Chelsea’s Treble, Sir Jim’s No-Show (Again), and That New England Kit

May 19, 2025

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

Chelsea Women capped off a flawless domestic season by sweeping Manchester United aside 3-0 at Wembley to lift the FA Cup and complete the treble. Sandy Baltimore was the star of the show, coolly converting a penalty and smashing in a late third, with Catarina Macario’s textbook header sandwiched in between. Baltimore’s electric debut season has been a game-changer for the Blues, while Sonia Bompastor’s side finish unbeaten in all domestic competitions.

But the day wasn’t just about Chelsea’s dominance. For the second year running, Sir Jim Ratcliffe was nowhere to be seen in the United directors’ box, raising fresh questions about the new owners’ commitment to the women’s team. The contrast couldn’t be starker: Chelsea’s ambition is clear, United’s priorities still under the microscope.

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

💙 Goodison Park saved: Everton Women are moving in. From next season, Everton Women will play all their league games at the historic ground-fans are celebrating as the club ditches demolition plans and gives this football icon a new lease of life. A big win for tradition and visibility in the women’s game. Read more

🔵 Blackburn Rovers could withdraw from the Women’s Championship amid financial turmoil. Despite a proud history of developing Lionesses talent, Blackburn’s women’s team faces an uncertain future as the club weighs up pulling out of the second tier. If they do, it would be the second straight year a club exits the league for financial reasons, with questions swirling about the wider stability of the women’s pyramid. Read more

🐺 Wolves confirm they’ve applied for a spot in next season’s WSL2. After last season’s controversy over not submitting their paperwork, Wolves have thrown their hat in the ring for a place in the newly rebranded second tier. The club says it’s committed to pushing the women’s set-up forward and meeting all the new licensing standards. Read more

💸 Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has bought into Chelsea Women, calling them “the queens of global soccer.” Ohanian’s £20m investment lands him a 10% stake in the treble winners, with ambitions to make Chelsea a billion-dollar franchise and “America’s team.” Serena Williams is expected to be involved, too. Read more

🍻 Pubs to stay open until 1am if Lionesses or Wales reach the Women’s EURO semis or final.
The government has confirmed: if England or Wales make it to the last four in Switzerland, pubs can serve until 1am. More time for celebrations, more time for heartbreak pints. Read more

📺 Women’s FA Cup lands historic broadcast deal with TNT Sports and Channel 4. From next season, every round will be shown live for the first time-ever. More matches, more stories, and free-to-air coverage to grow the game. Read more

🇪🇺 Women’s EURO 2025: record €41m prize pot and players guaranteed a share for the first time. UEFA’s new rules mean every player at the tournament will get a cut of the prize money, with national associations required to allocate 30–40% of their earnings to the squad. That’s on top of a 156% increase in the total pot, more club compensation, and a legacy plan to double participation across Switzerland. Read more

🇪🇸 Barcelona clinch sixth straight Liga F title with a 9-0 win-Champions League final up next. Clàudia Pina’s hat-trick sealed Barça’s tenth Spanish crown, finishing six points clear of Real Madrid. With the domestic double already in the bag, attention now turns to Arsenal in the Champions League final and a shot at a third consecutive European title. Read more

🌟 Marta’s back in the Brazil line-up after a whole (checks calendar…) four and a half months of international retirement. At 39, the legendary forward returns to the national squad for the first time since the Olympics, joining Brazil’s Copa América warm-up against Japan. It’s not really a surprise, we’d just put our money on her trying to stay retired until at least the 2027 World Cup. Read more

🌊 Alex Morgan returns to San Diego Wave-this time as an owner. The USWNT legend is now a minority investor in her former NWSL club, joining the Leichtman-Levine family to back the next era of women’s football in San Diego. Morgan calls it “investing in the future” of the game she helped transform, and she’s the latest in a growing list of ex-players putting their money where their legacy is. Read more

📝 Como’s Alia Guagni prints her CV on her shirt to highlight post-career struggles for women players. The Italy centurion and Serie A champion wore her résumé on her kit for her final match, shining a light on the challenges female footballers face finding work after retirement. Como say they’ll only accept sponsors who commit to hiring players post-career-a bold call for real change. Read more

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND SQUAD

Lionesses boosted by big-name returns for Nations League deciders.  

Alex Greenwood, Georgia Stanway, and Lauren Hemp are back from injury as Sarina Wiegman names her 27-player squad for crunch games against Portugal (May 30, Wembley) and Spain (June 3, Barcelona). Youngster Ella Morris earns her first call-up, but Lauren James misses out due to injury. Two wins and England make the Nations League knockouts. See the full squad here

UPCOMING WOMEN’S NATIONS LEAGUE MATCHES:

  • Friday 30 May: Wales vs Denmark, Northern Ireland vs Poland, Scotland vs Austria and England go head-to-head with Portugal.

