WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

IN THIS WEEK’S ROUND-UP...

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

• Latest headlines: Eidevall gone, pitch-side pints coming?

• Fave finds: Women’s football reality TV is here.

• Kit drop: FENTY x PUMA

• Jobs: New opportunities in football

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⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Our top five moments from this week’s WSL action

1. Grace Clinton continues to impress, check out this finish from Bizet’s cross.

2. Parris scored Brighton’s equaliser against her old club with a diving header.

3. Well, we had no words for this one. What a goal from Momiki to secure Leicester’s first goal of the season.

4. And if we had one word to describe Bright’s delivery and Kaneryd’s goal… ridiculous. Then there’s her second finish which pretty much summed up her performance. Brilliant. 

5. Hemp put in another shift, assisting Roord for City’s second, but first, she pulled this cheeky volley/lob out of her pocket to equalise for Man City after a good start from Villa.

WSL SCOREBOARD: MATCH DAY 5

• Brighton 1 - 1 Man Utd (Highlights)

• Man City 2 - 1 Aston Villa (Highlights)

• Liverpool 1 - 1 Crystal Palace (Highlights)

• Leicester City 1 - 0 Everton (Highlights)

• West Ham 0 - 2 Arsenal (Highlights)

• Chelsea 5 - 2 Tottenham (Highlights)

AS IT STANDS

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

👋 The big story of the week is Eidevall’s departure from Arsenal. It seemed only a matter of time after a poor start to the season saw the Gooners well off the top three. The only surprise was that he resigned rather than being sacked. Assistant coach Renée Slegers has taken over as Interim Head Coach and has safely seen Arsenal through their midweek Champions League 4-1 win against Vålerenga and their 2-0 win over West Ham at the weekend. The next question is… who’s going to take on one of the biggest jobs in the WSL?

🍻 The race to queue, buy and drink a pint before the end of halftime might soon be a thing of the past in the WSL. Ok, don’t get too excited yet, there’s going to be a trial. Two lucky clubs will be chosen to participate as Nikki Doucet, CEO of WPLL (the new company running the WSL and Championship) seeks to assess whether selling alcohol at women’s matches will be safe or result in fan misbehaviour. Although a rule change would be needed, the WPLL could make that change itself as it's not held to the Sporting Events Act 1985 which only applies to the top five tiers of men’s football. Perhaps the first time gender inequality has worked in women’s favour.

🗓️ Manchester City’s WSL game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has moved to Saturday 16 November, KO 17:30 on Sky Sports. 

👀 The rumours have started about Chloe Kelly’s future at Manchester City. It’s not a surprise considering how little she’s played across all competitions this season. The Daily Mail reported that Kelly and manager Gareth Taylor’s relationship is fractured, so an extension to her contract, which ends next summer, is hanging in the balance.

🗳️ The BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2024 nominees have been shortlisted and voting is open. Choose from Barbra Banda, Aitana Bonmati, Naomi Girma, Caroline Graham Hansen and Sophia Smith. No, your eyes are not deceiving you, there are no WSL-playing nominees this year. And yes, the idea that Mary Earps, who is getting zero game time at her new club PSG, won last year feels utterly bonkers right now.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿The U17 World Cup, Dominican Republic is in full swing. England got off to a winning start, first beating Kenya 2-0 (highlights) before taking on Mexico last night and winning 4-2 (highlights), despite going down to ten players when 2-1 down. The win leaves them in second place in Group C, narrowly behind North Korea on goal difference. England face the group leader on Thursday.

• Fun fact about this competition: FIFA is trialling Football Video Support (FVS), a simplified alternative to VAR. Unlike VAR, where the game is constantly reviewed by video officials, in FVS Coaches get two review requests where they can ask officials to check on-field decisions; it’s a bit like a challenge in tennis.

💀 The new NWSL Boston franchise revealed its new name and brand this week but it didn’t quite go to plan. BOS Nation FC was immediately ridiculed by fans who largely hated the name. Things got worse, their ‘too many balls’ launch video drew criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and forced the club to apologise.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

Top Links

→ Are WSL clubs overlooking English female coaches?

