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Nothing new in terms of information, but a good summary of the situation and how it feeds back to the larger ecosystem for women's football. I found this paragraph a good summation of the situation
"It’s unclear how much money González will make at Al Qadsiah, but it’s likely to be more than she was making in the NWSL.
If that is the case, then this is also a story about the financial precarity of female footballers, even in leagues that tout investment. The NWSL is certainly one of the most well-paying destinations for a female athlete, but its salary cap prevents nearly every player from being paid what they deserve, let alone an amount that leaves them set for life. In other top leagues, different conditions lead to a similar reality: some players get paid well, but most don’t, and all should be paid more. Female soccer players are subjected to the same short and unpredictable careers as male players, but they do not have the same cushion of salaries that ensure comfort for well after their careers end. If González sees Al Qadsiah as a quick payday that could help secure her family’s future, that says as much about the NWSL as it does about its Saudi counterpart."
I'd encourage reading the full article if you the time.
Thanks for sharing. It’s a choice she made and it’s an ugly one in my mind, but it’s hers. Hiding from your former club and removing your family from Instagram point to premeditation and that she knew the consequences. The worst part is that nothing will come out of all this probably, except maybe that it will help boost the Saudi league and of course not for the right reasons.
I high-key suspect Kang is way more interested and invested in the London City project. The WSL just being the best women’s football league in Europe by far probably means that LCL have a higher ceiling long term than Olympique Lyonnes.
gang how good is it that by this time next week we'll have seen the first WSL game of the season?!?!! still stupid that City don't start the season and I hate that it's LCL's game lol but FOCUSING ON THE POSITIVES
Seriously how do you do it? I try to keep at least an eye on the NWSL, but most of the games end up being at 1 or 3am, and I just can’t function on that little sleep!
Yeah, unfortunately being a Washington native (+history) I feel compelled to support the Rein but they are both among the most stressful and least convenient teams to watch, so that’s more or less what I’m doing for now!
Sometimes I do make stupid decisions and suffer because of it, I can't lie. The times are generally worse when we're on BST so I try and say to myself that the midnight KOs are the latest ones that I'll watch but yeah, it's tough!
I'll actually feel better when the firts game is out the way. I so want us to win the league and it's teams like Brighton we can't slip up and throw away points.
In honour of Smilla's first stint at CB, make your wildcard predictions for who you think will take an unexpected shift at CB this season. My bet is our new everything woman Reuteler, or maybe Foord after her clean sheet against Paris FC (to be clear this is just for a laugh, not poking at any of the players with this!)
Feel like the fullbacks are an obvious answer so I'm chucking a vote for Stanway - she's played all the midfield roles and as fullback before, and was willing to step in to play as keeper, so she seems a likely unlikely 😂
Watched a Linköping game YT recommended me the other day. Renee playing at right side midfield with Babystenius and Harder up top in a 4-4-2. Between the potato quality stream and the swedish commentary it was proper suffering only for it to end 0-0.
Got around to listening to the new Arsecast and there was a really interesting question I’d like to post here.
What is one thing you’re very optimistic about and one thing that makes you nervous?
I’ll go.
I’m very optimistic about our depth and diversity of player profiles to change up the way we play, attack and progress the ball.
I’m very nervous about how poor our timing of runs on set pieces has been and our defending of set pieces (we didn’t really get to see set piece defense as Charlton or Paris didn’t get that many corners/FKs).
I am optimistic about the size and talent of our squad, it feels like we are absolutely loaded with established great players and promising youngsters.
I am nervous about a repeat of the Paris game where it seemed like no one was willing to be selfish/ruthless and take a shot. I want us to come out in games and stomp all over teams (metaphorically).
optimistic about the variety of attacking options we have, it won't be the predictable subs anymore, worried for how we still might fare on the smaller pitches/vs a low block, and that we're one injury away from major issues in the defensive line with having to overload players
In the same vein as the squad depth point but I’m optimistic because the entire club (from management through the players) seem 100% aligned and committed to going for it all this season. There’s no debate that Renee is the manager, the depth is the best it’s been in recent memory, and the goal is the league. Very similar to how it felt with the men’s team prior to last season.
One thing that worries me is that the defense has seemed somewhat shaky in preseason and unless we bring in another player, we are relying on a healthy Katie Reid as a primary depth option.
Their quality players, Stanway surely has experience of tough club matches. Baum has no fear and Cerci and Reuteler are quality and probably not gonna start yet.
