by Martin Townley, Impetus‘ Cymru Correspondent(27/6/23).
Above: Phoebie Poole has departed champions Cardiff City. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
After what was an amazing season in Wales, some clubs have started preparations for the 2023/2024 Adran Leagues season early.
The FAW have confirmed that all three divisions of the Genero Adran Leagues will see a full quota of eight teams each another exciting season is expected.
Adran Premier winners Cardiff City have seen two players depart the club already. Star forward Phoebie Poole has decided to leave after three seasons at the Bluebirds. Poole scored 37 goals for City, and where she will be playing next season is currently unknown. The Bluebirds will also see India Shanahan leave to join Barry Town United. The forward scored 24 goals in the Adran Leagues Under 19’s last season.
Barry Town United have been busy getting ready for the new season with not only Shanahan signing but also Chloe Tiley joining from Swansea City. Tiley will add extra Premier League experience to the Barry side. The Linnets have also added Emily Freeman who has previously been at Swansea Uni and Swansea City.
Swansea City who finished second have yet to bring in any new faces but as well as Tiley leaving, Emma Beynon departs the club.
In the Adran North, CPD YRhyl have signed Sade Benjamin from NFA, who will join the league this season.
In the Adran South, last season’s winners Briton Ferry Llansawel have confirmed, despite interest from several Premier clubs, that their first team will all be signing on for next season. In addition, they have brought in Alison Witts from Pontypridd United. Witts is a vastly experienced Adran Premier player who will add a lot to an already talented squad.
Above: Sade Benjamin, newly arrived at Rhyl. Photo: Clwb Pel Droed Y Rhyl.
Above: Costa Rica celebrate their World Cup qualification. Photo: Periódico Diez.
After missing out on France 2019, Costa Rica are back for this year’s World Cup and are out to ensure that their second tournament is even more memorable than their first.
Squad
At the time of writing, Costa Rica have named preliminary list of 30 players. Most of the squad are from the local league. However, there are three players in the Mexican league, one in the American league and two more play in Europe. Star striker Priscila Chinchilla with Scottish champions Glasgow City and Melisa Herreira is with Bordeaux in France. Additionally, Génesis Pérez is with an American university.
Goalkeepers: Priscila Tapia (Saprissa), Daniela Solera (Sporting), Noelia Bermúdez (Alajuelense), Génesis Pérez (University of Central Florida, USA).
Defenders: Mariana Benavides (Saprissa), María Paula Elizondo (Saprissa), Daniela Cruz (Atlas, México), Lixi Rodríguez (Libre), Valeria del Campo (Monterrey, México), María Paula Porras (Sporting), Yesmi Rodríguez, (Sporting), Fabiola Villalobos (Alajuelense), María Paula Coto (Alajuelense), Gabriela Guillén (Alajuelense).
Forwards: Catalina Estrada (Saprissa), Priscila Chinchilla (Glasgow City), Carolina Venegas (Libre), Sofía Varela (Libre), María Paula Salas (Monterrey, México).
Head Coach
Above: Costa Rica head coach Amelia Valverde. Photo: Be Soccer.
Amelia Valverde. A 36-year-old Costa Rican who has guided her country in both of their World Cup campaigns. In her career as a player, she played in the popular teams of Herediano and Saprissa, with her country’s team she was part of one of the only two times that Costa Rica qualified for the U17 World Cup. She represented her nation in the 2008 tournament.
In 2011 she began her career as a coach, and four years later she had the opportunity to lead her country’s national team, replacing Carlos Garabet. Valverde coached Costa Rica for its historic debut in the women’s World Cup. A couple of medals in the Central American games, and a medal in the Pan American games are some of her achievements in addition to a second World Cup qualification.
World Cup Record
Costa Rica’s sole previous appearance was in Canada 2015. Drawn in a group with Spain, Brazil, and South Korea, three defeats were expected, but the outcome was very different.
The Central Americans achieved a draw with Spain with their historic first goal at the tournament coming from Raquel Rodriguez. They also obtained a point against South Korea, with an equalising goal from Gloriana Villalobos a minute before the end. This meant that they went into their final group game with Brazil with qualification for the knockout stages alive. In the end they went down by just a single goal to nil.
How they qualified
Finishing fourth at the CONCACAF Women’s Championship was enough for Costa Rica to celebrate their return to the World Cup. They finished second in their group with victories over both Trinidad and Tobago and Panama, plus defeat to Canada before going down 3-0 to the USA in the semi-finals.
Strengths
The technical direction of Amelia Valverde. She knows all the strengths and weaknesses of her team – one that she has led for the last eight years, including an impressive World Cup debut. This experience will be passed on to her younger players.
Development Areas
With the majority of their team based in the domestic Costa Rican league, big-game experience against the top players and teams is limited.
Key Player
Above: Priscila Chinchilla – an extremely dangerous young striker. Photo: Glasgow City.
Priscila Chinchilla, the 21-year-old striker, has just had the best season of her very young career. Named player of the year 2022 in Scotland with champions Glasgow City, Chinchilla is a powerful striker with a real presence in the box. A born goalscorer, she will give defences a great deal to think about.
Success would be
Clearly, a qualification to the second round would be a success, but it is something that looks very complicated. The Central Americans have a difficult group. They face Spain, Japan, and Zambia. Getting a point from either Spain or Japan would be a triumph. Their encounter with Zambia offers an opportunity to gain a historic first win at the World Cup, but that wouldn’t be enough for a second-round place.
Ben Gilby provides a full report from the game of the week, plus all the details from the other matches in Western Australia’s NPL Women’s competition (26/6/23).
Above: Reina Kagami (right), seen here in action earlier in the season for Perth RedStar, added another goal to her tally for the season in the league leaders’ win at Balcatta Etna yesterday. Photo: Rob Lizzi.