→ Liverpool Feds’ plight a warning of trouble in women’s football pyramid

👀 FAVE FINDS

Women’s football reality TV lands

The Offseason is here and with over 3 million views already, the appetite for a women’s football reality show is clearly there. The docuseries, which is being premiered on X, follows 11 NWSL players as they negotiate contracts, training and pre-season pressure. Watch episode one here.

A new study by St John Ambulance has found that 1 in 3 people are worried about giving CPR to a woman who has suffered cardiac arrest in public because they’re concerned about touching female breasts. Millie Bright is raising awareness of the CPR gender gap and has helped St John Ambulance launch their CPR bra. Follow this link to find out more about giving CPR. 

Plenty of footballers have a side business but did you know that Liverpool striker Yana Daniëls has her own woodworking business? The Woodcycle makes everything from furniture to personalised ornaments and just launched a limited edition collection with Liverpool FC. Head to Liverpool’s online store or catch Yana at a maker's market just in time for Christmas.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND SQUAD

Wiegman shows faith in Kelly

Sarina Wiegman announced her squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Germany and South Africa. Perhaps a surprise, considering Wiegman’s track record of overlooking players not getting many club minutes, is Chloe Kelly. Wiegman commented “She is not getting the minutes she hopes to do, but she had built credit with us. She wasn’t in doubt for us to bring her in.”

Meanwhile, Lauren James has withdrawn from the squad to recover from a calf injury.

• Goalkeepers: Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Anna Moorhouse

• Defenders: Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Alex Greenwood, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lucy Parker, Leah Williamson, Lotte Wubben-Moy

• Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Fran Kirby, Jess Park, Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Keira Walsh

• Forwards: Aggie Beever-Jones, Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead, Jessica Naz, Alessia Russo

🧠 QUIZ

Who has just joined the 100 club after making their 100th WSL appearance)?

(Answer at bottom of the email)

👟 KIT DROP

FENTYxPUMA

Two new FENTY x PUMA Avanti colourways have dropped. Choose from Warm White or Club Red. Premium leather, gold flashes and gum soles. Rihanna and Romeo Beckham modelled the campaign. Available to buy now (£140)

IDA launched its ‘Breast Self Pack’ for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. IDA is on a mission to create science-led football boots that are truly made for the female anatomy. The IDA Rise Elite FG/AG and Rise TF boots are all available in the new pack which has been designed in partnership with the Know Your Lemons Foundation. Available to buy now (USA only).

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming events

Baller FC x Signature Brew - England vs Germany
+ Karaoke + DJ Ro Da Boat
Friday 25 October, 6.30pm - 1am
Blackhorse Road, London E17 5QJ
More info

Want to watch the game in real life? You still have time to grab tickets for the match.

The Cutback x Baller FC - WSL Watch Party
Sunday 3 November, 12:00 - 17:00
Signature Brew Haggerston, E8 4EA
Get your free ticket here

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

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Tuesday 22 October
U17 World Cup - Groups
21:00 - Colombia vs Spain [FIFA+]
21:00 - USA vs South Korea [FIFA+]

Wednesday 23 October
U17 World Cup - Groups
Selection of group games - check FIFA+

Thursday 24 October
U17 World Cup - Groups
00:00 - England vs North Korea [FIFA+]

Friday 25 October
Euro 2025 Play-off 1st leg
16:30 - Slovakia vs Wales [BBC2 Wales, BBC iPlayer]
17:15 - Hungary vs Scotland [BBC Alba, iPlayer]
18:00 - Croatia vs Northern Ireland [BBC iPlayer]

International Friendly
19:30 - England vs Germany [ITV1]

Saturday 26 October
U17 World Cup - QF
20:30 - Quarter final - TBC

Saturday 26 October
U17 World Cup - QF
00:00 - Quarter final - TBC
19:30 - Quarter final - TBC
23:00 - Quarter final - TBC

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

• Fan Development Manager | The Premier League | Apply by 25 October

• Executive Assistant - Football | Roc Nation Sports International | Apply now 

• Women’s First Team, Creative Producer | Chelsea FC | Apply now

• Head of Football Administration | Charlton Athletic FC | Apply now

• Data Scientist (Junior and Senior) | Football Radar | Apply now

🧠 QUIZ ANSWER:

Lia Walti has joined the 100 Club. She made her 100th WSL appearance in Arsenal’s 2-0 win at West Ham.

More women watching, playing and working in football