Oh I don’t doubt their quality but it’s the automatisms, the gelling together that just does take a bit of time. But they’ve all been part of a long pre-season which will have helped.
I’m nervous about our finishes in general, we still seem to be dragging that with us from last season.
I’m very optimistic about the fact that we basically have two excellent teams of starting 11, which gives us an amazing arsenal (😉) of weapons; we are ready for anything. I have a very good feeling about this season
With Greenwood back at LCB, they really need to sign that German FB.
Vivianne Miedema is expected to miss the start of the season after being seen on crutches. Jade Rose, Niamh Charles and Grace Clinton are also expected to miss the start of the season with injuries.
I guess the tougher fixtures will then pile up at the business end of the season. They were playing in easy mode last year so can their squad handle a UWCL QF sandwiched between two tough domestic games and still be ‘the best team' in the WSL?
And will Bunny even survive the season if she’s asked to play 1,000 extra minutes with barely any rest between games like Russo had to?
One thing both those preseason games told me which we already knew is that Olivia smith has prolly the hardest shot in the wsl and she hits it with so much vim and 9 out of ten times inside the box she is bound to score cos those shots are so powerful….
My only problem is finding a solution where she can be closer to goal like her first touch should be in around the box, she don’t even need that much back lift she just hits it with absolute ferocity…
we need to get her closer to goal somehow her best run of form for us last season came when she was centrally(as a false 9)
that felt like more of a throwaway comment to answer the question (What's the status on Fox/Mariona contracts?) when Tim said he hadn't heard anything.
His comment is "It's a world cup year, she's 31, I think it's okay to wait and see how she gets on this year. She's been at Barca and Arsenal, how much bigger of an offer is she gonna get at this stage? But maybe she wants to go home or something, I don't know"
Yeah I didn’t take it as go home to Barça, I think he just meant Spain? But I don’t get the feeling she’s in any hurry to leave, and with more and more Spanish players joining the WSL plus Wally back in England it seems like she’d have more reason than ever to stay. The question will be how good/long of a contract Arsenal are willing to offer and what other offers she has as well.
Considering Barca is in transition, if they lose any more senior players next year, the pull would be stronger to bring one back to stabilize the team.
Perhaps, I don't know their squad situation well enough. Maybe they want to bring in younger players who can contribute during Aitana's peak and take more of a lead once she hits her early 30s?
Tim and Jamie also talked about Kyra earlier in the episode, and he mentioned that if Arsenal weren't to offer her a new contract (and Tim stressed heavily that everything he's heard is that Renee loves Kyra) plenty of other big clubs would try to sign her. If you're Barca, do you want a 32 year old Mario or a 25 year old Kyra, for example? I dunno.
They are quite stacked there so chance to bring back Mariona is low, also quite broke as they had to sell Dragoni ( similar position) to Chelsea. She might consider the return if they come calling but I don't see it. Lia is back to England again so even more reason for her to stay here. Imo it will be on us to offer new contract or not, these go for both Mariona & KCC.
They have planned roof work on (Spotify) Camp Nou in 2027, meaning they won't play there for some time, so they'll probably be in a worse financial situation. That might be a reason why the mens team bought quite a few players this summer and why the Alvarez saga is (a lot) more dramatic.
I don't think that sale of Dragoni indicates that they're broke, she was on loan last season at Roma, and she hadn't played a lot for their first team. They also bought Kerolin in the same window for a lot.
I don't think they will be able to offer her a lot of money, but she loves Barça, so there will be rumors, but I don't think it will happen (not this soon at least).
To me there seems to be a shift in their transfer policy with their women team. This season or two might be a write off for them. All eggs in Kerolin basket while there is no full back back up, quite bad consider their starting RB and two back up will leave for the WC. And they bought half of world youth talents for Femini B, probably prepare for the surge in two or three years time.
Covid and then initial renovations on Camp Nou messed up their revenue a lot. That alongside bad financies and much more strict ffp rules meant they had to change something regarding their transfer policy (for men and women), no matter the amount of leavers they pulled.
I agree that they really need a fullback, even if they have all fullbacks available, they're versatile and can cover other positions which is great, but can make an already small-ish squad even thinner with possible injuries. With Paralluelo not agreeing to new contract, they also needed a forward who can play in all three positions. I don't know if they spent all the budget on her or they can't find the right player for fullback position. Don't know when Aleixandri will be back, she can play at both fullback positions, but she's coming back from acl. Apparently Fernández played at RB in preseason, which doesn't seem as a great solution to me, as she didn't seem fast when I saw her for Everton, especially in the initial burst.