Main report of the week
Balcatta Etna 0-4 Perth RedStar
Perth RedStar put in a strong performance, particularly in the second half, to run out comfortable winners at Grindleford Reserve on Sunday afternoon.
This victory, RedStar’s seventh in their last eight matches in an overall unbeaten run that stretches back to round two of the season, has seen the defending champions maintain their four-point lead at the top of the table despite the best efforts of Fremantle City in second.
RedStar hit the front with just two minutes played as Reina Kagami sent a corner in from the left which was eventually recycled back in. Olivia Wood played a pass for Chiori Ikeda who squared for Renee Leota to come in with Balcatta defender Elizabeth Doust with the deciding touch over the line adjudged to have come from Doust.
The visitors continued to have the better of the early chances with Kagami firing a powerful effort wide of the right hand upright. However, Balcatta were defending superbly. Carys Davis was an absolute rock, standing up to attackers and forcing them to shoot early rather than cutting inside. Baxter Thew also produced a brilliant interlude whilst trying to clear the danger under heavy pressure. Thew’s multiple twists and turns away from her attacker were joyous as she got the ball away.
There were signs though of a Balcatta recovery from an offensive perspective with 20 minutes on the clock. Tia Stonehill danced her way along the left and delivered in a deadly cross which Shivani Battaglia in the visitors’ goal just manged to palm away. The ball fell for Monique D’Opera on the opposite flank who pulled in a high centre that Battaglia dealt with.
Above: Balcatta’s Gabby Dal Busco, who made some superb saves for Balcatta Etna yesterday. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Gabby Dal Busco.
This set the tone for a thrilling final 10 minutes of the half with real chances at both ends. Lauren Continibali let fly from 30 yards with an effort that was heading for the top left corner, but Battaglia tipped over.
Gabby Dal Busco then had to be at her best to deny RedStar with two sensational saves. First, Coleman’s volley was heading goalwards before it took a deflection and the Balcatta keeper produced a superb reaction save. Then she brilliantly denied Wood who broke through.
However, despite the chances that Balcatta created towards the end of the first half, they were never able to get going in the second period as Carlos Vega Mena’s side dominated.
They doubled their lead just after the hour make when a corner on the right was met by a first-time half-volley from Reina Kagami that Dal Busco got a hand to, but couldn’t prevent Coleman from pouncing to score.
RedStar confirmed their victory with a third goal after 72 minutes which was a beauty. Picking up possession in the middle of the park, Kagami played a pass out to Ikeda outside her on the right who then motored up the right before squaring the ball back to Kagami to lift a superb shot from the ‘D’ into the left-hand corner of the net.
Above: Chiori Okeda, who supplied the pass for compatriot Reina Kagami’s goal for Perth RedStar at Balcatta Etna yesterday. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Perth RedStar
With the home side struggling to break out of their own half, the league leaders continued in the ascendancy. Emily Dunn hit a curling shot from the right of centre just outside the box which Dal Busco held.
Then, with six minutes remaining, Abbey Woolley completed the scoring when she was found with a pass from the left. The youngster took a touch and fired into the right-hand corner of the net.
This was another notable performance and result for Perth RedStar. A match that could have been a potential banana skin was navigated with aplomb.
Balcatta Etna are still not able to hit their potential on a consistent basis. The players, ability, and skill are all there – it just needs to come together more regularly, starting with next weekend’s big game with a Murdoch University Melville side also with top-four aspirations. Failure to win will make post-season football an uphill battle for Etna.
Teams: BALCATTA ETNA: Dal Busco, Davis, Doust, McCartney, M. D’Opera, Thew, Nossent, Mohammad Zainurrafiq, Continibali, Prinsloo, Stonehill. Substitutes: Bulgaru, Bricklebank, Jahn, Comito, McGlinn.
Curtin University 0-10 Murdoch University Melville
Above: Sam Mathers (13) of Murdoch University Melville breaking through to score the second of her four goals against Curtin University on Saturday. Image: Streamer.
Round 12 got underway late afternoon on Saturday at Edinburgh Oval as strugglers Curtin University suffered another comprehensive defeat, this time at the hands of top four hopefuls Murdoch University Melville.
The damage was done in a 22-minute spell in the first half when the visitors hit an incredible seven goals.
MUM FC hit the front with 23 minutes on the clock when Katie Schubert’s through ball wasn’t dealt with by Danielle Petch in the Curtin goal, allowing Sam Mathers to fire home from left of centre just outside the six-yard box. Five minutes later, a superb one touch move found Mathers in a similar position to score at the second attempt after Petch parried initially.
Moments later it was 3-0 as Jess Johnson was found on the right and hit a low shot from the edge of the box that Petch was unable to prevent from trickling over the line. Within three minutes, Johnson struck again with an absolute rocket which was launched from nearby by her previous goal and flew into the net. With seven minutes to play before the break, Andrea Preiato made it 5-0 after she dispatched Sophie Meaden’s low ball across from the right.
Above: Charli Wainwright, who scored a superb goal in Murdoch University Melville’s 10-0 win. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Charli Wainwright.
There was still time for two further goals before half-time. First, Charli Wainwright crashed home a stunning volley from an attempted headed clearance in the Curtin defence, and then within seconds, Schubert’s pass from Mathers on the left, and her cross was swept home by Johnson who completed her hattrick in the process.
Within three minutes of the re-start, Murdoch University Melville extended their lead to eight. A pass out to the left found Mathers who lifted a shot over Petch from outside the area and into the net for her own hattrick.