  • Tuesday 3 June: England vs Spain, Wales take on Italy, Scotland head to the Netherlands

👀 FAVE FINDS

Sky Sports’ Real Talk Podcast has dropped a new episode: Talking the FA’s transgender football ban. Host Miriam Walker-Khan speaks with Blair Hamilton, Jackson Irvine, Jessy Parker-Humphreys and Goal Diggers FC to see what the ban means for them. Sports law professor Dr Seema Patel joins the conversation to unpack the FA’s decision to ban transgender women from football. Listen here

Alessia Russo is manifesting a golden summer with these custom gold Predators from adidas. After firing in 12 goals for Arsenal and sharing the WSL Golden Boot with Bunny Shaw, Russo’s been gifted a custom pair of shimmering gold Predator 25s by adidas. She’s taken the “boots only summer” trend to the next level-rocking her gold Preds on the streets of London.

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Transfer Round-up

Lyon waves goodbye to legends as Le Sommer headlines a generational reset. Eugénie Le Sommer is among seven senior players leaving Lyon this summer, alongside Sara Däbritz, Vanessa Gilles, Dzsenifer Marozsán, Daniëlle van de Donk, Sofia Huerta, and Laura Benkarth. It’s a seismic shift for a squad known for its tight-knit core and winning mentality. Most of the departing players are in, or approaching, their thirties, signalling a clear move to freshen up the squad and make space for the next generation. For fans, it’s the end of an era-but also the start of a bold new chapter for OL. Read more

→ Watch Le Sommer’s emotional farewell to fans here.

RUMOUR HAS IT:

→ Andrée Jeglertz (Danish national team coach) has been heavily linked to the Manchester City head coach position.

→ 20-year-old Hammarby forward, Ellen Wangerheim, has been attracting the attention of Chelsea, Wolfsburg, and Manchester City, among others.

👟 KIT DROP

Nike’s Euro 2025 kits: mostly hits, a few misses
Nike’s new women’s national team kits are out, and there’s plenty to like. France gets a textured blue number (a bit tube-seat chic, but it works), the Netherlands go central badge and subtle dots, but Korea, usually a standout, left us feeling a little flat. Elsewhere, Nigeria is solid, Brazil, solid. USA, not so much. Get your hands on the new collection here.

Meanwhile, Nike’s Lionesses kit feels safe and pretty boring by recent standards. Sure, the home shirt is clean with a pop of colour, but we’ve seen it all before. It’s giving ‘1982 men’s World Cup’ and ‘2018 men’s pre-match top’ have a baby. So yeah, we’re a bit underwhelmed on this one, and dare we say we think the design is… lazy? The away kit, however, is a bolder move: England’s first-ever black strip (let's see how that fares in the summer sun 🥵), accented with blue logos and a red/pink/blue side panel (we’re less excited about that bit). Grab yours here from 29 May

Chelsea’s new 2025/26 home kit is a solid, clean blue with a subtle-ish london landmark texture. The theme is ‘the fabric of London’, so the images of London feel a bit literal and obvious, but it's inoffensive and a lot nicer than last season’s electric fiery swirly kit. Available now.

Now for Arsenal. adidas has tried to keep it classic with a red-and-white home shirt featuring a repeating ‘Gothic A’ pattern from Arsenal’s1949 crest. A clean, heritage look with a modern twist. Finished with a monochrome badge. Available now

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

Heading to Lisbon for the final? Join Baller FC on tour…

Soccer Mamãe - Champions League Eve Party!
Friday 23 May 2025 8:30 PM - 3:00 AM
Spot Lisboa, Rua Do NORTE 86, 1200-470
Ticket £5, inc. free shot

Pre-match Meet-up
Saturday 24 May, 12:00-17:00
Cabal Cafe, Largo São Domingos 16, 1150-320 Lisboa, Portugal
No tickets required

Staying in London?

Arsenal will be screening their Champions League final game against Barcelona at the Emirates. Tickets have sold out but an eye out for updates here.

BallerFC x Camden Town Brewery
Saturday 24 May UEFA Women’s Champions League Final
55-59 Wilkin St Mews, London, NW5 3ED
Fan Market (12.00 - 17.00)
Last Entry for match kick off (16.00)
Champions League Final - Arsenal v Barcelona (17:00)
Join the waitlist here

G.IRL Sports: Women's Champions League Final - WLW screening
16:00-20:00, De Hems Pub, Soho
Champions League Final - Arsenal v Barcelona (17:00)
Tickets from £12.50

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

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Your what-not-to-miss viewing guide (BST)

UEFA Women’s Champions League Final
Saturday 24 May
Arsenal vs Barcelona
(17:00, TNT Sports 1, DAZN)

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

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