Ben Gilby – Founder & Chief Editor:
The draw of women’s football for me is its skill, fair play and the fantastic connection and accessibility between players and supporters.
Having spent a lot of time in Australia, I was introduced quite a few years ago to the superstar that is East Fremantle’s very own Sam Kerr, whose family home is around 20 minutes away from where the Australian branch of my family lives. Following her career develop since she was a teenager has been incredibly exciting and I’m a massive fan of The Matildas and the women’s domestic game Down Under. I am proud to have World Cup 2019 ‘Matildas’ home and away shirts with ‘Kerr 20’ on the back which Sam signed for me after her Chelsea debut. As well as The Matildas I have been a huge fan of A-League Women side Perth Glory since their formation in 2008.
Having devised a media campaign with Norwich City Women FC that tied in with the 2019 Women’s World Cup to develop the awareness of their club within Norfolk which promoted the club and shone a light on so many fantastic people with incredible stories of resilience, determination, and overcoming the odds that needed to be shared and celebrated, I was drawn towards helping to promote the women’s game more widely. This was the prime motivation for developing Impetus.
As well as covering the grassroots scene in local SW London and Surrey women’s football scene, I cover Perth Glory in depth during the A-League Women season with full access to players and coaches, and the NPLW WA competition and grassroots scene in Western Australia. I am part of the weekly judging panel that pick the Squared Ball Analytics NPLW WA team of the week.
A member of the Football Writers’ Association and the Women’s Sports Alliance, I was the winner of their Inaugural (Media) Contributor Award in April 2021, and Impetus as a site won the Women’s Football Platform of the Year award at the 2023 On Her Side women’s football awards.
Kieran Yap – Deputy Chief Editor & Writer:
I’ve been a football fanatic since being obsessed by Roberto Baggio and Ronaldo as a child in the 90’s. At the 2000 Olympics I was lucky enough to watch the legendary Mia Hamm play live. Since then I’ve seen some players of similar calibre play in Australia with A-League Women sides. I’m a lucky husband and doting cat-dad who dreams of writing a movie about the life of Hayley Raso and will take a sickie to watch the Matildas.
Abi Ticehurst – Contributor (Writer)
I don’t come from a long line of dedicated football fanatics so I guess that makes me far from your traditional fan. I followed Reading men from my mid-teens and tagged along to games with pals on the odd occasion. That was until the WSL season of 2018 sparked my keen interest and before I knew it I was catapulted into the world of women’s football when I decided to lace up a pair of boots and join my local team. The distinguished talent on show at the 2019 France World Cup truly cemented my affections for women’s football and as they say, the rest is history.
I now live and breathe the beautiful game, playing Sunday League football, avidly supporting Reading Women, managing a dedicated women’s football Twitter account, and writing regular content about the grassroots game in Berkshire.
Adam Johnstone – Contributor (Photographer):
With over 15 years in media, Adam has built up a football photography portfolio over the past few seasons, mainly shooting EFL games. Based in Wiltshire, but covering all over the UK, Adam photographs a variety of matches for Impetus.
Aimee Logan – Contributor (Writer):
My love for women’s football has grown massively in the past year and I quickly knew that being involved in the sport I adore, is something I would want to do for the rest of my life. An Arsenal fan myself, I loved watching games on the TV and cheering them on and the connection I now have with this incredible growing sport is as result of the Lionesses lifting the Euro’s 2022 trophy and their inspiring journey as a team, throughout the campaign. I’m still young and studying in school but I know that I wanted to be involved in the legacy women’s football is leaving. Being involved in the media side of the sport is something I thought was the job that could fulfil my goal of helping the game grow further. I’m thrilled to be a part of Impetus where I have the best opportunity to gain the experience I need for my future. When I have a spare minute, I post on a TikTok account about my love for women’s football and give some of my opinions on matches and shocking moments in the world of women’s football (@aimee.woso).