The final two goals came close to the end. With 11 minutes left, Mathers made it four for her and nine for MUM FC after turning and sending a low shot from centrally positioned outside of the box into the right-hand corner of the net. Then, with three minutes remaining, Wainwright danced her way along the left-hand flank and squared a pass for Nicolina Ierino to tap home at the back post.
Hyundai NTC 2-4 Perth SC
Above: Celebration time for Perth SC at E&D Litis Stadium yesterday. Photo supplied by Impetus by: Rob Lizzi.
Perth SC gained a vital victory against a rival for the top four at E&D Litis Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Azzurri took the game by the scruff of the neck with two goals in the opening 19 minutes.
They went ahead when Jessica Flannery was found by Gemma Craine to direct the ball into the net. It was 2-0 when Ella Lincoln broke through two tackles to advance into the box and maintain possession under the threat of two further NTC defenders to fire a superb shot across Megan Phillips and into the right-hand corner of the net.
Above: Ella Lincoln crashes home a shot yesterday. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Rob Lizzi.
However, within four minutes, the talented teenagers of the NTC were back in it as two of the state’s brightest young talents combined as Tanika Lala threaded a pass that allowed Junior Matilda Ischia Brooking to advance into the box and calmly slot home. After that flurry of three goals, it remained 2-1 at the break.
With 52 minutes played, Perth SC re-established their two-goal advantage as a great ‘no-look’ touch from Jessica Flannery found Monique Godding outside her. The favour was repaid which allowed Flannery to advance and roll the ball home to complete a brilliant move.
Above: Sophia Papalia (10) gets a header in for Perth SC at Hyundai NTC yesterday. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Rob Lizzi.
Yet from the re-start, the NTC got it back to just a single-goal deficit once more. They forced a throw-in on the right flank and the ball was played back to Grace Johnston, who earlier this week was awarded her first-ever A-League Women contract with Perth Glory. The youngster curled a stunner into the net from the right-hand edge of the box.
With just under a quarter of an hour remaining, The Azzurri finally made the points safe when Flannery forced a mistake as she challenged two NTC players in midfield and hit a low shot from outside the box from the right of centre which bounced as Phillips dived and rolled into the net to complete her hat-trick.
Subiaco 1-3 Fremantle City
Above: Fremantle City’s Tash Rigby (centre) celebrates her goal with Janice Kiama (left) and Olivia Trueman (right). Photo supplied to Impetus by: Denyse McCulloch.
Fremantle City maintained their grip on second spot with victory over Subiaco at Rosalie Park in Sunday’s late game.
The visitors hit the front just after the half-hour mark when Tash Rigby broke down the right, evading several attempted tackles to reach the by-line and square for Olivia Trueman to tap home from close range.
Subiaco levelled two minutes before the break when Freo were unable to clear Lilly Bassett’s throw in from the left and Savannah Olsthoorn played a ball across goal for Dakota Van-Vugt to slide into the net.
Above: A contest for possession at Rosalie Park yesterday between Subiaco (white) and Fremantle City. Photo supplied to Impetus by: Denyse McCulloch.
The match was ultimately settled by two Freo goals in a spell of three minutes during the in the opening 11 minutes of the second half. First, a corner on the right for the visitors bounced for Laura Waltman to control and then advance to the by-line on the left to square a low pass for Matilda Boyle to turn home.
Then, Sofie Osborne gained possession on the left of centre of the park and played in a perfectly judged curling pass to Rigby outside her. The Perth Glory captain advanced into the box to slam her side’s third goal past Subiaco goalkeeper Ashleigh Riddle.
Freo have now won seven of their last eight NPLW WA matches, including a run of five wins on the bounce. They face a tricky spell of matches in the next three weeks which could define their season. Faye Chambers’ side face off against top-four rivals Hyundai NTC, Murdoch University Melville before a mouthwatering showdown with Perth RedStar.
Stap yourself in, it will be quite a ride.
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Above: Japan are aiming to make it through to the latter stages of this year’s tournament after disappointments last time out in France. Photo: brfootball.
Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the Japan national team had considered dropping out of that year’s World Cup. Little did they know that the tournament in Germany would be the stuff of dreams. A historic event that would eventually become a source of encouragement.
That was the tournament that cemented Japan’s national team’s place in the lore of the football universe.
Above: Japan head coach Futoshi Ikeda. Photo: AFC.
The 52-year-old Futoshi Ikeda has been in charge since 2021 and also has experience coaching the national women’s/girls U17 and U20 sides. During his playing career, where he was a defender, Ikeda played 53 times for Urawa Reds, who would also be the first side he coached.
World Cup History
It hasn’t always been peak happiness like that night in 2011 in Frankfurt when Saki Kumagai buried the last penalty past Hope Solo to clinch World Cup glory. Like many squads in the game, Japan had to experience growing pains before getting to the final in a World Cup.
The nation made their World Cup debut in 1991 where they lost all three group games without scoring a goal. Their next attempt came the following tournament where they won one game and made it into the knockout stage before losing 4-0 to the USA.
The subsequent editions of the World Cup would see the team improve performances but not go beyond the group stages. That was until the team stepped up in 2011.
In a group consisting of Mexico, England, and New Zealand, Japan would finish second behind England and face the defending champions Germany. By this point, the Europeans were the clear favourites having hoisted the trophy twice and had the home advantage. Japan would cause the biggest upset of the tournament thus far, beating the European champions 1-0 after extra time courtesy of substitute Karina Mariyama.
They followed up that win with a convincing 3-1 victory over Sweden, again putting the world’s footballing eyes on them. The sweetest victory of them all would come in the final as they faced the highly fancied USA. As the Americans had knocked Japan out in 1995 in their first appearance at the knockout stages, Nadeshiko had their work cut out for them.
