t hold back. You’ll be seeing a lot of these shirts come this summer’s Euros, meanwhile, the Nations League will be your chance to see Scotland and Northern Ireland’s refresh in action. Buy yours here.

Renowned Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie has created the first Australian National Football Team Collection designed by a First Nations artist.

“It is a bold statement of cultural visibility celebrating the diverse communities changing the game for the future — a message of unity from the oldest continuous civilization on earth to everyone, united through football.” – Reko Rennie

The kits were released ahead of The Matilda’s first game in the She Believes Cup. Check them out here.

Supreme’s SS25 collection collab with Umbro is a fashion-first football fan’s dream. Gore-Tex tracksuit? Tick. Knitted zip-up? Tick. Jersey and shorts combos? Tick. All with a massive dose of classic Umbro? Big tick. Available now

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming events

Nations League Screenings
England vs Spain, Wednesday 26 Feb, 20:00 KO

We’re heading to the Women’s Football Fair – come down and say hi!
Saturday 15 March 2025, 10:00-16:00, Doors 9:45, Edgbaston Park Hotel
Meet inspiring players, connect with other football fans, and explore a wide range of women’s football vendors including shirts, fan art, memorabilia, and more.
Tickets £5

Solers United, a queer comedy about womxn’s football, will get its World Premiere at BFI’s Flare Festival in March 2025. Watch the trailer here and look out for more info over the coming weeks!
Saturday 29th March - 1:30pm, ‘Sporty Spice’, NFT2, BFI Southbank, London

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

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

UEFA Women's Nations League
Tuesday 25 February
19:00 - Northern Ireland vs Bosnia-Herzegovina [BBC iPlayer]
19:15 - Wales vs Sweden [BBC One Wales, BBC iPlayer]
19:30 - Scotland vs Netherlands [BBC Scotland, BBC iPlayer]

Wednesday 26 February
20:00 - England vs Spain [ITV TBC]

WSL
Sunday 2 March
12:30 - Manchester United vs Leicester City [BBC iPlayer]
14:00 - Aston Villa vs Everton [WSL YouTube]
14:00 - Crystal Palace vs Liverpool [WSL YouTube]
14:00 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City [WSL YouTube]
15:00 - Brighton & Hove Albion vs Chelsea [Sky Sports]
17:30 - Arsenal vs West Ham United [Sky Sports]

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

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