Lewes Lionesses and powerful inspiration behind FA Cup open letter to Karen Carney

If Lewes pull off an upset and defeat Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, the club will pocket £25,000.

While this seems like a considerable sum, it is overshadowed by the £450,000 earned by the winners at the same stage in the men’s tournament.

It is these figures which prompted Lewes’ players to write an open letter to Karen Carney, who is chair of an in-depth review into the future of domestic women’s football.

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Signed by every member of the women’s squad, the letter asserts that the widening gap in the men’s and women’s FA Cup prize pot was “concerning”.

Lauren Heria, who joined Lewes at the start of the season after a trial with the club, was one of the main drivers behind the letter.

“It was originally four of us that got together,” she told GiveMeSport Women. “Myself, Nat Johnson, our captain Rhian Cleverly and Laura Hartley. We all felt we had a really good platform from the progress made in the FA Cup.

“Being in the quarterfinals gave us an opportunity to bring light to an issue that we’ve seen for years – the prize money element of the FA Cup.

“It’s something the club’s campaigned on since 2019. It’s something as players we’ve all been involved in, playing FA Cup football for different teams. We love the tournament a lot. But I think we were even surprised when we saw the figures.

“A lot of the narrative has been about the prize pot increasing to £3 million this season, and we’re thankful for that and have benefited from that, but when we actually looked at the numbers, and the size of the gap between what we win and what the men win.

“We thought that if we didn’t know it, then other people wouldn’t know it. So let’s do an open letter. Let’s bring light to it. And then we really want to make a change off the back of it.”

Heria described the response to the letter as “overwhelming”, with Manchester United boss Marc Skinner among the figures in women’s football to commend the campaign.

“It’s been really nice to see players from other clubs and leagues jumping on board and saying that it’s something that matters and it’s something that should change,” Heria said.

“I just love it, I think players using their voices is so important. To be at a club that encourages us to use our voices is fantastic, and to see players following and standing with us is brilliant.”

The week prior, the UK Government had pledged to provide equal access to all sports in PE for boys and girls, a minimum of two hours of PE a week, and a multi million‑pound investment in school sports and extracurricular activities.

This commitment was sparked by an open letter from the Lionesses after their glorious victory at Euro 2022.

Heria revealed how the letter had stuck with her since it was published, inspiring her to take similar action.

“It was so cool to see these giants in the women’s game standing up and using their voice in that way,” she said.

“I was inspired that they had this moment of success on the pitch, and took the time to understand what it could mean for the wider football community and wider society.

“Not only did they take the time to reflect on it, they then actually put an action into place. Now off the back of it, change has come. So it’s certainly an inspiration, although the timing was just chance really.

“I think when we spoke to the wider team, it was really important for us to convey the message of what we wanted to do, and why we thought it was important.

“When we spoke to the players as a whole, every single player said they wanted to be a part of it. Again, that was quite overwhelming. So it’s really fantastic.”

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Jodie Taylor: Arsenal Women re-sign striker on short-term deal | Football News

Arsenal Women have re-signed forward Jodie Taylor on a deal until the end of the season.

Taylor has joined the Gunners following the end of her contract with US-based club San Diego Wave.

The return to the Women’s Super League marks Taylor’s second spell at Arsenal, having scored 10 goals in 17 appearances between 2016-17.

“It feels amazing to be back – like I never left,” the 36-year-old said. “It’s incredible to have this opportunity to come back to the club that I love so much.

“A lot of progression has happened here in the last five years and to see how much the club has grown and progressed is incredible. I’m very happy to be here.”

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Jodie Taylor (right) previously played for the Gunners between 2016-17

Arsenal have been short of forward options since season-ending knee injuries to both Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema in December last year.

The north London side had two world-record bids for Manchester United striker Alessia Russo, who only has a matter of months remaining on her current deal, turned down in January.

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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Arsenal and Reading

The north London side have scored five fewer goals than their Manchester counterparts this term and six less than WSL leaders Chelsea.

Manager Jonas Eidevall added: “We’re really pleased to have brought in Jodie to help us from now until the end of the season.

“She has a proven track record for scoring goals and we know her experience will be a great asset to the whole dressing room. We have so much to fight for this season and Jodie will help us on that journey.”

Taylor also has 51 England caps to her name and won the Golden Boot at Euro 2017 as her five goals helped the Lionesses to the semi-finals.

Arsenal are currently fourth in the WSL, five points behind leaders Chelsea, and travel to face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.

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Arsenal showed what theyre made of after come-back win

Jonas Eidevall is pleased that Arsenal managed to ‘show what they’re made of’ after they came back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 3-1 in the Conti Cup final.

Arsenal trailed within two minutes after Sam Kerr scored Chelsea’s opener but the Gunners responded with goals from Stina Blackstenius and Kim Little, who scored from the penalty spot, to make it 2-1.

The third goal came after Chelsea defender Niamh Charles found the back of her own net from a corner, securing Arsenal’s first trophy in four years, and their sixth League Cup.

“It’s a very nice feeling and I am so happy for the team and for the players. 

“It was a really tough start but the way the team came back showed what they’re made of,” said Eidevall after the win.

“There was so much more intent today with our runs off the ball and it created a lot of situations. Those runs for the second goal with the penalty – that’s what we were mising last Sunday [against Chelsea] and we put that right today.

“These are the games we want to play. To get results creates belief. Last Sunday, we did a lot of things well but we didn’t get the result. 

“It was really important to get that reward and result today and now we can be filled with belief for all the games going forward.”