The US would take the lead twice and twice they were pegged back by the Japanese taking the game into penalty shoot-outs. Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd, and Tobin Heath would miss three penalties in a row. The then 21-year-old Kumagai was the coolest head and took the decisive penalty to send the wounded island into delirium.
The team entered its golden period after that within the region winning the Asian Cup in 2014 and 2018. This success hasn’t translated on the world stage in recent years as they lost in the 2015 final against the United States and were knocked out by the Netherlands in the Round of 16 in 2019.
How they qualified
Ikeda’s charges had a relatively uncomplicated route to the 2023 finals. They played in the 2022 Asian Cup and had to make it into the semifinals for automatic qualification. Japan topped Group C with two wins and a draw to set up a quarter-final tie with Thailand, whom they thrashed 7-0. With the qualification in the bag, Japan looked to defend their 2018 title against China in the final but were outdone 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
Strengths and Key Players:
Above: Japan star Yui Hasegawa – a familiar face to WSL fans. Photo: Wikipedia.
A lot of Japanese star power may lie in their midfield. Ikeda has a variety of options, with some having brilliant seasons. Jun Endo and Hina Sugita have been putting in brilliant performances for NWSL sides Angel City and Portland Thorns. Youngster Fuka Nagano has also been a bright spark in Liverpool’s 2023 season despite only arriving in January. Yui Hasegawa has been a fan favourite at Manchester City with eye-catching showings and will be looking to produce the same in Australia/New Zealand.
Development Areas
On paper, Japan has a highly talented squad with the right mix of experience and youth. From back to front. Marshalled by captain and 2011 winner Kumagai, they have all the right tools to cause trouble to any opponent in theory. She was integral to Bayern Munich’s title win in the Frauen Bundesliga. Long away from that giant-killing team, the defender will be looking to captain her team to similar heights achieved in 2011. The question remains whether this crop of players will produce on the big stage as they have done for their respective clubs.
One to watch
Above: Teenager Maika Hamano with the Golden Ball trophy after the U-20 World Cup. Photo: (FIFAWWC/Twitter).
Maika Hamano. The highly-rated forward will have the lights shining brightly on her, especially at a young age. The 18-year-old has been in brilliant form at Hammarby with 10 goals in 17 games across domestic competitions. She also helped the U-20 national side finish second at the World Cup in 2022 with four goals and two assists being named the player of the tournament as well as winning the golden boot.
Success would be
Japan is at a crucial stage in its life cycle and they will be hungry to reach the latter stages of the tournament and replicate the heroics of yesteryears. Their appearance in France was a disappointment for a team that had gotten to the final of the previous two editions. They will hope to bag another trophy, which would be the first major win since 2018.
Prediction
Getting to the semi-final at the very least.
Group C Fixtures
22nd July – Zambia, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton.
26th July – Costa Rica, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.
Above: Spain enter the World Cup with a number of key players missing. Photo: FourFourTwo.
Spain are a very complex team to preview for the World Cup. Technically speaking, they have one of the most fearsome lists of players of any nation in the world. However, due to internal politics, a large number of their best players will not be a part of the squad. In essence, Spain will be sending their B-Team.
Squad
Spain’s provisional squad was announced on June 13, 2023. These 30 players will be refined to 23 in the coming weeks.
Forwards: Mariona Caldentey, Athenea del Castillo, Inmaculada Gabarro, Esther González, Jennifer Hermoso, Alba Redondo, Eva Navarro, Salma Paralluelo
Head Coach
Above: Jorge Vilda, Spain’s head coach. Photo: The Guardian.
Jorge Vilda is Spain’s head coach. He has led the team since 2015. In the past year, Vilda has been the subject of criticism from a number of highly regarded Spanish players and worldwide media outlets. Many of the players who criticised his coaching practices have refused to play for Spain while he is in charge. This will have severe implications for Spain’s World Cup campaign.
World Cup History
This is the third time Spain have qualified for the Women’s World Cup. Their first qualification came in 2015 where they were unable to make it out of the group stage. In 2019, Spain put in their best performance yet, making it to the Round of 16 before losing 2-1 to the eventual champions, the USA.
How They Qualified
Spain qualified for the World Cup in a very strong fashion, winning all eight of their matches in Group B against the likes of Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary, and the Faroe Islands. The only other teams in Europe that qualified without losing or drawing a match were England, France, and Demark.
Strengths
Spain are a possession-based team. Their strength is dominating possession, passing the ball quickly, and creating lots of opportunities. Despite the lack of squad depth, Spain still has a lot of attacking options.
Development Areas
As many of Spain’s best players will not be in the squad, several weaknesses will be exposed. All of the goalkeepers are woefully inexperienced; only Rodriguez has any meaningful experience for the national team. The defensive line will have a couple of veterans but will be mostly composed of newcomers. The midfield is a bit better off, but they will still be lacking a lot of quality without the likes of Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina.
Key Players
Above: Alexia Putellas – one of Spain’s real stars. Photo: Michael Regan/UEFA.
Spain’s key players are Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso, and Irene Paredes. Putellas was recently voted the best player in the world (2022 FIFA Best Player and 2022 Ballon d’Or), and she is also Spain’s most experienced player. She will provide much-needed leadership in the midfield. Hermoso will be key up front. Paredes will be critical in the back line.
One to watch
Salma Paralluelo is a star of tomorrow. She’s 19 years old and has already won the U17 Women’s World Cup and the U20 Women’s World Cup representing her nation and the Liga F trophy and the Women’s Champions League (just this month) with Barcelona. She’s fast, tenacious, and a good finisher. She has a very bright future ahead of her, and she might make her mark at this World Cup.
Above: Salma Paralluelo – looking to add a senior World Cup to her U17 and U20 World Cup wins. Photo: FIFA.
