WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY

Twentytwo is the weekly newsletter for dedicated-ish fans of women’s football. A five-minute, need-to-know round-up of news, fixtures, transfers, culture, grassroots events and more.

This week: Sam Kerr back and scoring, Man Utd top the table, Millie Bright’s not horsing around, and the Women’s Football Fair returns. Let’s get into it…

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⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Women’s Super League: Match 02

1. Alessia Russo – Hit an absolute rocket for Arsenal’s fourth

2. Bunny Shaw – Diving header on the end of a beautiful Leila Ouahabi cross

3. Sam Kerr – Back after 634 days of recovery. Scored her 100th Chelsea goal, which was also one of the most chaotic extra-time goals we’ve seen for a while

4. Ebony Salmon – The perfect top bins lob from distance

5. Jayde Riviere– No notes. Made an impossible angle look like child's play.

🎥 Watch this if you only click one thing: Cathinka Tandberg – What a debut. Spotted the keeper off her line for the perfect 35 yard lob. Excellent press from Beth England in the build up.

RESULTS:

• West Ham United 1 - 5 Arsenal (Highlights)
  Arsenal dominated, and if they can keep this up, they could give Chelsea a serious challenge this year.

• Manchester City 2 - 1 Brighton & Hove Albion (Highlights)
  Yui Hasegawa seems to be enjoying her roaming midfield role. Higher up the pitch, rewarded with the winner. City still looks to be clicking into gear. Brighton showed they can be dangerous, but ultimately couldn’t overcome City’s half-time reset.

• Aston Villa 1 - 3 Chelsea (Highlights)
  The scoreline might look comfortable, but Chelsea was anything but. Their defence looked vulnerable, and Hampton saved their blushes on more than one occasion. 

• London City Lionesses 1 - 5 Manchester United (Highlights)
  LCL conceded a pen on 3 mins – and it all went downhill from there. United were in cruise control, and London City could only grab a consolation goal.

• Leicester City 1 - 0 Liverpool (Highlights)
  Liverpool could be in serious trouble. It’s early days, clearly, but Leicester (widely tipped for bottom place this season) beat them with 10 players on the pitch. The relegation battle has already begun. 

• Everton 0 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur (Highlights)
  Cathinka Tandberg and Beth England look like a great combo. Everton had their moments, but Spurs had better chances and took them.

AS IT STANDS

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

😬 Manchester United’s hopes of Champions League progress took a hit with a 2-1 first-leg defeat away to Brann. United had a bizarre pre-match situation when a bag containing some of the team’s boots went missing in transit, forcing the club to buy around 15 pairs at a local sports shop before kick-off to ensure players could take to the pitch. Read more

📺 Several WSL fixtures, including Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United, have been rescheduled following October broadcast picks. Fans should check their club’s website or the official WSL schedule for up-to-date kick-off times.

🏡 England are taking to the road for a nationwide 'Homecoming Series' to celebrate their Euros win, with four autumn fixtures: Brazil at Manchester (25 Oct), Australia in Derby (28 Oct), China PR at Wembley (29 Nov), and Ghana in Southampton (2 Dec). Tickets start at £5 for kids and £15 for adults, with ITV covering all matches.

🏟 Poland’s capital Warsaw has been confirmed as the host city for the 2027 UEFA Women’s Champions League final. It’s a first for the nation to stage Europe’s top club women’s fixture.

💷 Sky has launched a call for national action on girls’ sport participation, teaming up with Goals 4 Girls and Alessia Russo. They say increasing girls' involvement in sport and physical activity could unlock a potential £6.5 billion boost to the UK economy by improving public health, education outcomes, and reducing social inequality. Read more

🇺🇸 The USWNT will close out 2025 against Italy in Fort Lauderdale on 1 December, Italy’s first US appearance since their Euros run. Emma Hayes calls it perfect World Cup prep, and full broadcast details are coming soon. Read more

🚨 Racing Louisville’s NWSL match was abandoned after Savannah DeMelo collapsed on the pitch. The league applied new safety protocols following backlash earlier this year when play had previously continued after a similar incident. No further update on DeMelo’s condition yet.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

• ‘Not ideal’: WSL coaches react to mid-match TV interviews after fans’ backlash – The Guardian

• Women’s football is following the flow to transform the game – The Observer

 🤓 KNOWLEDGE

Quick Guide: Women’s Champions Cup

The brand-new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup kicks off in just a few weeks, marking the first truly global club tournament for women’s football. It brings together champion teams from all six continents to battle it out for the title of world’s best women’s club.

