Impetus was launched in September 2019 by Ben Gilby, who is now a member of the Football Writers’ Association. Run by an editorial board of four volunteers, the site has over 100 volunteer writers, photographers, and TikTok content creators based on four continents. Over 60% of the team are female, and over 25% of their contributors are under the age of 21.
The site grew its audience consistently since October 2020 after an article in support of Sam Kerr after she received abuse on social media was read over 3,500 times around the world in the space of 48 hours. In 2023 the site was voted as Women’s Football Platform of the Year at the On Her Side Awards, with Impetus‘ graphics designer Paige Walder also named Women’s Football Designer of the Year at the same time.
Impetus attracts several thousand readers each week from around the world, with a particularly large audience in Australia, the UK, the USA, Canada, Sweden, France, and New Zealand.
In June 2022, the British Library announced that it was adding Impetus to its online archives due to the site representing “different aspects of UK heritage as well as important global events.”
Clearinghouse, based at the world-renowned Australian Institute of Sport, regularly includes links to Impetus articles on its daily bulletins which signpost the best articles on Australian sport, as recognition of the quality of the team’s coverage of Australian women’s football.
On 1st January 2024, another UK-based women’s football site Since 71 came across to join Impetus to further strengthen its coverage of the women’s football scene with the site’s writers becoming part of Impetus‘ team.
The site is an Associate Member of the Football Supporters Association’s Women’s Game Network – the national democratic representative body for football supporters in England and Wales. The group played a part in the government’s recent reviews of football and specifically the women’s game review.
As well as regular content including match reports from all levels of the game, Impetus runs features on grassroots clubs. The volunteer contributors of our site believe passionately about supporting the women’s game and as well as producing content, we also come together using our own money to sponsor fourteen players for the 2023/24 season across the United Kingdom and Australia.
Miley Shipp, our teenage Moriarty Foundation scholarship holder in Australia.
Lauren Coleman at third-tier Scottish Championship side Rossvale
Modlen Gwynne and Ella Thomas at tier one Welsh side Aberystwyth Town
Lisa Topping of Chorley Women – FA Women’s National League (FAWNL) Division One North (T4)
Ashley Cheatley of Ashford Town (Middlesex) – FAWNL Division One South East (T4)
Emma Plewa of AFC Wimbledon – FAWNL Division One South East (T4)
Annabel Rutter of Moneyfields – FAWNL Division One South West (T4)
Gabriella Howell of Dartford – London & South East Premier Division (T5)
Evie Nebbitt of Saltdean United – London & South East Premier Division (T5)
Poppy Payne from Millwall Lionesses – London & South-East Premier Division (T5)
Otty Baker of Pride Park – Derbyshire Ladies League Division One (T7)
Sophia Demetriou of Corinthian-Casuals – Greater London League Division One (T9)
Karly Smith of Andoversford – Gloucestershire League Division Three (T10)
The site additionally has content partnerships with AFC Wimbledon, Ashford Town (Middlesex), Millwall Lionesses, and Pride Park.
Impetus has a Charity partner, Moriarty Foundation, which work with Indigenous children in Australia through football to improve education and healthcare. One of their earliest scholars is Shadeene Evans, who represented the Young Matildas.
As part of our relationship with Moriarty Foundation, Impetus sponsors Miley Shipp, one of their young female scholarship holders from rural Australia to help fund her top-level life-changing educational and footballing opportunities in Sydney.
Impetus aims to continue to provide in-depth coverage of international football and are recognised media by the English FA, Football Australia, FA Wales, Football Association of Ireland, and New Zealand Football. Our French editor Jean-Pierre Thiesset holds accreditation to photograph for us from Olympique Lyonnais Feminin home games.
Follow Impetus on social media:
X (Twitter): @impetusfootball and @impetus71 TikTok: @Impetus71
Facebook: @Impetuswomensfootball Instagram: @Impetus_71
impetusfootball.org 