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Back Kim Little Club Arsenal Position Midfielder D.O.B 19/06/1990 Bio Widely regarded as one of the most difficult opponents to come up against, Little navigates the midfield with an untouchable quality. Little’s ball control is second to none and the Arsenal captain is able to dribble through oppositions effortlessly. Yet possibly one the most valuable aspect of Little’s game is her acute awareness of all that goes on around her, an intellect in knowing her teammates whereabouts and an ability to play to them in to their strengths. Little’s understated leadership will be paramount in keeping the core ticking. Edward Payne C3

Get to know every member of the current Lionesses squad. Lionesses Squad Ella Toone Manchester United’s creative dynamo has certainly impressed Wiegman and has been a mainstay in her reign so far. The playmaker is a fantastically innovative number 10 who is able to find creative ways to thread key passes that often lead to shot and goal creation. Toone openly invites tight pressure and enjoys using her ‘tricky feet’ to weave her way through defensive lines, ball-in-tow. This affords others the time and space to take up advanced and threatening positions. Not just a prolific assistant, Toone is also a respectable goal scorer having already netted two hat-tricks for England. Toone will certainly offer an essential dose of creativity against sides who prefer to sit back in a low block. Photograph courtesy of the FA.

Chelsea advance to the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter finals after 3-0 win over Celtic Back Match Report Chelsea are through to the knockout stages of the Women's Champions League Chelsea advance to the UEFA Women's Champions League quarter finals after 3-0 win over Celtic Getty Images 21 November 2024 By Paul Donegan Chelsea qualified for the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-finals with two group games to spare after comfortably beating Celtic 3-0 on Wednesday evening. Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Eve Preisset scored the goals at Stamford Bridge as Sonia Bompastor’s side made it 11 wins out of 11 in all competitions to start the season. Five times Champions League winner Bronze opened the scoring for Chelsea in the 2nd minute with a superb volley from inside the area that the visitors goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty was unable to keep out. The Blues next opportunity came in the 5th minute but this one from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was saved by Daugherty, then a minute later, Catarina Macario shot wide. Guro Reiten’s dangerous cross went behind off a Celtic defender as the home side continued to put early pressure on the Scottish champions. The hosts next effort came in the 13th minute but Macario shot over from 20-yards out. Murphy Agnew had the visitors first attempt but this went well wide in the 19th minute, In the 25th minute, Rytting Kaneryd’s shot was deflected behind for a corner, and from that Chelsea doubled their advantage as Netherlands international Kaptein headed in. The next chance for the Blues was fired over the crossbar by Rytting Kaneryd, then in the 34th minute, Sjoeke Nusken sent a shot from outside the area over. The home side were looking dangerous from corners and the next one was headed over by Maelys Mpome. The final opportunity of the first half went the visitors way when a nice ball forward found Agnew but Bronze was there to defend well and stopped the Celtic player getting a shot away. Rytting Kaneryd had the first effort after the break for Chelsea when her dipping shot from 25-yards went narrowly over the crossbar. In the 53rd minute, Reiten saw her attempt at goal headed clear. The home side went close to scoring a third goal two minutes later but half-time substitute Mayra Ramirez’s shot was deflected just wide. Kaptein got her head on Bronze’s cross on the hour mark but the ball went into Daugherty’s hands in the visitors goal. There were no clear attempts at goal from either side then until the 81st minute when the hosts Ramirez couldn’t put a cross away from close range. 17-year-old midfielder Lola Brown came on to make her senior debut in the 86th minute, days after signing her first professional contract with Chelsea. The final ball from Celtic was lacking at times, whilst in the final minute of the 90, Erin Cuthbert’s shot from 20-yards was saved for the Blues. In additional time, Shannon McGregor’s 25-yard effort was caught by the home sides goalkeeper Zecira Musovic. Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time after McGregor handled in the area. Perisset stepped up to take the spot kick and sent it into the corner of the net to score her first goal for the club. The final whistle was blown seconds later as the Blues made it through to the knockout-stages for the third season in a row. Line ups Chelsea (4-3-3): Musovic, Bronze, Mpome, Bright (c), Lawrence (Brown 86’), Kaptein, Jean-Francois, Nusken (Bartel 86’), Rytting Kaneryd (Cuthbert 58’), Macario (Ramirez 46’), Reiten (Perisset 71’) Unused substitutes: Hampton, Cox, Bjorn, Baltimore, Hamano Goals – Bronze 2’, Kaptein 25’, Perisset 90’+5 (pen) Celtic (4-2-3-1): Daugherty, Lawton, Hayes, Clark (c), Barclais, McGregor, Cavanagh (S. Carstens 61’), Smith (Noonan 71’), Gallacher (Kerner 83’), Ashworth-Clifford (M. Carstens 83’), Agnew (Cross 61’) Unused substitutes: Logan, Rodgers, Bruna Costa, Munoz, McAneny Referee – Tess Olofsson (Sweden) Attendance – 3,931