• The competition kicks off on 8 October 2025 with initial knockout rounds played at participating clubs’ home venues. It then culminates in semi-finals and a final held early in 2026, with exact venues yet to be announced.

• Six teams qualify: champions from UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, AFC, CAF, and OFC. The format is knockout-style, with lower-ranked confederations’ champions entering first and winners progressing to face higher-ranked clubs like Arsenal, who enter at the semi-final stage (in January) as 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League winners after their 1-0 final win over Barcelona.

• Other confirmed participants include: Gotham FC (CONCACAF champions), Auckland United (OFC champions), and Wuhan Jiangda (AFC champions). The CAF and CONMEBOL champions for 2025 will join later rounds once their continental competitions conclude.

Confused by the acronyms? Check the Jargon buster below 👇

👀 FAVE FINDS

• Mary Fowler might be deep in ACL recovery mode, but we’re loving the news she’ll be hitting the Paris Fashion Week catwalk with L’Oréal – the first pro footballer to do it.  Put 29 September in your diary 👀 

• Millie Bright has gone big on the tats. You’ll need a few minutes to take all of this in. We can’t wait to see what she gets done on the inside. Hope it’s just the back of that warrior woman’s head.

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Jaedyn Shaw to Gotham

USWNT midfielder Jaedyn Shaw has been traded from North Carolina Courage to NJ/NY Gotham FC in a record-breaking intra-league NWSL deal worth $1.25 million. This shatters the previous intra-league record of $600,000 set just last month when Ally Sentnor moved to Kansas City Current. While Shaw’s transfer is the highest ever within the league, the overall NWSL transfer record remains $1.5 million, set by Orlando Pride’s signing of Lizbeth Ovalle this summer. Shaw, 20, joins Gotham on a contract through 2029, following a challenging stint at North Carolina.

👟 KIT DROP

Adidas rolled out two sharp third kits this week: Juventus blend tradition with a bold blue-and-black design, while Liverpool go trefoil green with a full terraces collection (including this dress). Although side by side the adidas terrace drops can feel a bit samey across clubs, we’re not complaining too much - they’re still packed with instant classics. Buy Juventus third shirts here and Liverpool’s here.

ICYMI, Adidas also unveiled the new Women’s Champions League ball a few weeks back. Bold purple, star-heavy and ready for Europe’s biggest nights. Available to buy now

🩼 ACL + INJURY UPDATES

Chelsea striker Mayra Ramirez has had surgery on a hamstring injury picked up in a friendly against AC Milan. She was forced off after just 34 minutes and will now begin rehab, sidelined for an unspecified period.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming Events

40FT-Ball
If you’re looking for WSL on screen and a cheap pint in hand, then 40FT Brewery in Dalston should be on your radar. £4 pints during WSL matches. Bootyard, Abbott Street, London, E8 3DP. More info

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

Women’s Football Fair 2 | Sunday 30 November
Whether you're a player, fan, or simply curious, this is the perfect day to celebrate the power and passion of the women's game.

📍 Hockley Social Club,60 Hampton St, Birmingham B19 3LU
🎟️ £5 Early Bird / £10 General Admission Tickets – Get yours here

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)

Women’s Super League - Match 03
Friday, 19 Sept

• Everton vs London City Lionesses (19:30, Sky Sports, WSL YouTube)

• Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City (19:30, Sky Sports)

Sunday, 21 Sept

• Aston Villa vs Liverpool (12:00, Sky Sports)

• Brighton & Hove Albion vs West Ham United (12:00, Sky Sports, WSL YouTube)

• Chelsea vs Leicester City (12:00, Sky Sports)

• Manchester United vs Arsenal (14:30, BBC One)

UEFA Women's Champions League Qualifying - Second leg
Thursday, 18 Sept

• Manchester United vs Brann [1st leg: 0-1] (19:00, MUTV)

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

More Women Working in Football

Jobs Spotlight: The Football Association is recruiting for apprenticeships in Football Operations, CSR & Public Affairs, Health & Safety, Finance, and HR. Closing date is 26 September

Our other picks from jobs this week…

• PDP Psychologist | Newcastle United FC | Apply by 23 Sept

• Senior Software Engineer | Manchester City | Apply by 24 Sept

• Human Resources Manager | Leicester City FC | Apply by 26 Sept

• First Team Nutritionist | Brentford FC | Apply by 26 Sept

• First Team Soft Tissue Therapist | Leicester City FC | Apply by 30 Sept

⁉️ JARGON BUSTER

• CONMEBOL - The South American Football Confederation

• CONCACAF - The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football

• AFC - The Asian Football Confederation

• CAF - The Confederation of African Football

• OFC - The Oceania Football Confederation

See you next week!

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