Success Would Be
Success for a full-strength Spanish side would be a place in the Semi-Finals to set up a showdown with a nation like USA or Japan. But for this Spanish squad, making the Quarter-Finals would be a success.
Prediction
Quarter-Finals. Spain should fare well in the group stage. Japan will be their biggest challenge and might even prevent them from topping their group. Spain will most likely struggle in the knockout stages because once fatigue and injuries come into play, the lack of depth in their squad will haunt them.
Debashis Sen of the Debanjan Sen Foundation outlines their work supporting the next generation of female Indian footballers – with thanks to Impetus’ Suvadeep Biswas(24/6/23).
Above: Members of the Debanjan Share Girls Academy. Photo: ABP Ananda – ABP News.
Founded in 2011, the Debanjan Sen Foundation remembers a young man of the same name who died in that year at the age of 21.
The Foundation aims to support the growth and development of sports at the school level, especially in football, and to promote budding talents in the sport.
Amongst other schemes, the Foundation runs a football academy for girls in Kalimpong, in collaboration with Share Football Club, known as Debanjan Share Girls Academy. Within two years of the Foundation’s launch, 2013 the Debanjan Sen Foundation introduced a girls’ inter-school football tournament with schools from Kolkata.
This academy aims to identify talented U17 female players from the hills and Terai region and offer them an overarching environment to grow together as good footballers in a safe environment helping them to potentially play for big clubs within four years of their joining the Academy.
There are currently 21 girls, all under 17 years of age, the majority of whom are from remote areas of Kalimpong Darjeeling, Kurseong, and North Bengal. Almost all are from economically challenged backgrounds.
The academy provides a holistic scheme of support for the girls, providing free food, lodging, and education for all the trainees. The physical and mental well-being of all is monitored on a regular basis with Medical insurance covering all of the trainees.
Above: Anju Tamang, Indian international, supports the work of the Academy. Photo: The Bridge.
Anju Tamang, India International, is a local and lends her support as the Brand Ambassador of the Academy, supporting the trainees.
Notable achievements by the academy’s trainees to date include two trainees recruited by Premier League clubs in Kolkata and one trainee selected for trials with the U17 national team. Seven trainees were selected to play in the Kanyashree Cup during the 2022/23 season by Rainbow FC, Kolkata.
The organisations’ support for female football increased last year with the launch of the Debanjan Himalayan Cup inter-school football tournament for girls in Darjeeling.
Above: The trainees honing their skills on the training pitch. Photo supplied by: Debanjan Sen Foundation.
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Above: Nigeria’s Super Falcons – ready to cause upsets at the World Cup. Photo: Premium Times Nigeria.
Nigeria, known as the Super Falcons, are the best African team in history. Having won more African Cup of Nations titles than any other team, they have petered out somewhat in recent years, and are in a tough group at this World Cup.
Above: Nigeria head coach Randy Waldrum. Photo: Pulse Sports Nigeria.
Under the management of Randy Waldrum, this team has seen a string of average results, with comprehensive wins over weaker teams and pretty bad losses to the kind of opposition they will face this summer in Australia and New Zealand. The American coach has been an international manager before, he managed Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s national team, as well as being a top university coach. This experience has not transferred over to Nigeria, however, as the team have underperformed lately. Waldrum will need to use all of his managerial prowess to try to impress at the Women’s World Cup.
How they qualified
Nigeria qualified for their ninth straight World Cup by winning their quarter-final match at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations over Cameroon. They went on to finish fourth at the tournament, after losing their semi-final to Morocco on penalties. They followed this up by losing the third/fourth place playoff to Zambia.
World Cup history
Nigeria have qualified for every World Cup. Their best tournament came in 1999 when they reached the quarter-finals. This was achieved with a second-place finish in Group A with wins over North Korea and Denmark and a loss to the USA. Nigeria then produced a sensational performance in the last eight, coming from 3-0 down after just 35 minutes to level the match up with Brazil before going down 4-3 in extra-time.
Asisat Oshoala is regarded as one of the greatest female African footballers of all time. She has won African Women’s Footballer of the Year five times, more than anyone else. The 28-year-old Barcelona striker is highly decorated for country and club, as well as individually. She is the first female African footballer to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Another fantastic goalscorer for the Super Falcons is Uchenna Kanu. In her five appearances for her country, she has scored 10 goals. The 25-year-old plays in the NWSL for Racing Louisville, where she is facing high-calibre competition that continues to test her en route to the World Cup.
At the other end of the pitch is the Super Falcons’ captain, the rock and legend that is Onome Ebi. She has been playing for her country for 20 years and has participated in five FIFA World Cup Tournaments. The 40-year-old Levante Las Planas defender brings her leadership, defensive prowess, and major tournament experience to the side. With all of these players, Nigeria are capable of causing problems.
One to watch
The Super Falcons also have lots of young talent coming up through the ranks. One, in particular, is Gift Monday. The 21-year-old striker has been shining for UDG Tenerife in La Liga as well as for her country. She is a natural leader, captaining the youth national side at World Cups as well as leading the team to their first African Games gold medal in 12 years.
Above: Nigeria’s young star Gift Monday. Photo: Goal.
Strengths
The Super Falcons have many effective pathways to goal through their prolific strikers. They also have a relatively solid defensive line, rarely conceding many goals even against the best opposition.
Development Areas
Current form which sees them achieving below potential. Head coach Randy Waldrum has to find a way to spark his team into life ahead of a fiendish looking World Cup group.
Success would be
Reaching the knockout stages. Nigeria are in one of the toughest groups in the tournament and doing so would be a sensational achievement.
Prediction:
They may end up finishing at the bottom of their group. This is less of a reflection of their quality, but more of a look at the difficulty of the teams they will face.