Andy Wicks – Contributor (Photographer):
I started following women’s football in 2020 when COVID restrictions on stadium attendances meant that it was difficult to get tickets to men’s games. I became hooked watching Reading Women FC and became a player sponsor. In 2021 I sponsored Alton Ladies FC (tier seven) and spent a season with them as their club photographer. For the 2022/23 season I have been club photographer at Woodley United, a tier six team who have just won their league and promotion to tier five – one step outside of the FA Women’s National League. I also photograph the three women’s teams at Reading University as well as other women’s teams in the South of England. When not photographing matches I create matchday posters and programmes and anything else I can do to help promote women’s football.
Arwen Moses – Contributor (Photographer and Writer):
I am a photographer, writer, and content creator from Scotland. I have always loved watching football so working in football media is my dream career. So far, highlights of my work include working with teams in the Scottish men’s Premiership, covering the Futsal World Championships in Barcelona, and freelancing as a photographer for several teams. I am currently working with Dundee United FC and hope to study media at university next year.
Blaise Ogutu – Contributor (Writer):
Football has been a big part of my life ever since I was a kid. I have my brother and father to thank for shaping my view of the beautiful game as well as duping me into supporting Liverpool during the barren era. I accidentally stumbled across women’s football on a random Tuesday night during the Rio Olympics in August 2016 as Australia played Zimbabwe. In the following weeks and months, I found myself going down a rabbit hole that I have never come out of, and gladly so. The women’s game came to me at a time when I was an awkward teen struggling to find that one thing that would make me different from other aspiring writers. Since 2021, I have become more involved in writing and follow the game closer than ever. Even if it means waking up at 2am just to catch Portland Thorns on Twitch.
Carrie Dunn – Contributor (Writer):
Carrie is the media officer for Aberystwyth Town Women, who play in the Genero Premier, Wales’ top tier. She provides Impetus with reports and photos from the club’s matches as part of our coverage of the Welsh game.
Chris Myatt – Contributor (Photographer):
I am a new and aspiring London-based photographer supplying images of WSL matches for Impetus.
Ciarán Duffy – Contributor (Writer):
Ciarán is the producer and presenter of Post to Post Sport, an Irish sport site that mainly covers football. You can follow @PostToPostSport on Twitter and Instagram, and visit PostToPost.Sport.Blog. Ciarán supports Charlton Athletic and Borussia Mönchengladbach because he is a glory hunter. Post to Post Sport are big supporters of the Women’s National League, with a particular fondness for DLR Waves. All season Post to Post Sport are raising money for Ireland’s National Autism Charity with various challenges throughout the year. You can read about the fundraiser and how to donate here: https://posttopost.sport.blog/charity-fundraiser/
Darrell Allen – Contributor (Writer):
I have volunteered at several Norfolk women’s football clubs. This involved reporting on games home and away as well as posting regular content across the clubs’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. I am also a season ticket holder at Chelsea Women and King’s Lynn Town Women in addition to my duties with Thetford Town Women.
Dean Mears – Contributor (Writer):
Football has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I’ve had a season ticket at Chelsea since 2001 and started paying closer attention to the women’s team around the time the club signed Fran Kirby. In November 2021 I started Went To Mow Kingsmeadow, the first podcast focussing entirely on Chelsea Women, and in late 2022 launched the Kingsmeadow Chronicle, a fanzine, covering Chelsea Women. I have a Level Two performance analysis qualification from the Professional Football Scouts Association and like to use data, stats, and analysis in my writing. My main focus is covering the Chelsea Women’s team for Impetus.
Denise Duffy – Contributor (Writer):
An American, now based in Taupō, New Zealand, Denise has had her eye on international football for decades. A witness to the rise of the ’99ers, she comes to the sport with across-the-grain thinking and a definite feminist perspective. She is thoroughly enjoying her latest deep dive in to New Zealand football. Denise covers all aspects of the women’s game in New Zealand from the national team to Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women and the local domestic scene. In addition, as she returns to the USA during the NWSL season each year, Denise will be providing detailed content from the competition.
