Keep Kicking (Editor’s Letter)

Jen O’Neill bids farewell to 2015, listing what made it: the World Cup in Canada, a Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley, significantly higher WSL attendances and more full-time contracts, Chelsea’s double and Glasgow City’s treble, Lucy Bronze’s BBC Sports Personality nomination, young talents like Beth Mead and Fran Kirby, some 12,000 girls at FA festivals, and England and Scotland both with perfect Euro 2017 qualifying records. She welcomes UEFA and national federations formally recognising players with over 100 caps, introducing Jill Scott as England’s ninth centurion. She marks Abby Wambach’s retirement alongside Lauren Holiday and Lori Chalupny, and remembers those lost, including 90-year-old Arsenal supporter Ernie Crouch. 2016, she notes, will be the magazine’s 20th anniversary.