Keep Kicking (Editor’s Letter)
Column / Opinion p.3
Jen O'Neill leads on the FA's announcement that the WSL will revert to a winter season in 2017-18 after a shortened Spring Series in 2017, calling the switch brave and the most logical decision…
Issue
She Kicks issue 37
September 2016 40 articles indexed
Read She Kicks issue 37 in full
News
News pp.4–6
The FA confirms the WSL will move to a winter season in 2017-18 after a shortened Spring Series, aligning with the rest of the pyramid and with Europe. Germany take Olympic gold in Silvia…
Germany’s Golden Girls: Rio 2016 Olympic Review
Tournament feature pp.8–9
Germany won Olympic gold in Silvia Neid's final match in charge, beating Sweden two-one at the Maracana on 19 August and making Neid the first coach to have won the World Cup, the European…
England U17s: Jordan-Bound (John Griffiths interview)
Run-of-page feature p.11
England's Under-17s qualified for the World Cup in Jordan by beating Norway two-one in the European third-place play-off, having lost a four-three semi-final to Germany, and open against North Korea in Amman on 1…
Lessi Loves Her Young Lionesses (Alessia Russo interview)
Interview pp.12–13
Chelsea forward Alessia Russo, joint-top scorer at the Under-17 European finals in Belarus, describes being fast-tracked into the first-team squad after joining the club at twelve, and making her debut against London Bees in…
Midfield Duo’s Midlands Move (Jo Potter and Jade Moore interview)
Interview pp.14–17
England midfielders Jo Potter and Jade Moore became the first players in English women's football to buy out their own contracts, leaving Birmingham City for Notts County. Potter, after seven years in a third…
Molly’s Mission (Molly Bartrip interview)
Interview pp.18–19
England Under-20 defender Molly Bartrip, a key part of Reading's WSL 2 title win, describes a baptism of fire in the top flight where wins have been hard to come by. The tempo and…
Determined Duggan Is Digging In (Toni Duggan interview)
Interview p.20
Manchester City's Toni Duggan is frank about two years of injuries after a career without any: a knee problem before the 2015 World Cup and then a season-ending ankle injury. Back with four goals…
Atlanta Crossing the Atlantic (Atlanta Primus interview)
Interview pp.22–23
England Under-19 forward Atlanta Primus joined Yeovil Town at the start of 2016 from Chelsea, knowing the facilities would be a step down but willing to sacrifice that to develop and play first-team football.…
Murray’s Making Herself at Home (Christie Murray interview)
Interview p.25
Former Celtic midfielder Christie Murray describes settling at Doncaster Rovers Belles, where she walked into a bouncing changing room on her first day and found one of the best team spirits she has known.…
View From The Field: Ward’s Words (Helen Ward column)
Column / Opinion p.27
Helen Ward opens by refusing to discuss Team GB's absence from Rio, saying there is not a lot she can say about it. She is direct about Hope Solo's reaction to the United States'…
Gallery: Snaps and Action from WSL 1 and 2, 9 July – 28 August 2016
Other pp.28–29
A double-page photographic gallery covering FA WSL 1 and 2 matches played between 9 July and 28 August 2016, the stretch either side of the Olympic break. As with every other picture spread in…
Scotland’s Euro 2017 Qualifying: Game On
News p.30
One game stands between Scotland and their first major finals. Tim Oliver reviews a campaign that opened with a Kim Little hat-trick in Slovenia, continued with a seven-nil win over Belarus in which Jane…
Cool Cuthbert’s Coming Up (Erin Cuthbert interview)
Interview p.31
Eighteen-year-old Glasgow City midfielder Erin Cuthbert made her Scotland debut at half time in Belarus in June, days after the painful four-nil defeat by Iceland, and calls it a dream come true that made…
SWPL Round-Up: Title and Relegation Battles
News p.32
Since the SWPL returned from its mid-season break, Glasgow City have taken a large step towards a historic tenth successive title by beating Hibernian four-nil to move five points clear. In the relegation fight,…
Gallery: Snaps and Action from the SWPL, 9 July – 28 August 2016
Other pp.32–33
A double-page photographic gallery of Scottish Women's Premier League action between 9 July and 28 August 2016, photographed by John Williamson. Every image is captioned with names: Fiona Brown of Glasgow City celebrating against…
Eniola Aluko, Chelsea Ladies FC (full-page poster)
Poster p.34
A full-page pull-out poster of Chelsea forward Eniola Aluko, captioned only with her name and club and credited to FA via Getty Images. It is one of a facing pair with the Danielle van…
Danielle van de Donk, Arsenal Ladies FC (full-page poster)
Poster p.35
A full-page pull-out poster of Arsenal midfielder Danielle van de Donk, captioned only with her name and club and credited to FA via Getty Images. It faces the Eniola Aluko poster and completes a…
Brave Mustaki Is Back and Bordeaux Bound (Chloe Mustaki interview)
Interview pp.36–37
Chloe Mustaki captained Ireland to an Under-19 European semi-final in Oslo in 2014 and could not understand why she felt drained during the games; two weeks later a routine blood test led to a…
Irish WNL 2016: Opening Series of Matches
News p.36
To allow the transition to summer football in 2017, the Irish Women's National League season is compressed into eighteen weeks with all forty-two matches packed into it, meaning at least one midweek away game…
Robins Relishing Tough Test (Abby Picton interview)
