Olivia Smith Dream Debut + ICYMI: Deadline Day Drama

September 08, 2025

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

The WSL made its return this weekend, and there was plenty to love, not least Olivia Smith making her mark with an absolute screamer on her debut. Keep reading for our favourite moments of the weekend, plus all the usuals…

  • Picks from the pitch: Olivia Smith and Ornella Vignola’s dream debuts

  • Fave Finds: Arsenal Wine

  • Kit Drop: London City Lionesses x Togethxr

  • Transfer news: ICYMI - Deadline Day drama

  • Jobs: New opportunities in football

And hello to some of our new subscribers, Charlotte, Lisa Anne, Lauren and Kasia!

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Our top five WSL moments

Olivia Smith on her Arsenal debut. Credit: Action Plus Sports/Alamy Live News

  1. Our first glimpse of what Ellie Carpenter can do - the perfect cross for Aggie Beever-Jones to power home

  2. Chloe Kelly picked up where she left off - getting her first of the season

  3. Melvine Malard bagged the first brace of the season

  4. Despite Liverpool’s derby disaster, Kapoc’s opening goal was an absolute screamer

  5. Meanwhile, Everton’s Ornella Vignola bagged a hat-trick on her debut

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Olivia Smith’s dreamy debut goal

RESULTS: WSL MATCHDAY 01
🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

⚽️ WSL & WSL2 have introduced minimum salaries this season, ensuring players no longer need to juggle second jobs. The exact salary bands vary depending on the player’s age and league tier. Read more

👟 Nike has expanded its partnership with the WSL and WSL2, providing boots, gloves, and full kit support. Previously, many players had to supply their own gear or rely on personal sponsorships. This new deal means more than 250 players now get official Nike equipment, marking a significant improvement in professional support across the leagues.

🧡 Dutch star Lieke Martens has announced her retirement at 32, following a decorated career with over 160 caps for the Netherlands and club success at Barcelona and PSG. Martens cited family reasons for stepping away from professional football.

🏆 The inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, a new continental competition for teams finishing just outside the Champions League spots, is set to begin with its first qualifying round on 10-11 September. British sides Glasgow City and Hibernian are among the competitors aiming to progress through knockout ties to a two-legged final in spring 2026. Teams dropping out of these Champions League qualifiers could enter the Europa Cup later in the season, but no WSL clubs are currently involved.

🎉 Bayern Munich Women set a new attendance record with 57,762 fans at Allianz Arena. The previous Frauen-Bundesliga record was 38,365 (Cologne vs Eintracht Frankfurt) in 2023.

👊 Blyth Spartans Women have returned to competitive football after a 16-year break, playing their first match of the season under manager Linda Bush at Croft Park. The club’s history includes an unbeaten team during WWI, which won the Munitionettes’ Cup in 1918.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

→ Welcome to the WSL: your quick guide to England’s top flight. Twentytwo

→ Is England’s Women’s Super League missing its American moment with broadcast confusion? The Athletic

→ 'We have the team' - now Arsenal want Chelsea's WSL crown. The BBC

→ TV viewing figures for the NWSL are down: is there cause for concern? The Guardian

👀 FAVE FINDS

Spotify × Nike | Make Moves
Anything that helps get more girls moving (and hopefully playing football) has our vote. The Make Moves campaign is now global, asking teen girls to move to one song a day to boost confidence and joy. Lioness Georgia Stanway is involved, alongside Mariona Caldentey, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Ada Hegerberg, all curating playlists to soundtrack the challenge. Listen here

Highbury Library × La Senda | CHAMPIONES! 2023/24
It’s no secret that Arsenal fans have spent the last few months drunk on Champions League success. If anyone needs a top-up, then Highbury Library and Spanish winemaker La Senda have you covered. They’ve bottled Arsenal Women’s Champions League glory into a juicy, organic red – only 720 bottles exist. Cherry, spice, and pure title-winning energy. Stock up here

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Transfer Round-up

The transfer window shut with classic deadline-day chaos: last-minute deals, surprise switches, and a couple of record-breaking transfers that shook women’s football across the world. If you missed the drama, here’s what mattered most.

Chelsea raids NWSL to land Thompson

A 20-year-old USWNT forward with terrifying acceleration and 1v1 threat, Thompson is built to stretch WSL defences. Chelsea describes it as a club-record signing; reports put the fee just under £1m with add-ons. She’ll drive at defenders from either flank, forcing full-backs back and creating space for the likes of Lauren James to operate.

Why it matters: Chelsea already had depth, but lacked a forward of this profile. Thompson’s ceiling gives them another dimension and a long-term strike partner for Lauren James & Co.