Denyse McCulloch – Contributor (Photographer):
Provider of photographs to Western Australia NPL Women’s side Fremantle City, Denyse has given us permission to use her shots of matches involving the club as part of our coverage of the competition.
Ellie Ramsauer – Contributor (Writer):
I have played football since the age of six and it has been a passion of mine ever since. Born and raised in Sussex, I am a massive Brighton and Hove Albion fan and have had a season ticket at the club since the age of nine. I played for Lewes FC for a number of years but have now gone into coaching and management. Last season I was a coach in the Lewes FC Women’s Development Pathway, however this season I have taken on a new role as Saltdean United Women’s Development Squad manager. It’s amazing to see how much the Women’s game has grown in the last 15 years and I hope that this exponential growth continues for years to come.
Emmanuel Faith – Contributor (Writer):
Based in Nigeria, and being a SDG 5 advocate (Sustainable Development Goal Five – which promotes the “adoption and strengthening sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels), which involves writing articles and speaking at various panel events, I am actively involved in empowering gender equality, and that includes in football.
Having supported Chelsea since 2005, I started watching women’s football actively in 2014 during the U20 World Cup where Nigeria reached the finals against all the odds. I later watched the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and club football in 2019. I write about women’s football because I believe that the media has a crucial role in popularising this beautiful game.
Foto Enzo (Vince Caratozzolo) – Contributor (Photographer):
Vince runs the hugely successful Foto Enzo photography site. He provides photographs to Football West, the governing body of football in the state of Western Australia. As part of our coverage of the Western Australia NPL Women’s competition, we have permission to use his photographs. https://www.fotoenzo.com/
Freya Ward – Contributor (Writer):
I only started watching women’s football in the past year but I very quickly fell in love with the sport and knew it was something that I wanted to base my life around. I have grown up watching men’s football with my dad and I have followed Nottingham Forest my entire life, but never really found myself looking up to players due to the obvious factor that they were men and I was just a little girl, which lead to me losing my love for the game for a while. So when the Lionesses won the Euros I felt really inspired, I felt it was too late to actually begin playing football again which is where I really started to look into the media aspect of things. I soon realised that this is what I wanted to start doing. I am still young but I am about to begin studying business and management and am so thrilled to bring my love for women’s football into my future career path and am very excited to be a part of Impetus, where I have the opportunity to write about the sport I love whilst gaining vital experience for my future.
In my spare time i enjoy posting on my TikTok account which is also football related (football is practically my life at this point) @freyatalksfootball where I like to make fun lighthearted and informative content based solely on the women’s game.
Genevieve Henry – Contributor (Writer):
I have been in love with football my whole life, but the first time I ever watched the Matildas, a newfound passion was born. Since then, I have been photographing and writing about football whenever possible with the hope of being involved with the sport in a new way, other than playing. I am first and foremost a Matildas fan, and the clubs I support are just based on wherever there are Aussies playing.
George Jones – Contributor (Writer):
George is the media officer for Impetus partner club AFC Wimbledon Women and supplies reports on the club’s games to the site.
Glyn Roberts – Contributor (Photographer):
Glyn supplies photos to Impetus from AFC Wimbledon Women’s matches.
Hannah Parnell – Contributor (Photographer):
Hannah is a Suffolk-based photographer who has provided photos exclusively for Impetus from international matches played in England and also for our East Anglian women’s football coverage.
Jack Dilks – Contributor (Photographer):
Jack is a Melbourne-based photographer who is supplying us with photos from the women’s game in the state of Victoria.
Janelle St. Pierre (JASP Photography) – Contributor (Photographer):
Janelle plays in defence for Western Australia NPL Women’s side Balcatta Etna and has also given us permission to use her shots of matches involving the club as part of our coverage of the competition.
Jay Patel – Contributor (Photographer):
Jay is a photographer from England, who is supplying Impetus with photos from the Women’s Super League and Championship.