Manchester United are crowned FA Cup champions for the first time after 4-0 thrashing over Spurs Back Match Report Manchester United dominate Spurs in FA Cup final Manchester United are crowned FA Cup champions for the first time after 4-0 thrashing over Spurs Adam Mitten 12 May 2024 By Paul Donegan Manchester United won their first FA Cup with a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024 final at a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon. United were playing in the second successive final whilst it was the first for Spurs but goals from Ella Toone, Rachel Williams and a brace from Lucia Garcia saw the Red Devils take the trophy back to the red side of Manchester for the first time. On a very hot afternoon at Wembley, Matilda Vinberg had the first effort of the match in the 2nd minute for Spurs when she cut in from the left side but sent her shot from 20-yards over the bar. There was an amazing noise inside the stadium from both sets of fans, and United immediately had their first opportunity when Leah Galton was played in by Toone but Rebecca Spencer got down to save with her legs whilst getting injured in process. Williams headed the resulting corner over. After that frantic start, the match settled down a bit for a bit. In the 13th minute, Williams headed wide another corner as the Red Devils went close to taking the lead. Tottenham then had a good opportunity of their own but Vinberg headed wide at the far post. Another United corner in the 19th minute again caused problems with Millie Turner heading the ball back and Garcia nodding over, whilst under pressure from Eveliina Summanen, from close-range. Due to the temperature, there was a water break midway through both halves. Straight after that, Garcia’s cross from the right was headed back by Toone but Williams put the ball over from 6-yards. In the 34th minute, a Manchester United corner was met by Turner but her effort was blocked by Martha Thomas before Spurs cleared the ball. Jayde Riviere then got forward on the right but sent her cross onto the roof of the net. Toone then sent her strike from 12-yards wide in the 39th minute. Maya Le Tissier shot over from distance in the final minute of the half as the Red Devils continued to create more of the chances. Photo: Adam Mitten In the third minute of first half stoppage time, United took the lead when Toone picked the ball up on the halfway line and was allowed to run forward before smashing a tremendous shot into the top corner from 20-yards. Manchester United doubled their lead in the 54th minute when Katie Zelem’s free kick was headed in by Williams. Two minutes later, Spurs had their first opportunity of the half but Bethany England blazed over from just outside the area. Garcia scored United’s third in the 58th minute when Spencer passed straight to her whilst trying to play out from the back and she finished into an empty net from close range. Toone shot straight at Spencer in the 62nd minute. In the 66th minute, England went close to getting a goal back for Tottenham but her powerful header came back off the crossbar before the rebound was put wide. A delightful through ball found second half substitute Melvine Malard but she was denied by Spencer in the 72nd minute. Garcia scored her second of the match and United’s fourth two minutes later when Lisa Naalsund laid the ball off to her and she finished via a slight deflection. Naalsund put a shot over for Manchester United as they looked to extend their lead further. Spurs’ England saw an effort blocked by the head of Aoife Mannion as the second half entered stoppage time, whilst at the other end Geyse had a strike blocked. There weren’t any further chances for either side before the Red Devils players and their fans could start celebrating winning their first trophy. Line-ups Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Earps, Riviere (Mannion 78’), Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell, Zelem (c), Naalsund, Garcia (Geyse 77’), Toone (Miyazawa 78’), Galton (Malard 50’), Williams (Parris 58’) Unused substitutes: Tullis-Joyce, Evans, Irene, Ladd Goals – Toone 45’+3, Williams 54’, Garcia 57’, 74’ Booked - Blundell Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Spencer, Neville, James-Turner, Buhler, Nilden (Grant 68’), Spence, Summanen (Graham 68’), Naz (Bizet 54’), England (c), Vinberg (Wang 54’), Thomas (Ayane 68’) Unused substitutes: Votikova, Bartrip, Petzelberger, Ahtinen Referee – Abi Byrne Attendance – 76,082