Geyoro signs LCL

(Another) World record signing: Geyoro swaps Paris for Bromley

One of the game’s elite midfielders (France regular, Champions League pedigree, PSG linchpin), Geyoro, lands in Bromley as the face of an audacious project. Multiple outlets reported a world-record fee of around £1.43m (€1.65m); London City say the published figure is inaccurate, but either way, it’s an era-defining move from the WSL newcomers backed by Michele Kang. On the pitch: she’s a complete No8/6 who tidies pressure, breaks lines and dictates tempo, exactly what a brand-new top-flight side needs to stabilise their new team and play through the thirds.

Why it matters: London City aren’t here to make up numbers. Add Geyoro to their headline summer arrivals and you’re looking at a team intent on challenging the WSL hierarchy.

Park and Clinton switch sides in rare derby deal

A Manchester derby swap deal: Clinton leaves United for City, while Park heads the other way. Both are England internationals in their early 20s, both signed through 2029.

  • Clinton (No8): dynamic midfielder, strong presser, drives play forward, scored 9 goals last WSL season; PFA Young Player of the Year 2023/24.

  • Park (Attacking Midfielder/Forward): skilful in tight spaces, can play wide or centrally, already 20 England caps and a proven creative spark.

Why it matters: Rarely do rivals swap players like this. It reshapes both midfields and keeps the Manchester derby simmering.

Key Deadline Day Deals:

  • Arsenal: Alessia Russo (Striker) signs new long-term deal to 2028. Meanwhile, Swiss captain Lia Wälti has signed for Juventus from Arsenal on a contract until June 2027.

  • Chelsea: Alyssa Thompson (Forward), 20, from Angel City. Signed to 2030. Reported fee just under £1m.

  • Everton: Ruby Mace (Defensive Midfielder/Centre-back, 21) from Leicester for a club-record fee (undisclosed).

  • Leicester City: Emily van Egmond (Midfielder, Australia, 150+ caps); Rosella Ayane (Forward, Morocco); Olivia McLoughlin (Midfielder, 20, from Rangers); Cecily Wellesley-Smith (Defender, 19, loan from Arsenal). Leicester had been tipped as favourites for bottom place – will this late injection of experience and youth be enough to keep them up?

  • Liverpool: Risa Shimizu (Right-back) joins on a season-long loan from Man City.

  • London City Lionesses: Grace Geyoro (Midfielder, No8/6) from PSG. Reported £1.43m world-record fee.

  • Manchester City: Grace Clinton (Midfielder, No8) from Man Utd, to 2029; Poppy Pritchard (Forward, 19) loan to Durham, and Eve Annets (Goalkeeper, 18) loan to Crystal Palace.

  • Manchester United: Jess Park (Attacking midfielder/Forward) from Man City. Signed to 2029.

  • Tottenham Hotspur: Cathinka Tandberg (Striker, 22) from Hammarby. Scored 12 league goals in Sweden last season.

👟 KIT DROP

Adidas x BAPE’s new football collection is turning heads, combining football heritage with bold streetwear style. Standout boots like the green camo Predator Elite and pink-to-blue gradient F50 are praised for blending top performance with a fresh urban edge, making them as much a fashion statement as matchday gear. Available now

London City Lionesses have added a fresh twist to their kit with a new shirt sponsor, Togethxr, the female athlete content platform co-owned by US star Alex Morgan. The sponsor’s logo brings a welcome boost to the design, though the overall kit still feels like it’s missing a little something for a club with such bold ambitions. Shop the collection

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

Baller FC Is Back at Signature Brew Haggerston!
📍 340 Acton Mews, London E8 4EA

After a summer break, Baller FC returns with Friday night and Sunday fixture screenings plus a new community event:

⚽️ Friday 12 September: West Ham vs Arsenal and Man City vs Brighton
After the games, catch DJs Laura Brat and Becky Taylor Gill spinning a mix of party pop anthems and queer dance classics. Doors 18:30, tickets £5 via Ticket Tailor.

⚽️ Sunday 21 September: Arsenal vs Man United
Doors from 14:00, kick off 14:50. Free entry, no tickets needed!

🏳️‍⚧️ Sunday 28 September – Queer Joy: A Celebration of Trans Athletes
All day fundraiser for Gendered Intelligence with market stalls, live WSL football, bands, DJs and street food. Doors 12:00, until 22:00, tickets £4.75-£20. Accessible venue, all welcome.

Get Your Kits Out
Saturday 27 September 2025, 11:00-16:00 and 19:00-00:00

Fans of football, design and fashion, this is the perfect event for you. Daytime brings a grassroots marketplace full of upcycled football fashion, limited-edition women's merch, team talks with special guests, prizes, and live DJs. Once night falls, the festival gears up for a runway-style fashion presentation, showcasing grassroots autumn/winter looks, more team talks, and big-volume curated DJ sets from YeahItsRenee and friends till midnight.

📍 Fabric Studios, 3 Constance St, Liverpool L3 8AN
🎟️ Tickets £0-£12

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)

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

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