Kim Little, who was voted Player of the Match, also spoke after the victory, saying: “I’m so proud of the team. On the back of last week’s result we had to turn it round and we did. We had a good week’s training and we talked about a lot of things. They scored such a good goal, but because it was so early we just had to reset and I think we did that. The rest of our first-half performance was pretty special; that’s what won us the match today.

“At a club like Arsenal we want to win trophies. We’re disappointed in ourselves that we haven’r done that since 2019, but here it is. Just happy and proud for the girls.”

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Alexia Putellas and Millie Bright once went viral for iconic Arnold Clark Cup moment

The Arnold Clark Cup returns this week, with England, South Korea, Belgium and Italy set to contest the invitational football tournament held across three cities.

Milton Keynes, Bristol and Coventry are all hosting matches, with thousands of fans expected to turn out to cheer on the European champions.

Many have linked England’s success at Euro 2022 to their performances at last year’s Arnold Clark Cup, where they went unbeaten against heavyweights Germany, Spain and Canada.

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The tournament is also remembered for a number of iconic moments, with one particular incident involving Lionesses defender Millie Bright and Spanish sensation Alexia Putellas quickly going viral.

Why did Millie Bright and Alexia Putellas go viral at the Arnold Clark Cup?

The Arnold Clark Cup gave England boss Sarina Wiegman an excellent opportunity to experiment with her team before Euro 2022.

But fans were still left surprised when Bright was transformed from a centre-back into a makeshift striker in the last 10 minutes of the Lionesses’ encounter with Germany.

Bright, who plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, already had one goal to her name after scoring a stunning volley against Canada earlier in the tournament.

Video: Watch Millie Bright score stunning goal against Canada

With England needing to score a winner against Germany to clinch the Arnold Clark Cup title, the pressure was on Bright to deliver.

Thankfully for Wiegman, Bright thrives on pressure. The 29-year-old kept her composure when the ball fell kindly to her in the penalty box, taking a touch before coolly slotting it into the back of the net.

Fran Kirby then added to England’s goal tally in the dying minutes of the match to secure Arnold Clark Cup glory.

Bright’s goals matched the two scored by Putellas, and the pair were subsequently awarded the tournament’s Golden Boot to share.

How did fans react to Millie Bright receiving the Golden Boot?

Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, is widely known for her goal scoring abilities. It was therefore no surprise to see her given the Golden Boot.

But fans were left delighted to see her share it with Bright, who is more used to earning praise for her world-class defending.

A photo of Putellas and Bright holding the Golden Boot together quickly went viral, with numerous memes made about the moment.

In her , Lucy Bronze addressed the viral moment.

“We really felt the support at the Arnold Clark Cup last year,” she wrote. “There were so many different moments that the fans loved, like Millie Bright finishing the tournament as joint-top goalscorer alongside Alexia Putellas.

“I think people thought it was quite comical, but it was also good for us to show a different side of our game, and that our centre-half could come up trumps with the goals!

“We’re looking forward to connecting with the fans at this year’s tournament, and to sharing those special moments both on and off the pitch again.”

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UWCL DRAW: Arsenal to face Bayern Munich while Chelsea take on champions Lyon

The draw for the last-eight took place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland this lunchtime and was streamed live via the association’s official media channels.

Arsenal have been handed a quarter-final tie against German club Bayern Munich. The Gunners will see their quarter-final opponent as challenging, however, they avoided being paired with European champions Lyon due to the fact that they played in the same group as the French giants in the last-16.

Chelsea are undoubtedly the English club with the tougher draw in the quarter-finals. The Blues have been paired with a Lyon side which defeated FC Barcelona 3-1 in last season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final. The French club have been without a number of players due to injury this season but there is much more to come from them.

Both Arsenal and Chelsea will be away for the first leg ties on 21/22 March 2023. The second legs will take place on 29/30 March 2023.

The semi-final draw has also been determined. Should Arsenal reach the last-four, they will face the winner of the Paris Saint-Germain and VfL Wolfsburg tie while if Chelsea get through, they will meet AS Roma or FC Barcelona.

The 2022/2023 UEFA Women’s Champions League final will take place at the Philips Stadion, home of PSV Eindhoven, on 3 June 2023.

UEFA Women’s Champions League Draw

QF3 – AS Roma v FC Barcelona

QF4 – Paris Saint-Germain v VfL Wolfsburg

SF1 – QF4 Winner v QF1 Winner

SF2 – QF2 Winner v QF3 Winner

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Women’s World Cup: Australia vs Ireland opener moved to Sydney’s Stadium Australia to meet demand for tickets | Football News

Republic of Ireland’s opening game of the Women’s World Cup against Australia has been moved to a new venue to meet ticket demands.

The match on July 20, on the opening night of the tournament, will now take place at Stadium Australia in Sydney, which has a capacity of 82,500.

Th clash was originally scheduled to take place at Allianz Stadium, which holds 42,000.

Stadium Australia was due to host knock-out matches only, but given the significant interest in tickets, FIFA has taken the decision to move Australia’s first match to Sydney’s largest stadium.Image:
Stadium Australia has a capacity of 82,500

FIFA is now hoping to get at least 100,000 fans through the turnstiles for the opening night’s games (Australia v Republic of Ireland in Sydney, and New Zealand v Norway at Eden Park in Auckland).

“FIFA’s mission is to organise the biggest and best Women’s World Cup in history this year, and fans, those who bring colour, passion, and atmosphere to stadiums will be such an integral part of the tournament’s success,” said FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura.

“With this in mind, we have taken a decision that will enable over 100,000 fans to attend the opening matchday, providing more opportunities for supporters to engage with the FIFA Women’s World Cup as a month of football we will never forget gets underway.”

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