The Women’s Super League starts today and you will be able to follow it every step of the way with The Athletic.
As ever, through our dedicated women’s football coverage, we will deliver a mix of news and brilliant in-depth features that you do not get anywhere else.
After our team of writers, editors, podcasters and videographers’ coverage of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer, it’s time for domestic storylines to take their place in the spotlight again.
Charlotte Harpur, Katie Whyatt, Chloe Morgan, Michael Cox, Caoimhe O’Neill, Sarah Shephard and many more, plus our dedicated club reporters, will cover the big narratives on and off the pitch, and take you inside the sport you care about.
And if the WSL is not your thing, then there’s plenty more women’s football from around the world, too, with Meg Linehan and Steph Yang leading our National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and U.S. Women’s coverage, and Laia Cervello Herrero unpicking the continued chaos in Spanish football.
And there’s more: our Women’s Football Podcast, recorded every Monday, will focus on the biggest stories across the continent from the best of The Athletic ’s writers.
So, can anyone stop Chelsea from making it five in a row? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
Who is going to win the WSL?
Charlotte Harpur: I’m torn between Arsenal and Chelsea. Without the Champions League, Arsenal can dedicate all their attention to the WSL, but the league is Emma Hayes’ bread and butter. Although she will have one eye on Europe, Hayes will not want to let the domestic title slip. They have the talent, strength in depth and experience to win again, so I’ll go for Chelsea.
Chloe Morgan: Arsenal, as they have an added incentive to win it after crashing out of the Champions League. They have made some stellar international signings too: England striker Alessia Russo, World Cup winner Laia Codina and Sweden defender Amanda Ilestedt. Beth Mead is also back after a long absence with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Russo joined Arsenal from Manchester United (David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Michael Cox: Arsenal will play the best football and Chelsea will somehow — as always — find a way to grind it out and win the league.
Katie Whyatt: Chelsea. It would not shock me if this evolving Arsenal side were to beat Chelsea in some of their head-to-heads, but Chelsea’s experience, depth and consistency will get the job done again.
And who is the rising star to keep an eye on this season? Read more ofour writers’ predictions for 2023-24.
What have I missed this week?
- Concerns over Castore’s ‘wet-look’ Aston Villa kits ahead of WSL opener against Manchester United
Members of Villa’s men’s and women’s teams have stressed the shirts become too heavy during matches and are weighing them down and impacting performance, reports Jacob Tanswell.
(Photo: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Villa’s women’s team have additional concerns about the appearance element: the shirts often leave large sweat patches above and below their breasts, which are protected by sports bras during games.
Villa are understood to have been given the option to play in their away kit for Sunday’s WSL fixture at Villa Park (12.30pm BST), but have chosen not to.
Read more: Castore’s kit struggles: ‘Wet-look’ Aston Villa kits, torn shirts at other clubs
- **Katie McCabe signed a new deal at Arsenal — and The Athletic ’s David Ornstein told you first. **
(Photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal correspondent Art de Roche explains why McCabe’s contract is a coup for the north London club…
The 28-year-old was nominated for the Ballon d’Or earlier month — the first female Irish player to do so. The Republic of Ireland captain also led her side to two UEFA Women’s Nations League victories this month winning 3-0 against Northern Ireland and 4-0 against Hungary.
McCabe has been at Arsenal for nearly eight years, racking up 193 appearances for the club across all competitions. Her influence has grown year-on-year. Arguably her biggest asset to the club is her versatility on the pitch, having been used as a full-back and winger on both flanks.
McCabe also takes on leadership roles at Arsenal despite not being the official club captain. She wore the armband towards the back end of last season in Kim Little and Leah Williamson’s absence and provides a vocal presence on the pitch.
Her attitude is what sets her apart; it has helped Arsenal so often since she arrived as a 20-year-old from Shelbourne. In decisive moments last season, she was the one to step up.
- The game said goodbye to a legend, as Megan Rapinoe plays her last international match
Two World Cups, the 2019 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner, 63 goals and 73 assists for the USWNT — and so much more.
Rapinoe, 38, played her last international match last Sunday night, a 2-0 friendly win over South Africa at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“We fought so hard off the field to continue to create more space for ourselves to be who we are — but hopefully, in turn, more space for you guys to be who you are,” said Rapinoe.
“It has been such an honour to be able to wear this shirt and to play with all these amazing players and to live out my childhood dream, casually, like, just in front of the world. ”
Further required reading:
- Megan Rapinoe talks legacy, future of USWNT, women’s sports: ‘It feels very much like a beginning’
- Megan Rapinoe from those who know her: ‘She makes the tough times easier for everybody’
- USWNT’s next steps: Honoring Ertz and Rapinoe, friendlies schedule, where coach search stands
- USWNT’s Megan Rapinoe: My Game in My Words
Don’t miss a beat. Follow UK women’s football on The Athletichere.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
