In this week's round-up...

• Picks from the Pitch: Euro 2025 Qualifiers

• ICYMI: Top Headlines From Around The World

• Long Read: Bompastor Made Official

• In Pictures: Hayes’ USWNT Debut

• Knowledge: New Maternity Guidance Welcomed

• Kit Drop: The Football Gal Custom Shirt, Ajax 2024/25

• Ditch the Sofa: This Week's Event Roundup

• Jobs: More Women Working in Football

• + More

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Euro 2025 Qualifiers

England v France (1-2)

England are under pressure to win the return leg against France after a disappointing performance at St James’ Park. They sit third in group A, joint points with Sweden, with three games to go.

• A rocky start: Goalkeeper, Mary Earps went off injured after 8 minutes which meant England got off to a slow start, and had to re-organise.

• Set-piece problems: Both of France’s goals were conceded from set-plays which team captain, Williamson said must be addressed before the next game.

• Too much, too soon?: The decision to start Millie Bright over Alex Greenwood has been questioned widely by fans and pundits alike. Her performance over the full 90 minutes looked exactly what it was; a player only just getting back into things after a long return from injury.

• Too little, too late?: Wiegman held off making any substitutions until the 79th minute, arguably a bit late to make much of an impact.

• Weigman to ITV Sport: “Absolutely frustrating. I think we played pretty well and I think we conceded two goals out of set plays which we have to do really better at.”

• Captain, Leah Williamson on England’s next game: "We need to be ruthless and put the ball in the back of the net, it goes without saying. That's a must-win game now and we need to bring the energy, stay tight and put them under pressure."

• Watch the highlights

Scotland vs Israel (4-1)

• Kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes after a protester wearing a ‘Red Card For Israel’ t-shirt chained himself to a goalpost at Hampden Park.

• Once the game got underway, Martha Thomas was in the middle of all Scotland’s action. She finally got a goal herself after converting a penalty to take their tally to four, but not before she assisted Emslie’s opener, and hit the post for Hanson to score the rebound.

• Watch the highlights here

In other games…

• Wales vs Ukraine (1-1)

• Portugal vs Northern Ireland (4-0)

• Republic of Ireland vs Sweden (0-3)

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines This Week

🇬🇧 HOME

Bonmati to Chelsea? According to Mundo Deportivo, Aitana Bonmati could be headed to Chelsea. They’re one of three clubs interested in the player whose contract at Barcelona is in its final year, but it wouldn’t come cheap, they’d have to pay a €3 million release clause. The offer to Bonmati personally is reportedly around £2 million per season. In the meantime, Barca is working to extend her contract with an offer that reflects the importance of the Ballon d’Or winner to the club.

The Women's Football Awards took place this week and Khadija Shaw took home another Player of the Season award. The Golden Boot winner had already bagged the same prize from the WSL and the Football Writers Association. Other big winners on the night included:

• Sarina Wiegman - Manager of the Year

• Maya le Tissier - Young Player of the Year

• Georgia Stanway - International Player of the Year

• Mary Earps - World Cup Hero Award

• Alex Scott - Women’s Football Broadcaster of the Year

• Steph Houghton - Inspirational Role Model

🌎 AWAY

The Northern Super League, Canada’s first professional women’s football league has been officially announced. Founding teams, Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax will compete in a 25-game season starting in April 2025. Follow the league here

NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup kicks off in July. CBS is the English-language broadcaster, while TUDN will be the Spanish distributor. International partners will be announced in due course. Match schedules and streaming details have been released.

The format of the Women’s Champions Cup, the teams and draw pots have been confirmed by Concacaf. The new competition will be the sole route to Women’s Club World Cup qualification for North America, Central America, and Caribbean clubs. The draw will take place on 6 June, with the preliminary rounds of the competition played over 13-15 August 2024.

ACL Watch: Gabrielle Robinson, the KC Current defender suffered an ACL injury against Utah Royals. She’s been a pivotal player for the Current this season, her clearances and blocked shots stats put her in the top five defenders in the NWSL this year.

Four Argentinian players have stepped down in protest at the
Argentinian Football Association's (AFA) lack of investment and support for the women’s football team. Lorena Benítez, one of the players involved, called out specifics including that the AFA:

• Provided players with just one ham and cheese sandwich and a banana after training as they prepared for their upcoming friendlies with Costa Rica 🥪🍌

• Not providing personal transport for its women’s team so many have to rely on public transport

• Telling players they would not be paid daily expenses as is typical for international duty, due to matches being in Buenos Aires.

👩‍💼 LONG READ

Sonia Bompastor: A New Chapter for Chelsea 

It was possibly the worst-kept secret in women’s football but it’s finally official folks, Sonia Bompastor has been announced as Chelsea’s new head coach. She arrives as Chelsea repositions their team to sit equally alongside the men in a new long-term strategic plan.

So who is the new Chelsea boss?
Sonia Bompastor is one of France’s greatest-ever players with 156 caps for her country. She retired from playing in 2013 and became the director of Lyon’s women’s academy. She then made history as Lyon’s first female head coach, winning multiple titles.

Style of Football
Bompastor favours a flexible 4-3-3 formation, focusing on quick transitions, controlling the midfield, and exploiting wide areas. Her teams dominate possession and are defensively solid, with a strong pressing game. She’s also great at managing big personalities and nurturing young talent.