Jean-Pierre Thiesset – Contributor & French Language Editor (Writer & Photographer):
I was born in France where I have spent most of my life except for seven years in USA (1993 to 1999 in Pennsylvania, 2002 Atlanta). I played football when I was young and then went on the coaching side for young men (U7 to U15) in different amateur clubs.
When I retired at the end of 2017, I started to follow more closely women’s football and I loved it so much that I cannot quit it now! What I like in Women’s football is the fair play and the skills of the players. It is incredible to watch them play. Furthermore, the players are so easy to approach and so available and kind with the fans.
I support Olympique Lyonnais – OL – and France teams (both Men and Women) and I am a member of OL ANG’ELLES the Women OL fans club and of the Rouge & Bleu OL fans club. I support also all women who play football when they do not play against my teams.
In addition to his role as a contributor, Jean-Pierre acts as editor for all the French language articles published on the site in our Impetus en Français section.
Jon Smalldon – Contributor (Photographer & Editor):
Jon lives on the Sussex sunshine coast (Hastings to the uninitiated) with his family and is a season ticket holder at tier six Hastings United Women. He regularly attends matches across East Sussex from which he will be supplying Impetus with photos. In addition, Jon is part of the site’s editing team.
Jonathan Tay – Contributor (Writer):
I’ve been passionate about football from the time I could spell Gianfranco and Hasselbaink, and have had involvement in the game in numerous avenues: as a player, supporter, sports physio, data scout, writer, and current Wednesday night social futsal tragic. Currently calling Melbourne home, I love Espressos and Expected Goals equally.
Johnathan Stack – Contributor (Writer):
Johnathan is currently a BA Sports Journalism student in the UK. A hard worker and not one to shy away from being versatile, he has done radio work and had an article published by the World Snooker Tour. He has spent the last year working with Huddersfield Town Women in the third tier of the English game, writing match previews and reports as well as producing graphics for their social media platforms. As of summer 2022, he joins Stoke City Women who play at the same level on their media team. Johnathan commentated on the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England for Switch Radio.
Jorge Cerón – Contributor (Writer):
First I didn’t know that there was a women’s soccer league in my country, Mexico. Then I watched my favourite team’s games in the finals, then I watched all my favourite team’s games, then I watched local league games, and finally, now I watch as many women’s soccer games as I can around the world and I love it! I live in Mexico City and I will keep you updated on the activity of Mexican women’s soccer.
Kai Bennett – Contributor (Writer):
Kai, a sports journalist with the South London Press, is the Senior Media Officer for Impetus partner club Millwall Lionesses and supplied reports on the club’s games for the site.
Kris Goman – Contributor (Writer & Photographer):
Kris is a Sydney-sider who became obsessed with women’s football during the Women’s World Cup. She takes up the story: “I’d had a passing interest prior, watching the occasional W-League on a Saturday afternoon on the telly and did get to witness Norway beat Germany in the semis of the 2000 Olympics but the 2019 World Cup kicked off a passion that turned me into an avid fan. Late 2019 saw me travelling to the USA to watch the USWNT play Portugal and catch a few NWSL games. Since then I’ve attended all the W-League matches in Sydney and a couple in Canberra and Newcastle as well as all the Olympic qualification matches. I’ve always had an interest in photography (travel and tennis mostly) and started taking my camera to matches to document the games and capture the action. I joined a worldwide writing team to cover the 2020 Challenge Cup and I’m looking forward to contributing to the coverage of the A-League Women and Matildas for Impetus. I’ve got many favourite teams, the Matildas being top of the tree, but tend to have favourite players more than teams, which can make it tricky at times to figure out who to support. But I just love watching all women’s football and follow the A-League Women, the WSL, and the NWSL closely which requires many late nights.”