England clinch the trophy as the winners of the very first Arnold Clark Cup Arnold Clark Cup: England v Germany Back England clinch the trophy as the winners of the very first Arnold Clark Cup Lionesses Wednesday, 23 February 2022 England approached the match in a favourable position. Spain’s earlier 1-0 win over Canada meant that England were in the running to clinch the silverware provided they beat Germany by more than one goal. Had the Lionesses only managed a 1-0 win over Germany, the victors of the cup would be decided through the number of yellow cards accumulated across the competition. Spain collected five and entering their final game, England had two. Across their 27 previous meetings, England have never beaten Germany on home soil. Their most recent loss happening over two years ago when they hosted the two-time World Cup champions at Wembley Stadium in October 2019. Boss Sarina Wiegman lined-up a more familiar starting eleven than the team set up in the previous game against Spain. Captain Leah Williamson once again started in midfield alongside Keira Walsh in a double pivot, Jess Carter retained her position in the line-up but moved across to play the leftback role and Georgia Stanway filled the number 10 position behind leading striker Ellen White. Ellen White opened the scoring for England at the 15-minute mark after a spell of pressure from the hosts. Georgia Stanway picked up the ball and ushered it centrally before passing it on to Fran Kirby. Kirby attempted a pass through to Ellen White who was ready and waiting in the area. Kirby’s initial pass was blocked however she was able to send forward the rebound successfully to White who controlled and shifted the ball with her left foot before striking it with the outside of her right. As you would expect, White had no problem hitting the back of the net and England took the lead. Ten minutes later, Stanway found herself with the chance to make it two after White made a hankering run to collect a ball heading for the touchline. White managed to pull the ball back to Lucy Bronze who sent in an early cross to the growing number of white shirts in the box. Bronze’s cross was taken by Stanway who chested it down, twisted and hit the volley causing Merie Frohms to make a save. After a positive half an hour from England, the visitors found themselves on the front foot. Germany had shown glimpses of threatening counter play and made good on this after Bronze was caught short high up the pitch. Forcing the turnover, Klara Bühl disposed Bronze and carried the ball in a driving run down the length of the half. Alex Greenwood came across to halt Bühl’s run, in doing so conceding the foul and earning herself a booking. Lina Magull lined up the free-kick just outside of the area and hit what can only be described as a glorious strike. Magull’s zinger smashed the underside of the bar and bounced in leaving Ellie Roebuck no chance of stopping it. The Germans had levelled ten minutes before the half time whistle. For the majority of the second half Germany looked to have the upper hand, creating themselves a few chances in which England looked stretched most noticeably down the left-hand side with a defiant Bühl. Wiegman shifted personnel as she made her substitutes and fired a strong attacking contingent for the final quarter of an hour. After England’s changes momentum shifted once again and the Lionesses looked to see out the game on top. Lauren Hemp, who had played a key part throughout, drove the ball in to the area, dancing through the German backline, and struck the ball on target, however Frohms managed to knock the effort away. Millie Bright, who had stayed upfront after a bout of England pressure found herself on the end of the rebounding ball, collected it calmly and struck it past the keeper. Bright was in an offside position however the goal was ruled in at 85 minutes. With the crowd fully behind them and the trophy in their grasp, England secured their win with a goal from Fran Kirby three minutes into stoppage time. Kirby collected the ball centrally in her own half, powerfully carried it down the middle of the pitch, cruising through Germany’s defenders, and lifted her effort over Frohms to seal the deal. England took home their first piece of silverware under Sarina Wiegman as the winners of the inagural Arnold Clark Cup. England Roebuck (GK), Bronze (82’), Bright, Greenwood, Carter (33’), Williamson (C), Walsh, Hemp, Stanway (61’), Kirby, White (82’) Substitutes: Earps (GK), Hampton (GK), Daly (33’), Stokes, Toone (82’), Mead, Parris (61’), Nobbs, Charles, Scott, Russo (82’), Zelem Goals: White 15’, Bright 85’, Kirby 90+4’ Yellow Cards: Greenwood 39’ Germany Frohms (GK), Kleinherne, Rall, Schüller, Feldkamp, Däbritz (C), Gwinn, Anyomi (45’), Bühl (87’), Magull (71’), Dongus (71’) Substitutes: Berger (GK), Tufeković (GK), Doorsoun, Dallmann (71’), Rauch, Petzelberger, Cerci (87’), Brand (45’), Laura Freigang, Hage (71’)l, Kayikci, Maier Goals: Yellow Card: Brand 79’