Immediate Challenges
Bompastor’s biggest challenge will be filling Emma Hayes’ shoes. The immediate challenge will be filling her backroom staff. Hayes took the majority of her backroom team with her to America, so Bompastor will need to build her staff quickly ahead of the new season. She brings her assistants Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin with her so she’s not starting completely from scratch. Beyond that, maintaining Chelsea’s domestic dominance, and achieving the Champions League title that has so far eluded Chelsea will be key priorities.

Why Chelsea?
After winning everything with Lyon, Bompastor was ready for a new challenge. She was already contemplating a move abroad and the timing of Emma Hayes’ departure and Chelsea’s desire for a female coach aligned perfectly with Bompastor’s ambitions. Joining Chelsea was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

🇺🇸 US WOMEN'S NATIONAL TEAM (USWNT)

The Emma Hayes Era Begins

Our pick of the posts as Hayes got her first USWNT game under her belt with a 4-0 win over South Korea

On getting started:

Setting the Direction:

Developing Leadership:

Hayes went head to head with her ex-player Ji So Yun mid-game:

Rounded off with the Win:

🖋️ INSIDE TRACK

Transfer News

After nine years, Esme Morgan will leave Manchester City this summer and is set to join NWSL team Washington Spirit. Once the NWSL transfer window opens on 1 August, and contracts are signed, she will play under incoming manager Jonaton Giraldez, who guided Barcelona to the Quadruple this year.

Leah Williamson has signed a new multi-year deal with Arsenal, her club of 19 years. Despite joining the Gunners as a child, Williamson said with each contract renewal “I feel that love ignite all over again,” that she continues to be challenged and developed, and is focused on bringing more silverware to the club.

Lily Agg has secured her immediate future with Birmingham City after signing a contract extension that will take her through to 2025

Zambia and Madrid CFF midfielder, Grace Chanda will join Orlando Pride after the Olympics. Her contract will see out the 2025 NWSL season with an option to extend into 2026. 23-year-old Chanda will team up with Zambia teammate Barbra Banda, who joined the Pride in March this year.

👟 KIT DROP

Summer Shirts Sorted

Diana Al Shammari or The Football Gal has linked up Barcelona footballer Jules Koundé to launch a limited edition jersey for summer. Al Shammari reinvents football shirts with custom embroidery and this one is no different with her trademark floral designs weaving around the Adidas badge, and Koundé’s No. 23. The kit will be available to buy from 22 June.

The Ajax 2024/25 kit gets arty as it playfully nods to 19th-century Amsterdam Impressionism with big brush strokes in the shirt’s bold blue and yellow pattern. Available to buy now

🤓 KNOWLEDGE

New FIFA Maternity Guidance Gets Unanimous Backing

Fifa has added new maternity protections for female players and coaches before and after pregnancy, as well as for those who are non-biological mothers.

Key takeaways:

• Maternity leave: a minimum of 14 weeks’ absence will be paid

• Adoption leave: between two and eight weeks’ minimum leave depending on the age of the child being adopted.

• Family leave: A minimum of eight weeks’ paid absence is allowed for female players or coaches who aren’t the biological mother.

• Temporary player registrations will be permitted to cover maternity, adoption or family leave

• Menstrual health will be a valid reason for Players to request absence from training or matches.

What we’re reading:

• Knee injuries are up to 6 times more common in women – here’s how to reduce your risk

• ‘It’s not OK’: Carpenter says calendar crunch has zapped Matildas’ energy

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

EURO 2025 Qualifiers - Match Day 4

Tuesday 4 June - EURO 2025 Qualifiers
15:00 - Israel vs Scotland Women [BBC iPlayer]
19:00 - Northern Ireland vs Portugal [BBC iPlayer]
19:00 - Ukraine vs Wales [BBC iPlayer]
20:00 - France vs England [ITV4, ITVX]

No WSL? No problem. Get into the NWSL this summer…

Create an account and watch free on NWSL+ 

Saturday 8 June - NWSL
01:00 - Racing Louisville vs Houston Dash
03:00 - San Diego Wave vs Orlando Pride (ok, this is a late one!)
17:30 - Gotham FC vs Angel City

Sunday 9 June - NWSL
00:30 - Utah Royals vs Washington Spirit
03:00 - Portland Thorns vs North Carolina Courage
21:00 - Chicago Red Stars vs Bay FC
23:00 - Kansas City Current vs Seattle Reign

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

What’s On

Baller FC
France vs England, Tuesday 4th June
From 7pm / 8pm Kick-off
Signature Brew, Blackhorse Road, E17 5QJ

Watch with Tobin
US vs KOREA friendly, Tuesday 4th June, 8pm ET (Midnight GMT)
Included with a re—inc monthly membership (from $7/month)

Save the date:
Murder on Zidane’s Floor
Summer Edition
Friday 13 September
Ticket release: July 13th

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

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

• First Team Football Administrator | Swansea City AFC | Apply by 5 June

• Head of Foundation | Harrogate Town AFC in the Community | Apply by 7 June

• Video Producer (Women's Professional Game) | The FA | Apply by 10 June

• Head of Insights & Analysis | Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) | Apply by 17 June

• England Women's Performance Nutritionist - Casual | The FA | Apply by 13 June

• Chair of Trustee Board | Goals 4 Girls | Voluntary | Apply by 30 June

More women watching, playing and working in football