I don't expect them to run away with league like in the previous season, but some of those youngsters might get meaningful minutes in Liga F.
Hmmm, I could be reading something out of nothing in my hopes for a bomba signing to come lol but - "It represented an opportunity for our new signings to get to grips with our N5 home and experience playing on the pitch for the first time, while those in the stands observed what a session at the Sobha Realty Training Centre might look like." - all our new signings were on the pitch, so who's in the stands? 🧐
I think its good some of players haven't played for Arsenal in ages or where close to their contract ending, a lot of decent outgoings. More importantly I'm glad they have found new clubs because they will be successful there :)
138 million ain't bad. I'm certain half of them I actually forget were Arsenal players at soem point. Also a load of the wage bills. I suspect Edu's linger legacy was overinflated contracts that stopped the club getting great prices. Martinelli aside.
Kiwior was option turned to obligation, but I think that fee is a bit cheap. Vieira could have possibly moved for more, but it looks like only Hamburg were really interested (they also had an option, but they were clear from the start that it's too expensive for them) and he'll be among their highest buys. I thought that we might have to terminate Jesus' contract to get his wages off the books. I liked Martinelli and hate that he's going to Saudi, but that's a decent money considering salary and contract length. Trossard had age, salary and contract length going against him, so I didn't expect a big fee. A bit sad about the last player who played under Arsène, but he couldn't stay fit, so sale was very hard even without considering his 100K salary.
Seen of lots of amateur football accountants say we have under sold Martinelli and Jesus compared to other sales but Martinelli had one year left on his deal, so good money. Jesus is injury prone with astronomical wages with 1 year left, so decent fee.
Think the main problem Arsenal have is sought after players that we have get no interest because the players love the environment and club so won't accept approaches. Players that fall down the pecking order and become surplus to requirements have less desirable suitors. So we cant strong arm clubs to pay over the odds and if a club does it is more likely said player has no interest.
Unpopular opinion: A large percentage of people who call themselves women's football fans aren't actually fans of the football. They're fans of women's football as an idea, a movement, or a cultural space.
I really don't want to engage in a discussion about who is and who isn't a "real fan". That feels like gatekeeping. Sports fandom in general can be too clannish and exclusionary. Fandom comprises many different avenues. If people find one that brings them joy, why look down on that?
I don't think anyone is being looked down on here, and I'm not arguing that there's only one way to be a fan.
My point is actually that women's football is more than just football to a lot of people.
Some people follow it primarily because they genuinely love the football (the teams, tactics, leagues, players and matches), they watch more than just one league. Others support it because of what it represents. Greater opportunities for women, equality in sport, representation, challenging the historically male dominated football culture, or simply supporting women succeeding in a space where they haven't always been given equal opportunities.
It's not actually true women's football was more popular then men's prior to the "ban". There were some big attended charity matches and big events, but the women were getting close to the average sof the men.
Also the "ban" was simiply not being allowed to use football grounds by the FA. The FA were a disgrace though and it certain stunted women's progress in the game. But it's also fairly debatable, plenty of nations didn't ban women's football in any way, but it didn't keep any sort of interest bar the odd big event. I think it's gain traction today because society has changed.
Yeah it’s the same claims saying the one Goodson Christmas match of 53k was more than the men’s. Kerrs ladies averaged between 10-15k on average from regular reports Back then. Top teams were averaging 40k+ and big FA Cup games reached 73k in the same year as Dick Kerrs ladies hit that 53k.
The claims it was more popular were doing some heavy lifting off that one game’s timing and multiple links all seem to source the same quotes. But regardless of the claims, it did have a following which got killed by the stadium ban.
I think it's a bit of a strange differentiation to make. I'm skeptical that there are people who solely support WoSo solely because they enjoy the representation aspect, but don't give a crap about the actual sports of it all. It's surely a mix of a bunch of different factors, depending on the individual.
I agree that it's a mix of factors, and I don't think I suggested otherwise. My point is that women's football has a cultural dimension that goes beyond the sport itself, arguably more visibly than men's football.
Take Megan Rapinoe. She became a celebrity and drew enormous attention from people outside football because of her activism, politics and public profile. Her legacy explicitly extends beyond the pitch. The same applies to the growing celebrity culture around women's football. People can be invested in the personalities, representation and cultural relevance without engaging with the football to the same degree.
That's not a criticism. It's simply recognising that interest in women's football and interest in watching women's football aren't always identical.
