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.

GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY

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.”

View publisher imprint

Share this article

The post Lewes, Lionesses and ‘powerful inspiration’ behind FA Cup open letter to Karen Carney appeared first on FemaleFootballNews.

https://photobooth-api.onefootball.com/api/screenshot//v2/photobooth/cms/en/36995394

https://femalefootballnews.com/lewes-lionesses-and-powerful-inspiration-behind-fa-cup-open-letter-to-karen-carney/

https://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png
https://femalefootballnews.tumblr.com/post/712263645345759232

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.”

Image:

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.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

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.

The post Jodie Taylor: Arsenal Women re-sign striker on short-term deal | Football News appeared first on FemaleFootballNews.

https://e0.365dm.com/23/03/1600x900/skysports-jodie-taylor-arsenal_6091712.jpg?20230317115455

https://femalefootballnews.com/jodie-taylor-arsenal-women-re-sign-striker-on-short-term-deal-football-news/

https://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png
https://femalefootballnews.tumblr.com/post/712263644678946816

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.”

The post Arsenal ‘showed what they’re made of’ after come-back win appeared first on FemaleFootballNews.

https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4274,h_2404,x_0,y_445/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/90min_en_international_web/01gtse0fzc1agged3dtd.jpg

https://femalefootballnews.com/arsenal-showed-what-theyre-made-of-after-come-back-win/

https://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png
https://femalefootballnews.tumblr.com/post/711176511878840320