Mariella Prew – Contributor (Photographer):
Based in Sussex, I have always been a Brighton and Hove Albion fan, but my passion for the women’s game came at the start of the Euros in 2022. After England’s success, I was eager to see more. Once the 22/23 season began, I started buying tickets to as many Arsenal and Brighton WSL matches as I could, before making the decision to take my family camera with me to the stands at Meadow Park. Since then, I have not wanted to put the camera down and I am always on the lookout for games I can cover!
Martin Townley – Contributor (Writer):
I began writing about football in 2020 when after lockdown, I wanted to pursue something I loved. I began covering football within Wales and was able to attend games when fans were not permitted. My first games game involved covering The Welsh Premier Women’s League (now the Adran Premier). Over the past two seasons, I have covered games across South Wales both men’s and women’s. Women’s football appeals to me after following the Wales national team for many years. For the 2022/23 season, I will be working with Briton Ferry Llansawel as their website manager.
Matthew Appleby – Contributor (Photographer):
Matthew is a Yorkshire-based photographer who photographs at a variety of levels of the women’s football pyramid. Covering the FA Women’s National League up to the Women’s Super League.
Nathan Edwards – Contributor (Writer):
Nathan is a Sports Journalism student based in England. He has a huge interest in rugby and tennis, but football is his main sporting love. From the international to non-league game, he keeps up to date with it and is always wanting to learn more about the sport.
Paige Walder – Graphic Design & Artwork:
I’m a graphics designer from Brighton. I create logos, promotion work, and sports graphics. Having played football myself since I was 12 years-old, it has always been a deep passion of mine. Several years ago, I met my girlfriend who plays professional football around the world. This is what made me realise that the women’s game needs more creative marketing and that’s where I came onto the graphics design scene! I won the Women’s Football Designer of the Year Award at the 2023 On Her Side women’s football awards.
Rachel Cohen – Contributor (Writer):
Rachel is based in London. She’s a lifelong Spurs fan and, more recently a Spurs Women season ticket holder. She runs http://spurswomen.uk.
Rob Lizzi – Contributor (Writer):
Rob is based in Perth, Western Australia and is providing Impetus with photos from all Perth SC’s matches as part of our coverage of Western Australia’s NPL Women’s competition.
Ryan Miller-Woods – Contributor (Writer):
I’m an Australian of both Northern Irish and Scottish descent. With Football, I’ve loved watching the game from a very young age. The overall appeal of it is that it really does bring people together from the passion it exuberates, the historic rivalries that exist between teams, the highest of highs as well as the lowest of the lows the game can provide, the drama a match can bring at a split second, the determination a player and/or team can have to come in clutch and most importantly make it count in the dying seconds of a match and so much more that I’m not even close to scratching the surface in regards to how special Football really is. Apart from my love of football, I am the host of a motorsport podcast called ‘The Next Generation (A F2 and F3 Podcast)’, since March 2021 and has an audience in Australia, the United States of America, England, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Brazil, the Netherlands, France, and Germany. I am also massively into photography and my pictures from the match between the Matildas and the USA in November 2021 were published on the Area Sports Network website to an audience of 9,149 people.
Suvadeep Biswas – Contributor (Photographer):
Suvadeep is a student at Aston University in Birmingham and provides Impetus with photos from women’s football matches involving the Midlands clubs.
Tom Freeman – Contributor (Writer):
Tom works for Scottish Women’s Football (SWF), the governing body for the game in the country below the top two divisions. He kindly provides Impetus with weekly match previews and reviews about the sport in these Scottish leagues.
Tom McCarthy – Contributor (Photographer):
Tom is a part-time photographer and massive Perth Glory fan. He takes photos from their home games and supplies the official @PerthGloryFC social media accounts with match action. We are thrilled that he has agreed to provide us with pictures from A-League Women games played in Western Australia.
@DandalBs (Writer):
Daniel is based in Lund, Sweden and runs a social media account which provides regular news, reviews and transfer speculation from Swedish women’s football. He joins the Impetus team to keep us up to date with all the goings on in the Damallsvenskan, Elitettan and Swedish international football.
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