England and Sweden share the points in flat Wembley clash Back Match Report Lionesses opening Euro's qualifier ends with a draw England and Sweden share the points in flat Wembley clash Lionesses 6 April 2024 By Finley Chung England started their qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2025 with a 1-1 draw against Sweden. Alessia Russo’s first half header was cancelled out by Fridolina Rolfo, as both sides huffed and puffed, but couldn’t find a winner. England start their European Championship Defence on the same soil that Chloe Kelly secured immortality just under three years ago, facing Sweden, who they famously beat in the semi final of that historic run. Grace Clinton was handed her first competitive start for England following her impressive showing in the February Friendlies, with there also being starts for Lotte Wubben-Moy after her stellar club form for Arsenal recently, with Southampton keeper, Kayla Rendell in an England squad for the first time, and Leah Williamson also making her return to the squad since her ACL injury against Australia last year. There were familiar faces aplenty for Sweden tonight, with Women’s Super League quartet, Stina Blackstenius, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Filippa Angeldahl and Julia Zigioti Olme joining Barcelona’s Fridolina Rolfo in the starting eleven. Tottenham Hotspur duo Amanda Nilden and Matilda Vinberg, along with Chelsea goalkeeper Zecira Musovic made the bench for the visitors. After two impeccably served national anthems, Sweden got there game underway in balmy spring conditions at Wembley. Alessia Russo went down early on following a robust challenge from a Swedish defender which required a prolonged period of medical attention, with the resulting free kick bouncing to Grace Clinton, who’s left footed volley went over the Swedish bar. The two Laurens, James and Hemp were occupying the wing space for England early on and the Chelsea forward sprayed a lovely pass to her Man City namesake, but her cross was just over the head of Alessia Russo and collected well by Sweden goalkeeper, Jennifer Falk. Sweden had the first sight of goal and it was Barcelona winger, Fridolina Rolfo raced through in behind her club teammate Lucy Bronze and struck a left footed effort wide of the target. England made no mistake with their first chance of the game, as Lauren James faced up Aqwswn right back Hanna Lundkvist before teasing a ball across with Alessia Russo stooped to nod home and erase any nerves within Wembley. The hosts almost had a second soon after as Georgia Stanway robbed possession before her effort went harmlessly over the Sweden bar, Lucy Bronze was then attentive to a Sweden attack as she cut out a through ball from Stina Blackstenius which seemed destined for Chelsea’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, The Swedes came forward again and Fillipa Angeldahl sent an effort whistling over Mary Earps’ crossbar, The visitors were having a period of sustained pressure, forcing corners in quick succession and almost grabbing a calamitous equaliser after an attempted clearance from Alex Greenwood smashed back off her teammate and luckily for England, fell wide. Stina Blackstenius then just couldn’t reach a cutback from the right as England were being forced to camp in their own area due to the Swedish pressure. The hosts were able to weather the Sweden storm and head into the break with a slender one goal margin. Half Time - England 1-0 Sweden. England got the game back underway in the second half, with Sweden’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd having the first effort of the second period, but her long range sighter flew way over Mary Earps’ crossbar. A Lauren James corner was then delivered in towards Lotte Wubben-Moy, but her looping header was an easy hold for Sweden stopper Falk. The provider nearly turned goalscorer just after the hour mark as her left footed effort arrowed just past the post. Sarina Wegmann made her first change, bringing on Ella Toone in place of Grace Clinton, with her opposite number introducing Amanda Nilden and Rosa Kafaji to proceedings, Sweden had their leveller just after the hour, as Rolfo ghosted in at the far post to nod home, potentially aided via a deflection off of Lucy Bronze to bring the visitors level. Somehow the visitors didn’t take the lead just moments later as Blackstenius raced through, but her effort beat Mary Earps and the right hand post much to the relief of everyone inside Wembley. Beth Mead was then introduced for England, in place of Lauren James. Jess Carter and Chloe Kelly were introduced in place of Alessia Russo and Niamh Charles with just under a quarter of the game remaining. England seemed to lack the presence and positioning of a recognised striker even with Alessia Russo on the pitch, so her withdrawal put emphasis on Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and latterly, Chloe Kelly to get into those spaces. Sweden goalscorer Rolfo and Blackstenius were withdrawn in the final five minutes, for Madeleen Janogy and Anna Anvegard. Lauren Hemp almost answered the call perfectly, darting onto the end of a pass before seeing her first effort saved, before her second was blocked off the line by former Chelsea defender, Magda Ericsson, which proved to be the last meaningful action. Full Time - England 1-1 Sweden Goals: Alessia Russo 24’ Fridolina Rolfo 64’