Group B Fixtures
21st July – Canada, AAMI Park, Melbourne.
27th July – Australia, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
31st July – Republic of Ireland, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane.
Above: Germany star Alexandra Popp celebrates scoring in the Euros Semi-Finals last year – whilst she is a well-known international name, so many more of her team-mates should be as well. Photo: Euro 2022.
It’s strange to think that the two-time world champions, eight-time European champions, and 2016 Olympic gold medallists in Rio would be ‘underrated’ in the world of women’s football. With such a successful history, you’d assume that they’d be more highly recognised, both with the national team and in their individual club outlooks.
With only one German player in FIFA’s best players list this year, despite last summer playing some of the best football seen in the European Championships, as well as consistent performances in the Frauen Bundesliga and abroad, we seem to have a nation performing incredibly on the pitch, but not receiving the equal amount of hype.
Even after being runner ups to England in the 2022 Euros, Germany find themselves as somewhat of an underdog in the game, and even with the FIFA ranking placing them as second, just behind the USA, and in front of European rivals Sweden, I wanted to consider some factors that aid to this lack of recognition surrounding the players heading to Australia to represent Germany this World Cup.
Streaming rights and access to club football
In a world where the women’s game is on the rise, it is unsurprising that it is still difficult to access international domestic leagues outside of their ‘home’ countries. (I speak from someone in the UK for context for the 2022-23 season exclusively) Whilst La Liga F games are streamed on DAZN’s youtube channel for international viewing, if you don’t know where or how to access the Frauen-Bundesliga, it can be more difficult.
Whilst Champions League matches from the German League’s best, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg were also streamed for free on DAZN’s youtube, domestic league games are harder to watch outside of the country. Whilst some games were available to watch on ATA Football, easy access to all of the league’s games is still a challenge to more international fans than it should be.
Whilst these games were available, they were almost exclusively limited to Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich games, the two big hitters in the league. The other teams, including third-place Eintracht Frankfurt, are almost impossible to watch outside of Germany, and even if international fans want to get involved, it means many holes must be leapt through to simply watch a game.
On the last day of the season, both the Wolfsburg and Bayern games were almost impossible to watch on ATA Football until about halftime, as there was a massive delay in streams. In this case, Bayern fans missed a sensational first half to the game that saw them 11-1 winners and win the title. Many people, myself included, simply couldn’t be bothered to fight a streaming provider to get their streams to work, meaning we just didn’t continue watching the games, or even trying to get them to work.
Above: Bayern Munich lift the Frauen Bundesliga title – but it was hard for viewers outside Germany to see them do so. Photo: Bayern Munich,
In some places in addition to this, whilst streams are sometimes accessible, they need a German VPN to actually watch the game. This lack of domestic accessibility, which is a wider issue in all of women’s football, translates to a lack of accessibility. With the exception of the recent friendly with Sweden, it is seemingly impossible to watch the German national side outside of Germany.
Whilst next season, the Frauen Bundesliga will be shown on DAZN, from an English viewer’s point of view, it has been incredibly hard to watch German games of any capacity, and for causal viewers who aren’t prepared to go to further lengths just to watch the games, it becomes increasingly isolated and shut off to international fans.
There are issues that will continue. Unfortunately, it isn’t going to be solved by a new broadcaster next season, there has almost been a missed opportunity in the wake of the Euros to promote the German league in line with their European rivals, and where people were getting invested in Spanish teams (for example), they couldn’t. And now will be playing catch up to be invested. Dedicated fans of the game will put in the work, but the casual fan train has probably been missed along the way.
International containment
Where international fans couldn’t access the league, they miss a large bulk of the international German talent. Similar to other European leagues, most of Germany’s national team play for the big clubs in Germany. When you can’t access games, you miss the opportunity to watch the talent on offer within the league.
Of course, there are some players playing outside of Germany, including the duo of Ann-Katrin Berger and Melanie Leupolz at Chelsea in the Women’s Super League (not including the Blues’ new signing of Sjoeke Nüsken), but when the majority of players are contained in a league that is unwatchable for the most part, talent is missed, or misinterpreted.
Whilst the big names are always going to be noticeable and seen, mainly Wolfsburg’s duo of Popp and Oberdorf, other talent is left behind or unseen. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nicole Anymoi last season had an 8/4 G/A’s contribution in the 20-game season, compared to Manchester United’s Alessia Russo who had a 10/1 G/A, and yet one is almost unknown to fans outside of Germany. It’s in part because of the inability to watch games, to see players like that shine who haven’t neccessarily broken fully into playing in big tournaments that are more accessible to watch, but it is also because the attention from outside attention isn’t on these teams.
Whilst English interest in the league has peaked because of English international Georgia Stanway’s transfer last summer to Bayern Munich, the other teams do not have the same accessibility to fans. In her best scoring season in her professional career, more buzz should be surrounding Aynomi, but after only playing 98 minutes last summer as well as her very young age, she hasn’t received the international hype she deserves, but it is only a matter of time for these younger players.
Whilst the exception to this argument is Oberdorf, who continues to shine and collect ‘young player’ awards, most of the younger generation in the German team live in the shadows of players who have played this game before. Players like Popp, who have been professionally playing for 15 years, have created a name from nothing in a time where attention wasn’t on women’s football.
Above: Lena Oberdorf – A German star. Photo: Goal.
Whilst Popp deserves all the ‘hype’ that surrounds her and continues to prove her worth, it may take the end of the reign of players like that to let the youngsters truly shine through. The lack of international minutes, where access in other countries is much easier, as well as containing their names to Germany means they aren’t being spoken about in the same way or enthusiasm those in their age ranges are from international leagues are.