Interview p.38
Swindon Town forward Abby Picton looks ahead to the FAWPL Southern Division after a promotion she calls a long time coming, won by a group of players she rates as deserved winners who scored…
Drama in the FAWPL 2016-17 Big Kick-Off
News p.38
The 2016-17 FA Women's Premier League season began with a bang. Newly promoted Middlesbrough beat reigning Northern champions West Brom six-nil, and over 300 watched AFC Fylde win four-nil against a Leicester City Women…
Positive Response From Relegated Vixens (Emily Scott, Guiseley, interview)
Interview p.39
Guiseley AFC Vixens captain Emily Scott says relegation, sealed by dropping two points against Newcastle on the last day, is already behind the squad. She credits chairman John Shirt with responding immediately by bringing…
Foreign Kicks: Ada Awarded Top European Prize (Ada Hegerberg interview)
Interview pp.40–41
Ada Hegerberg was named UEFA's Best Women's Player for 2015-16, the youngest recipient of an award previously won by Nadine Kessler and Celia Sasic, and collected it in Monaco on the same night Cristiano…
She Reads: Kicking Reads – Books About the Women’s Game
Other pp.42–43
Natalia Sollohub compiles an annotated checklist of books about women's football, arranged by theme. Early pioneers are covered by Gail Newsham's In a League of Their Own on Dick, Kerr Ladies, with Tim Tate's…
She Kicks a Beat: Homecoming Horan’s Beat Magnifique (Lindsey Horan interview)
Interview pp.44–45
Lindsey Horan bypassed college in 2012, turning down North Carolina to sign for Paris Saint-Germain and becoming the first female American player to turn professional straight out of school. Three years there brought Champions…
Mark of a Masterplan (Mark Parsons interview)
Interview pp.46–48
Surrey-born Mark Parsons, a one-time Chelsea Ladies reserves coach who took the Washington Spirit job at twenty-six and lifted them from last to successive play-offs, moved west for 2016 to lead the Portland Thorns…
Coach Kicks: Mark Parsons
Interview pp.47–48
Mark Parsons answers the Coach Kicks questionnaire. His favourite day is the Wednesday of a four-day build-up, the biggest tactical day for fine-tuning a game plan. Christine Sinclair has made the biggest impression on…
Born Kicking: Ellen and Faye Dixon
Other pp.48–49
Sisters Ellen, ten, and Faye, seven, answer the Born Kicking questionnaire together. Ellen plays for Berrow JFC's Under-11 mixed team and Somerset ACC's Under-12 girls and trains with Yeovil Town Ladies Development; Faye plays…
Around the Counties: Hampshire FA – FutsalFriday Kicks Off for Females
News p.50
Hampshire FA established its first adult female futsal league last season as a Women's County League, with many players having never tried futsal before and teams scheduled to play once a month to fit…
Official Kicks: Cheryl Foster
Interview p.51
Cheryl Foster stopped playing for Doncaster Belles in the WSL in the summer of 2012 and took the referees' course, unsure whether to carry on playing or coach; starting in January 2013 effectively retired…
SK Position Guide: Goalkeeper, with Karen Bardsley
Run-of-page feature pp.52–53
England and Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley opens a new position guide series with a technical account of her job. Her purpose is to defend the goal and dominate the penalty area while giving…
Safe Hands: Bethan Davies (London Bees and Leeds Ladies)
Interview p.54
London Bees and Leeds goalkeeper Bethan Davies went in goal at six or seven for a local mixed team, the only girl in it, after their keeper moved away and everyone tried the position;…
She Kicks Goal Getter: Hot Shot Picko (Megan Pickering interview)
Interview p.55
Runcorn Linnets forward Megan Pickering, known as Picko, scored forty-four goals as her club turned a bottom-place finish in 2014-15 into two trophies in 2015-16, a turnaround she puts down to determination, hard work…
We Kick with Richmond Park FC
Other p.56
Richmond Park FC's Under-12 girls won the Dana Cup B Final in Denmark, beating Gambarogno FC of Switzerland one-nil to become the only English team to lift a trophy at a tournament involving more…
The She Kicks Locker Room: Car Quiz with Stephanie Roche
Interview p.58
Sunderland and Republic of Ireland winger Stephanie Roche, who has just passed her test, takes the Car Quiz. She drives a limited edition Vauxhall Corsa with no name yet, and reckons that as a…
The She Kicks Locker Room: Captain’s Chat with Emily Westwood and Kerys Harrop
Interview pp.59–60
Birmingham City captain Emily Westwood and vice-captain Kerys Harrop answer the Captain's Chat questions in turn, both describing themselves as laid back leaders who lead by example in a squad with many young players.…
The She Kicks Locker Room: The Before & After with Gemma Davison
Interview pp.60–63
Chelsea forward Gemma Davison describes her matchday. She keeps to scrambled egg on toast or similar and does not like eating much before a game, taking a banana or just a drink at half…
The She Kicks Locker Room: Kit Check with Lia Kellogg
Interview p.61
Long Eaton United's Lia Kellogg answers the Kit Check after tweeting about new boots. Her first pair were white Umbros bought by her mother from the shoe shop in her village, for which she…
She Kicks Back: She Does Tricks (Liv Cooke interview)
Interview p.62
At seventeen Liv Cooke is a professional freestyle footballer, the youngest qualifier for the 2016 Freestyle Football World Tour, and the founder of two businesses - Girl Power, which she describes as the first…