Barclays Women's Super League and Barclays Women's Championship enter new era with refreshed visual identity and name change Back FA unveil new Women's League Logos and Name Change Barclays Women's Super League and Barclays Women's Championship enter new era with refreshed visual identity and name change Barclays Women's Super League and Barclays Women's Championship 9 June 2022 Football Association The Football Association can today confirm the beginning of a new era for the Barclays Women’s Super League and Barclays Women’s Championship with the launch of a new visual identity and name change ahead of the 2022/23 season. The rebrand will also see the naming convention altered for the two competitions, with ‘The FA’ dropped from the title of both the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship. This represents the long term strategy for the leagues to be under new ownership in the future, with this process ongoing. The 2021/22 campaign saw unprecedented interest in the women’s professional game, with Sky Sports and the BBC driving visibility in the first season of the new broadcast deal announced last year, while commercial interest continues to grow – highlighted by Barclays renewing their sponsorship of the Women’s Super League and becoming the new title partner of the Women’s Championship from next season. The sponsorship of the Women’s Championship for the first time and renewed commitment to the Women’s Super League last year sees the organisation’s cyan colour added to the refreshed brand to better align the two competitions. Kelly Simmons, the FA’s Director of the Women’s Professional Game, said: “We’ve seen tremendous strides made in the women’s professional game since it turned professional four years ago, which meant we needed a refreshed branding that reflected that progress.” News

Manchester City book their place at Wembley with a convincing 3-1 victory over the Hammers Back Match Report FA Cup Semi-Final: West Ham v Manchester City Manchester City book their place at Wembley with a convincing 3-1 victory over the Hammers Getty Images 17 April 2022 By Paul Donegan Manchester City reached their fourth FA Cup Final in the last six seasons as Gareth Taylor’s side won 4-1 against West Ham on a sunny and pleasant afternoon in Dagenham. In what was a repeat of the 2019 final, City’s goals came from Ellen White, Chloe Kelly and a brace from Lauren Hemp whilst Lisa Evans got West Ham’s goal. West Ham started well but it was City who had the first chance when White just couldn’t get enough of her head on a cross from Kelly in the 6th minute. White had another chance a minute later which she put over from 6 yards out. West Ham’s best early opportunity came in the 13th minute when Dagny Brynjarsdottir saw her effort blocked by the legs of Manchester City’s goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck. At the other end three minutes later, Caroline Weir saw her low shot deflected wide. City did take the lead in the 22nd minute when Keira Walsh’s thunderous shot from distance hit the bar and bounced down with White diving in to head in the rebound. Five minutes later, City had the ball in the net again when White headed in but the ball was judged to have gone out of play before Lucy Bronze crossed. Lauren Hemp then sent a shot over from an angle. City were really pushing for a second now with West Ham captain, Gilly Flaherty, making a great tackle to stop White before she could get a shot at goal. It was 2-0 in the 37th minute when Flaherty’s pass across her own penalty area found Kelly who finished with a low shot for her first goal since returning from an ACL injury that kept her out for eleven months. West Ham got a goal back before half time when Adriana Leon’s nice through ball found Evans who went around Roebuck and finished low into the net in the 42nd minute. There were no further chances before the break with City going in leading 2-1. White had the ball in the net for the third time in the 52 nd minute but this time it was ruled out for offside. The next chance came in the 63rd minute for West Ham when Tameka Yallop shot just wide after some nice build up. Hemp made it 3-1 to City in the 66th minute when she beat a couple of West Ham players and finished with a shot that went in off the far post. Four minutes later, Bronze shot over for City and in the 77th minute, West Ham’s Katerina Svitoka saw her effort pushed away by Roebuck. A minute later, City’s Khadija Shaw was unable to control a pass as both sides went looking for goals. City went close to scoring a fourth in the 86 th