Awards
Now, awards are definitely not the be-all and end-all of sports. Especially individual awards. But, when they are awarded, they highlight names that aren’t necessarily on everyone’s radar. Both tournament individual awards, presented as part of the final celebrations of a tournament, and the ‘outside’ awards that are presented traditionally in the Autumn months, highlight talent chosen by the experts that aren’t necessarily the stand-out stars, or the big winners from these games.
However, as we discussed before, from the German perspective, these aren’t unsung heroes being highlighted. It is the names already known. Now, I’m not saying Popp and Oberdorf don’t deserve their individual praise, they have been stars for both Wolfsburg and Germany alike, but when you already know the names, the interest in the new ones isn’t the same.
Despite her immensely young age, Oberdorf has been probably the most key player for club and country alike for a while now and has become one of the most recognisable names in the game (and of course, Popp is Popp, need I say more). I think, as I write, specifically about players such as Trinity Rodman.
The same age as Oberdorf, and also on the Ballon d’Or list for 2022, Rodman is pushing into the USWNT, in ways Oberdorf is not for Germany. With the NWSL and Bundesliga taking up roughly the same international viewership, the inclusion of Rodman pushed her name further than Oberdorf, because she was unknown.
Whilst I’m not saying more Germans deserved to be included in these lists, I am saying that, whilst individual awards are a bonus to many players, they do push names that are less seen by the general viewer of the game, especially when they aren’t seen or highlighted by the popularity of a team or country. The actual award is a bonus to a player, and the inclusion in a list like these does more than just highlight the player’s ability and talent.
Whilst I have mainly focused on things holding the success of the German teams back, I’d also like to highlight the things boosting them forwards. With the national team runners-up in the Euros last summer, as well as giants Wolfsburg recently beaten finalists to FC Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the talent itself is endless.
Not stopping at the pre-mentioned players, German talent excels across the pitch. With plenty of goalkeeping talent, because being able to sub-off Merle Frohms for Ann-Katrin Berger is completely insane, as well as gifted midfielders, attacking options, and defensive excellence.
With talent like that on paper, comes performances that back it up. Whilst it is common that Oberdorf runs the show for club and country in the defensive midfield, other midfield such as Bayern Munich’s Sydney Lohmann and Eintracht Frankfurt’s attacking midfielder Laura Freigang, create a dangerous trio.
Photo: Laura Freigang – an unheralded name. Photo: Eintracht Frankfurt.
With players like Freigang highly rated and sort after by many clubs internationally, the propelling of the names and brands of German players into the spotlight more. With all three set to play Champions League football next season, as well as Freigang’s talented striker teammate Anyomi and Lohmann’s talented winger teammate Klara Bühl, players like these will continue to impress and create names for themselves from places where this has been stunted.
The physicality of the German game will also continue to impress, both for club and country. No matter whether they are in a German shirt or a club shirt, the identity of German play shines through in their play and creates a powerful team that not only gets results but pushes for the best trophies around, even if they happen to fall short on the day.
With the World Cup on the horizon, which could see the Germans seeking revenge on last year’s Euros winners England in the Quarter-Finals, it is only a matter of time before the German players are recognised across the board for their immense talent and ability, both for their country and into the next season, for their club. For a country so dominant in terms of trophies and success, it is only time before their ‘hype’, as it were, and rating from the outside.
The Adran Leagues have come to end for 2022/23 – a season that has seen the contued growth of women’s football in Cymru.
Cardiff City won the Adran Premier and the FAW Women’s Welsh Cup while Cardiff Met secured the Adran Trophy.
Wrexham will go into the Adran Premier next season after their Adran North win and play-off success over Adran South Champions Briton Ferry Llansawel. Pontypridd United once again won the Adran Plate conference and The New Saints made the top four of the Adran Premier.
Along with teams’ successes, the leagues saw attendance records broken and high-profile games well supported.
Below is the Adran Leagues team of the year made up of players from across the Premier, North, and South.
Goalkeeper
Sarah Parkes – The New Saints
Above: Sarah Parkes of The New Saints. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
Parkes kept seven clean sheets across the season for the Saints. Impressive across the season she helped towards some famous victories notably the Saints win over Swansea City where she made several key saves.
Defenders
Beth Lewis – The New Saints
Above: TNS defender Beth Lewis. Photo: The New Saints.
A virtual ever-present for The New Saints making 24 appearances as the club had their best season to date. Lewis managed eight goals and five assists.
Ffion Price – Cardiff City
Above: Ffion Price – an integral part of Cardiff City’s defence. Photo: Cardiff City.
A vital part of the way Cardiff play, Price enjoyed another fantastic season with the Bluebirds. Solid in defence and dangerous in attack, the City left-back pitched in 22 assists.
Siobhan Walsh – Cardiff City
Above: Siobhan Walsh (blue kit) gets a tackle in against Cardiff Met. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
The Bluebirds captain helped City to a double and was part of 15 clean sheets, helping to guide the club to the Adran Premier title and Cup success.
Lowri Ridings – Briton Ferry Llansawel
Above: Lowri Ridings (red kit) tussles for possession against Cardiff City. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
The Briton Ferry skipper led her side to the Adran South title and a Welsh Women’s Cup Final. Leading by example, the defender helped her side gain 11 clean sheets and scored seven goals. Ridings was also named as Adran South Player of the Season.
Midfield
Laura-May Walkley – Briton Ferry Llansawel
Above: Laura-May Walkley shows her passion for Briton Ferry Llansawel. Photo: Lewis Mitchell/FAW
The former Reading player dropped down from Adran Premier side Cardiff Met to play for the Reds. Adding a wealth of experience both on and off the pitch, Walkley helped led Ferry’s attack and scored 10 goals. However, it was her incredible 19 assists that provided a big boost to the Adran South side, making her direct involvement in goals up to 29.
