WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

IN THIS WEEK’S ROUND-UP...

• Picks from the pitch: Our top five WSL moments of the week

• Latest headlines: Dronegate concludes, Irene Guerro on unhappy time at Man Utd.

• Fave finds: New baby incoming

• Kit drop: Puma x African National Team kits

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

• Jobs: New opportunities in football

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⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Our top five moments from this week’s WSL action

1. Fran Kirby was back in the goals for Brighton.

2. Can we just take a minute to talk about Russo’s confidence in front of goal right now? She’s a completely different player since Eidevall left the building. She took 63 seconds to put Arsenal ahead in the North London Derby.

3. Big save energy from van Domselaar after a long ranger from Beth England.

4. Ebony Salmon clinched the winner for Villa. While we’re talking Villa, Daly and Patten’s goals deserve a mention too.

5. Celin Bizet got her first Man Utd goal.

Controversial call: The ref gave this penalty against Liverpool for a foul that occurred outside the box. It led to Everton’s first win of the season and Merseyside derby glory. Matt Beard was not happy and questioned the quality of WSL referring.

WSL SCOREBOARD: MATCH DAY 8

• Brighton & Hove Albion 3 - 2 West Ham Utd (Highlights)

• Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 3 Arsenal (Highlights)

• Chelsea 2 - 0 Man City  (Highlights)

• Aston Villa 3 - 2 Crystal Palace (Highlights)

• Leicester City 0 - 2 Manchester United (Highlights)

• Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool (Highlights)

AS IT STANDS

👀 MEANWHILE, IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE…

Matchday 3 of 6:

• Arsenal 4 - 0 Juventus (Highlights)

• Manchester City 2 - 0 Hammerby (Highlights)

• Celtic 1 - 2 Chelsea (Highlights)

After three games, Chelsea and Man City remain unbeaten and top of their groups. Arsenal sit in second place behind Bayern Munich. The next round of matches takes place this week - check out the schedule in What We’re Watching, below.

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

🕵️ Dronegate’s conclusion is upon us. Bev Priestman will not return as Canada’s manager after serving her one-year suspension from FIFA. She was found to have been the drone-meister; directing, approving and condoning the use of drones. Assistant coach Jasmine Mander and analyst Joseph Lombardi were also sacked for their part in the scandal.

🇺🇸 Lily Yohannes, one of the most exciting young talents in football, has finally decided that her international future lies with the USA rather than the Netherlands. She made her announcement on Instagram, saying her connection to the USA as her birthplace and homeland was the thing that swung it.

👹 Irene Guerro has spoken about her time at Manchester United under Marc Skinner, describing how unhappy she was there, admitting she’d often cry in the bathroom during training sessions to let out how she felt. Guerro left for Mexican side Club America last summer and is flying in the Liga MX Femenil.

🎗️ Bayern Munich has extended goalkeeper, Mala Grohs’ contract after she was diagnosed with a malignant tumour. 23-year-old Grohs will take an indefinite break while she focuses on her treatment and recovery.

🏆 Washington Spirit and Orlando Pride are this year’s NWSL playoff finalists. Spirit knocked out Gotham in a dramatic penalty shootout, Aubrey Kingsbury saving Gotham’s first three strikes. Meanwhile, Marta sat down the entire KC Current defence, as she scored the winner to secure a first-time place in the NWSL Championship for Orlando. 

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

Top Links

→ Mary Earps: ‘It’s been a tough season. I felt like the punching bag at times’

→ 'Goalkeeping is so much bigger': Jill Loyden's journey to the Keeper Institute

→ NWSL taking a different approach than MLS in gaining an audience

🏆 NATIONS LEAGUE

2025 Nations League fixtures released

The second edition of the Nations League has lots riding on it as the main route to Women’s World Cup qualification. Matches take place between February and June and, in case you missed it, England has been drawn in the same group as Spain. Here’s a quick run-down of the home nations’ February matches…

Friday 21 February 2025
Group A1 - Austria vs Scotland
Group A3 - Portugal vs England
Group A4 - Italy vs Wales
Group B1 - Poland vs Northern Ireland

Tuesday 25 February 2025
Group A1 - Scotland vs Netherlands
Group A4 - Wales vs Sweden
Group B1 - Northern Ireland vs Bosnia and Herzegovina

Wednesday 26 February 2025
Group A3 - England vs Spain

→ Get the full fixture list here

👀 FAVE FINDS

Mewis-Kerr baby coming 2025!

Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis have announced they’re expecting a baby in 2025!

🧠 QUIZ

Which three teams have the highest attendance growth in the WSL?

(Answer at bottom of the email)

👟 KIT DROP

New African National strips land

Puma has released their new African National team kits for women’s and men’s teams. The collection features Egypt, Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Senegal and Ghana.

Available now

The Nike Mercurial Cosmic Speed has returned with two fresh colourways. The Superfly comes in Hyper Turquoise and the Vapor in Bright Mango.

The adidas adicolor x Real Madrid collection is now available and it’s very lilac.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming events

Set Piece Social - Pop-up
30 November, 17:20 - Lionesses vs USA
Happy Hour 19:30-20:30, followed by the After Party 
More info here, or to book a table head over here

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

🛋️ ACL WATCH

Cloé Lacasse and Kadeisha Buchanan ACL + injury updates

Cloé Lacasse, Utah Royals and Canada forward suffered an ACL injury in October against Angel City. She’s about 3 weeks post ACL surgery and has started sharing her journey back to the pitch, saying:

“This journey will be isolating, both physically and mentally. By documenting my progress—the highs, lows, setbacks, and victories—I hope to give others a glimpse into what recovery really looks like, and hopefully, it can be a source of strength for those who might feel alone in their own process.

More than just a personal log, I want this to be a resource, a comfort, and a reminder that we don’t have to face these challenges alone. I know this experience will change me in ways I don’t fully understand yet, and maybe, sharing it can make the load a little lighter for someone else, too. Here’s to the road ahead—slow, steady, and supported.”

Follow along with Lacasse on Instagram

• Bompastor has confirmed that Kadeisha Buchanan ruptured her ACL during Chelsea’s game against Liverpool last week. On-form Buchanan was having an excellent, making the news even more devastating for the club. She’s the sixth Chelsea player to suffer the injury since December last year.

• Ella Toone tore her calf during a training session this week and will miss at least six weeks of football while she recovers.

• Cortnee Vine is taking a break from football for mental health reasons. The Aussie has faced a lot of change over the last couple of years, not least moving from Sydney FC to North Carolina Courage over the summer, and said she needs time to focus on taking care of herself.

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Wednesday 20 November
Women's League Cup Group Stage
19:00 - Everton vs Manchester United [MUTV]

Women's Champions League Group Stage
20:00 - Chelsea vs Celtic [TNT Sports 1, DAZN]

Thursday 21 November
Women's Champions League Group Stage
17:45 - Hammarby vs Manchester City [DAZN]
20:00 - Arsenal vs Juventus [DAZN]

Sunday 24 November
WSL
12:00 - Chelsea vs Manchester United [Sky Sports]

Women's League Cup Group Stage
14:00 - Newcastle United vs Liverpool [WSL YouTube]

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager | Arsenal | Apply by 26 Nov

• Head of Marketing and Communications, LFC Foundation | Liverpool FC | Apply by 28 Nov

• Strategy & Innovation Analyst | Birmingham City FC | Apply by 1 Dec

• Head of Business Operations | The FA | Apply by 2 Dec

• Production Executive, Premier League Productions | IMG | Apply by 2 Dec

🧠 QUIZ ANSWER:

Arsenal leads attendance growth with 104%, Chelsea and Aston Villa tie with +21% (2023/24 season).
Sports agency TwoCircles crunched the numbers and found that average attendance across the four top European leagues has grown 24% in 2023/24. Euro 2025 is expected to boost numbers by another 2x for the 2025/26 season. Full report here for the stat-heads among you!

More women watching, playing and working in football