minute when Mackenzie Arnold tipped Filippa Angeldahl’s powerful shot onto the crossbar. From the resulting corner, Alex Greenwood’s acrobatic overhead kick was saved by Arnold. Arnold made another good save in the 89th minute when she palmed away Georgia Stanway’s effort low down. Hemp scored her second and City’s fourth in injury time with a low finish into the corner of the net from inside the area after Stanway had broken forward. West Ham still had a chance to get a goal back but Leon shot over. Not long after that the final whistle was blown to confirm that it will be Manchester City who be playing at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 15th May in the final. Teams West Ham United: Arnold, Parker, Flaherty, Fisk, Longhurst, Svitkova, Brynjarsdottir, Hasegawa (Walker 78’), Yallop (Snerle 70’), Evans, Leon Unused substitutes: Moore, Wyne, Cissoko, Stringer, Houssein, Filis, Joel Goal – Evans 42’ Manchester City: Roebuck, Bronze, Kennedy, Greenwood, Stokes, Walsh, Coombs (Angeldahl 80’), Weir (Stanway 72’), Kelly (Raso 62’), Hemp, White (Shaw 72’) Unused Substitutes: Keating, Taieb, Mace Goals – White 22’, Kelly 37’, Hemp 66’, 90’+1 Booked – Kelly Referee – Abigail Byrne

Team Information: Aston Villa Aston Villa Website https://www.avfc.co.uk/teams/womens/ Manager Carla Ward - ENG Captain Marisa Ewers - Remi Allen Squad Player Position Number Nationality DOB Hannah Hampton GK 1 ENG 16/11/2000 Sian Rogers GK 23 ENG 28/06/1998 Sarah Mayling DF 2 ENG 20/03/1997 Meaghan Sargeant DF 3 ENG 16/03/1994 Elisha N'Dow DF 5 ENG 13/10/1996 Anita Asanti DF 6 ENG 27/04/1985 Natalie Haigh DF 15 ENG 08/02/11993 Olivia McLoughlin DF 16 ENG 15/10/2004 Freya Gregory DF 18 ENG 12/01/2003 Maz Pacheco DF 33 ENG 25/08/1998 Remi Allen MF 4 ENG 15/10/1990 Chloe Arthur MF 8 SCO 21/01/1995 Ramona Petzelberger MF 10 GER 13/11/1992 Emily Syme MF 14 ENG 23/07/2000 Marisa Ewers MF 21 GER 24/02/1989 Ruesha Littlejohn MF 31 IRL 03/07/1990 Alisha Lehmann FW 7 SUI 21/01/1999 Emily Gielnik FW 9 AUS 13/05/1992 Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah FW 11 ENG 08/09/1995 Jodie Hutton FW 12 ENG 11/02/2001 Sophie Haywood FW 17 ENG 10/01/1996 Shania Hayles FW 22 JAM 22/12/1999 Ground Banks's Stadium, Walsall WS1 4SA Aston Villa Shania Hayles Photographer: Girls on the Ball Aston Villa Celebrate Photographer: Girls on the Ball Aston Villa 1/4

Back Caroline Weir Club Manchester City Position Midfielder D.O.B 20/06/1995 Bio Manchester City midfielder Weir has a wand of a left foot, there is simply no other way to describe it. Another player to bolster the left side, Weir is creative with her positioning and in her passing demonstrated by her ability to regularly assist toward scoring opportunities. However, Weir herself is no stranger to hitting the back of the net. Whether it is from a long-range set piece or a live attack, Weir is able to hit the target with the sauciest of strikes. via Caroline Weir Twitter C5

Number 29 is sticking around Back Ashleigh Neville signs on the dotted line Number 29 is sticking around Tottenham Hotspur 7 May 2022 By Charlotte Stacey Tottenham Hotspur fullback Ashleigh Neville has signed a three-year contract that will see her remain with the club until 2025. Neville has made a total of 102 appearances for the Lilywhites and has been a key player in their rise to the top half of the table this season, registering two goals and two assists, as well as being names February’s Player of the Month. On her extension, Neville commented, “I’m super happy here – the girls, the coaching staff, the way we play, how far we’ve come in the last five years - the journey we’re on is something I want to be part of.” News

Dulwich Hamlet and West Ham goalkeeper Mia North takes us through her professional football journey so far; becoming more than "the girl in goal" Back Hand over the mic: Mia North Dulwich Hamlet and West Ham goalkeeper Mia North takes us through her professional football journey so far; becoming more than "the girl in goal" Courtesy of Mia North 2 August 2021 My journey in football started when I was around 10 years old. Due to there not being many girls’ teams around I was forced to play in a boys’ team which was technically ‘mixed’. At the time, playing in a boys’ team was more normal due to a lack of girls’ teams around so the prospect of playing with boys did not really scare me, it just made me excited that I could play football properly. There was a challenge though with the whole facade that “girls can’t play football” and that I was an immediate weakness just because of my gender. As a result, there was added pressure on myself to make even less mistakes because I felt like I had to prove myself and I did not want to think about how the other boys would react or feel if they saw the girl making an error. There were multiple occasions where I would have boys sit behind my goal and laugh at me for being “the girl in goal”. This could have easily been a point in my life where I stopped wanting to play but