Kristie Kural – Connah’s Quay Nomads
Above: Kristie Kural pictured after scoring for Connah’s Quay Nomads against Airbus UK Broughton.Photo: FAW.
Helped lead the Nomads to second place in the Adran North and pushed Wrexham until the final three games. An impressive 24 goals and 11 assists for the Nomads captain.
Katy Hosford – Swansea City
Above: Katy Hosford – showing her pride after scoring at the Liberty Stadium. Photo: Swansea City.
Hosford helped Swansea to second place in the Adran Premier scoring 15 goals during the season. A mainstay of the Swans’ starting line-up, Hosford contributed 13 assists as well.
Forwards
Rosie Hughes – Wrexham
Above: Wrexham’s red hot striker Rosie Hughes celebrates scoring for the Adran North champions in front of over 9,000 fans at the Racecourse Ground against Connah’s Quay Nomads. Photo: Sam Eaden/FAW.
Hughes run riot across the Adran North over the season with 24 goals as Wrexham went unbeaten in the league. Scoring an unprecedented 41 goals overall with 16 assists, including the vital ball for the goal to win the playoff and take Wrexham to the Adran Premier.
Phoebie Poole – Cardiff City
Above: Cardiff City hot shot Phoebie Poole. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
Another great season for Poole as she hit 20 goals and five assists for the Bluebirds. Her late goal away at Swansea helped Cardiff maintain their unbeaten record in the Adran Premier and was one of the most dramatic moments of the season.
Emily Ridge – The New Saints
Above: The New Saints’ striker Emily Ridge. Photo: Andrew Donnison.
A solid season for Ridge as The New Saints managed a fourth-place finish in the Adran Premier. The forward hit an impressive 14 goals over the course of the season helping TNS to some memorable moments across the season including scoring the winner against Swansea.
An impressive ten clean sheets for the Wrexham stopper over the season. The most important coming in the final game as she pulled off some outstanding saves in the play-off final.
Rhianne Oakley – Cardiff City
Above: Rhianne Oakley, Cardiff City striker. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
Crossing the South Wales divide former the former Swansea player left the champions to be crowned champions with Cardiff. Oakley hit 17 goals as the Bluebirds won both the Adran Premier and Welsh Women’s Cup.
Emily Allen – Cardiff Met
Above: Emily Allen showing her delight after scoring for Cardiff Met. Photo: Carl Robertson/Met Sport
With 15 goals and 5 assists, Allen helped Met to third spot in the Adran Premier and helped them lift the Adran Trophy.
Manon Pearce – Barry Town United/Cardiff City
Above: Manon Pearce in action for Barry Town United. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
Having started the season at Barry Town United, Pearce’s impressive form saw her move to Cardiff City where she helped the Bluebirds to the Adran Premier title.
Eliza Collie – Cardiff City
Above: Eliza Collie – Cardiff City’s young sharpshooter. Photo: Perry Dobbins.
A good year for the young Bluebird seven goals in five games in phase two of the Adran Premier as Cardiff went unbeaten and became champions. Also scored the opening goal in Cardiff’s Welsh Cup final victory.
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Above: Vera Pauw, Republic of Ireland head coach. Photo: FAI.
Vera Pauw is the head coach of the Republic of Ireland women’s football team, a Dutchwomen with extensive experience. Appointed in September 2019, Pauw has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the team, having previously coached the Netherlands women’s national team and various club teams in Europe and the United States.
World Cup history
This is the first World Cup that the Republic of Ireland has qualified for.
How they qualified
Ireland had a tough run of matches to earn their qualification for the competition. The team secured a crucial victory in their World Cup qualifying campaign, defeating Finland 1-0 in a Group A match. The decisive goal was scored in the second half by substitute Lily Agg, allowing the Irish team to claim second place in the group with one game remaining. This saw them move on to the European qualification play-off final. Their 1–0 win over Scotland in Glasgow on 11th October 2022 sealed the historic qualification. A crucial first-half penalty save from Courtney Brosnan kept Ireland alive before Amber Barrett scored the decisive goal.
Key Players
Above: Republic of Ireland superstar Denise O’Sullivan. Photo: Irish Mirror.
Denise O’Sullivan – midfield. One of the top players in the NWSL where she plays for North Carolina Courage, O’Sullivan will be hugely important to Ireland’s hopes. The midfielder has 101 caps and 19 goals for her country.
Louise Quinn – defender. One of the stars of the team, Quinn, who captains Birmingham City in the Championship earned her 99th cap against Scotland. The former Peamount United, Arsenal, and Fiorentina player has scored an impressive 15 goals for her country. She was also named Birmingham’s top goalscorer for 2021-22, as a defender, but could do nothing more to assist her team avoid relegation from the WSL.
Courtney Brosnan – goalkeeper. The American-born Everton keeper was one of the heroines of Ireland’s win over Scotland earning their place in the World Cup, saving a second-half penalty from Caroline Weir. She has 21 caps for Ireland and has kept many clean sheets, the former West Ham star will play a crucial part in Ireland’s World Cup chances.
One to watch
Megan Campbell is a crucial part of the Irish game plan, she an incredible long throw-in. She caused all sorts of havoc against Scotland with her skills and no doubt Vera Pauw is hoping she will do the same in Australia. The Liverpool star is a tough left-back who was pivotal in Matt Beard’s team getting promoted to the WSL at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Above: Liverpool’s Megan Campbell who will be a threat in Australia for the Republic of Ireland. Photo: FAI.
Success would be
As this is their World Cup debut, a combination of three solid performances, goals scored, and third place in the group would be an excellent achievement.
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