You began your argument with "people who call themselves women's football fans" and I would argue people who are drawn to folks like Rapinoe, or (reverse example) the Selfishly Cruel person currently setting fire to the WNBA by peddling transphobic nonsense, because of their political positions are not necessarily fans of women's football or women's basketball. They're engaging with Pinoe, etc. as political figures who happen to be athletes. I think that's different. I'd bet that there are plenty of people who are interested in Pinoe's views that don't care about soccer and wouldn't claim to do so.
And that's before we even get to the bad faith actors who claim to care about women's sports simply as a vessel to advance their own toxic agendas, rather than caring about the health/advancement of the leagues and the players who inhabit them.
I think we're actually talking about two different things. I'm not talking about people who follow Rapinoe purely because of her political views and don't care about football. I'm talking about people who genuinely identify as women's football fans, but whose interest is primarily attached to particular players rather than the sport or clubs themselves.
Rapinoe is a good example, there are fans whose loyalty follows her, but never actually cared for Reign. You see the same thing with Williamson at Arsenal, she's brought people into Arsenal who are primarily invested in her, while Miedema had fans who followed her from Arsenal to City. Now you have people becoming London City Lionesses fans because of particular players. That's a very different type of fandom from someone who follows Arsenal, City or London City Lionesses regardless of which individual players are there.
I think that's simply a result of player mobility as the CBAs have improved player power in the current era. It's no different than following LeBron James around to any of his NBA stops. It's simply becoming far more common for players to have stints with multiple clubs during their careers. It's an evolution of sports, but not necessarily a women's football specific thing.
But I am an old, so I am much more of a "Thanks Wally/Codi/Vic - good luck at the next stop!" kinda person. (And for the record, while I wish her no ill, I do not wish Alyssa good luck at the bad place.)
(so, I typed all this out, and it is a rant and I acknowledge that, but up front, I want you to know that it is not directed at you. I got going and I had some things to say, As far as I am concerned, you and I are good. We both love Arsenal, we have room to disagree on some things.)
The person in question (and I don't mean Caitlyn) has absolutely been engaged in the right wing grift of whipping up anti-trans fears, conveniently timed with the release of their signature shoe partnership hitting the market.
But let's be clear - this follows a familiar pattern of certain folks claiming they're defending women's sports against the big bad trans threat. Let's revisit the facts:
There are no trans players in the WNB,
There are no trans players trying to play in the WNBA\.
Last year, Elizabeth Eddy (a bench-riding NWSL player) published an anti-trans statement via the New York Post and they ran the piece with a picture of Barbra Banda, who is a cis woman. Let's be honest -they used her pic because she is black, from Africa and big and strong. They implied she was a trans player and put her in danger with no regard to her safety. (For the record, the rest of Eddy's Angel City club teammates denounced her article and said it did not reflect the values of the club or the individuals in the locker room.)
These claims of wanting to protect women's sports from trans people are a pre-text. They want to control the definition of who is a "woman" and once they control that, they can weaponize it against whomever they choose, "We don't like that person, they're trans, they needs to be tested!"
They can, and intend to, ruin people's careers and subject them to harassment and threats simply by implying that they don't meet their definition of a woman.
We're seeing the same playbook that was deployed against immigrants again - those people are dangerous, those people are bad, get rid of them! - In my country, this has led to mass deportations and detentions, it's led to Americans being shot dead in the streets of American cities.
And none of it protects women's sports or women's athletes. It wasn't a trans person who assaulted Jenni Hermoso at the world cup final, it was a shitty man. It wasn't trans people who got banned FOR LIFE from the NWSL for abusing players - it was shitty, abusive men. It wasn't trans people who banned women's football in the UK for 50 years - it was, once again, shitty men.
Banning trans people, who, once again, are not trying to play in these leagues, does nothing to address the real issues hampering women's leagues, including historic lack of funding/resources, very little sports science research into the needs of female athletes vs. male counterparts, and general misogyny/public attitudes that treat them like a joke or an afterthought.
There are legitimate discussions that need to be had around fairness and competition, but they need to be had in good faith and done with an eye towards science. These fake controversies are none of that,
Because that's literally what an unpopular opinion is: an opinion you believe is likely to be disagreed with by a significant number of people.
"Opinion" describes what it is. "Unpopular" describes how people are likely to react to it.
Those aren't mutually exclusive concepts.
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u/Cobra-Firefly Emily Fox (From America) 4d ago
Chloe was back in practice today, looks like she's finally over her illness, thankfully!