instead, I used it as a motivation for me to prove them wrong. The social aspect for the first couple of years was a lot harder as well seeing as the boys on my team were very different to me. I struggled for conversation starters and the boys were much rowdier compared to me as I was quite shy so I struggled to make real friends. However, they never made me feel inferior to them and the coaching staff and parents were also lovely so there was enough enjoyment for me to carry on. Courtesy of Mia North I finally joined a girls’ team when I was 12. I spent the next 3-4 years with this team where I enjoyed a really successful few years, winning our league multiple times, multiple tournament victories and multiple county cup triumphs. During these years, I also stepped into the county environment and I was selected for a training camp with Wales U19s at the age of 16. Once I turned 16, I joined WSL team Yeovil Ladies where I spent the next 2 years of my career. The second year of being there saw me go into my first year of college in Bridgwater, meaning I had to move out and live in an accommodation whilst training every day. Moving out at 16 was a big change for me, and there was one point where I did not want to do it. I was fearful of being home sick and missing my friends at school, but I ended up embracing the new environment more than my parents or I would have ever expected it. In my first year I never got homesick once! I still missed my friends, but I was enjoying the new independence and due to making lots of new friends at accommodation - I was always up to something and rarely on my own, so it became very easy. Alongside this, it massively helped that I went home practically every weekend due to not having any games so I was able to still see my parents and friends every week, so I was not thrown in the deep end of not coming home for prolonged periods of time straight away. "Being at Yeovil was when I first experienced academy football and played the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal etc. I also had 2 first team bench appearances against Arsenal and Everton Women." After my first year of college, I decided I wanted to move on from Yeovil which saw me eventually end up where I am now which is West Ham. Soon after playing with the U21s, I was called up to the Wales U19s squad for the Euro Qualifiers where I enjoyed 10 days in Northern Ireland competing against Norway, Northern Ireland and Moldova. Following this tournament, I had another call up to the first team after which, I completed the rest of the season with the U21s before COVID-19 hit and our season unfortunately had to be null and void. Courtesy of Mia North If we skip to present day, I am currently a first year at UEL and in my second year with West Ham, I came out of college with 3 distinction stars in my BTEC and have just completed my first term on Sports and Exercise Science where I achieved firsts across all my modules. I am now on loan at Dulwich Hamlet Women where I am looking to gain experience within the women’s game and also looking to develop massively as a player. When I look at the modern women’s game now, it definitely has come a long way since I first started playing. First of all, I think in a way we have benefitted from less exposure. The women’s game has a lot less dramatics, much less diving and dialogue on the pitch itself is definitely less violent. However, the recent WSL deal with Sky Sports is a really exciting one and one which I hope will start to give the game the exposure it needs to be more successful. "Hopefully over the next few years, the game will grow exponentially and we will hopefully see more equity between the men and women’s game." Furthermore, if I think back to when I was young, there were few women’s teams around my local area and across the country, there were not many professional academy setups, this is why the county route for girls was so prevalent. Nowadays however, that has changed, for instance, West Ham have the West Ham Foundation where they coach and bring up young girls through their ranks which a lot more highly affiliated clubs are now doing. If I was born in that generation, I think the pressure on me would have definitely been higher because I would be having been in a more professional setup playing alongside other girls. However, there are so many positives that come from academies and a more stable pathway from grassroots for young girls will do wonders not only in terms of ability but also to provide the belief that football can be more than a hobby. Looking back now, I am glad I got to just enjoy football as a fun hobby before joining Yeovil academy because when you are so young, I think enjoyment is the most important thing and putting a child into a serious environment straight away may deter them more than it nurtures them which is why I am thankful to have had my time in the boys team as well as the early girls team I played for in my career. . . Mia North, Womens Football, West Ham