The Football Show - Sue Smith, Hope Powell & Courtney Sweetman-Kirk
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What recent events have impacted the women's football leagues?
Hello, happy Sunday. Lovely to have you with us. Welcome to another special edition of The Football Show. Now, it's been a very confusing and uncertain time in the women's game in the last few months. There was confirmation this week that both the WSL and the Championship Leagues would be ending without being finished. And that's despite the Men's Top League, the Premier League, resuming. Now, it's been one of the darkest periods in the history of women's football in England.
How do players feel about the cancellation of the WSL and Championship?
And it now means that all divisions of the women's game in England have been cancelled this season. So we'll be discussing what the future holds for the women's game. Now joining me as always is former England international Sue Smith, Brighton manager Hope Powell and former Liverpool player Courtney Sweetman-Kirk. Now for you, Hope, you've been involved in the game as a player and as a coach for over 40 years. So how disappointed are you with the fact that you will not be finishing your season?
I think I have two feelings around it. Yes, disappointed not to be able to complete it, but I think a sensible decision, given the protocols that were suggested and the fact that clubs probably wouldn't have been able to fulfil those protocols.
What challenges do women's clubs face compared to men's clubs?
And I think the health and wellbeing and safety of the players is paramount. I support the decision to terminate, given all those factors.
It seems like lots of the teams, particularly the ones that have come out in public, do seem to support this decision, Sue. But I think the decision to end the leagues is all the more pertinent because we've seen that it can be done, it can be resumed, because the German Women's League have done it. They have returned. We also know that the US League is planning for a return as well. So why has the Women's Super League not been able to do this?
That's a good question. And I suppose it is really disappointing for women's football in this country, especially when you're seeing other leagues go back and when you're seeing other leagues preparing to go back. But I suppose we just have to be realistic. And I suppose that the women's game at this moment in time They just can't afford the safety measures that would have needed to have been put in place. Exactly what Hope said there.
Why has the Women's Super League not resumed like other leagues?
And, you know, we don't like it, but I suppose we have to accept it because safety is an amount for the players and the staff and everybody that has to go back.
Courtney, I wonder when you were playing at Liverpool, from your experience, do you feel as though the men's club supported the women's club? Because that's what we're seeing in Germany. That's why the league has been able to return. The big clubs in the men's league are supporting the women's league to be able to return. Do you feel like that happens in England?
I think it does to a degree. Obviously, every club is different and You know, like you say, if you look to your Liverpools, your Chelsea's, where they have, you know, teams in the men's Premier League, then it definitely is doable. But then you've got to think about teams like Birmingham and Reading, where their men's side obviously isn't in the top flight. And can they afford to be then, like I say, giving the money for, you know, the testing and the protocols that we needed? And if they can't, obviously it's got to be a whole league that can continue it for every team to do it.
What financial issues are affecting the women's game in England?
So I think, again, that's where maybe the problem lies to a degree.
Hope, you've been in the game for a long time. You've worked in it, you've been an administrator, you've worked at all levels. So it always seems to be an issue with finance when we talk about the women's game. We saw in Germany that the German FA and the German League have both supported the Women's League. Why has that not been able to happen in England? Had that happened, safety protocols perhaps could have been put in place.
I think the situation in Germany is a tad different to the situation in England. I believe they went into lockdown a lot earlier. We went a little bit later, had more, unfortunately, more deaths.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What recent events have impacted the women's football leagues?
0:15–0:43
2
How do players feel about the cancellation of the WSL and Championship?
0:43–1:34
3
What challenges do women's clubs face compared to men's clubs?
1:34–2:34
4
Why has the Women's Super League not resumed like other leagues?
2:34–3:36
5
What financial issues are affecting the women's game in England?
3:36–4:22
6
How do players cope with uncertainty regarding their contracts?
4:22–5:27
7
What are the implications of the league's cancellation for future seasons?
5:27–6:18
8
What qualities should the next England women's team manager possess?
6:18–21:39
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Sky Sports Premier League Podcast
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