Edition 39

Headlines

Manchester United were kicked out of the Conti Cup as a consequence of Aston Villa fielding an ineligible player. Villa’s decision to field Noelle Maritz - who was ineligible due to playing for Arsenal in the competition earlier in the season - in the thumping 7-0 win over Sunderland. The FA’s decision to award the three points from the game to Sunderland ensured that Man Utd finished outside of the qualification places for the next round of the competition. 

WSL clubs were busy throughout the January transfer window, with Arsenal and Chelsea grabbing the headlines for their blockbuster signings of Emily Fox and Mayra Ramirez respectively. One notable outgoing was Jen Beattie, who left Arsenal Women to sign for Bay FC after making 166 appearances for the London club. 

One of the most interesting signings of the January window came from Manchester City. The Citizens secured the services of highly-rated Irish star Tara O’Hanlon from Peamount United. O’Hanlon, only 18 years old, had interest from clubs like Chelsea heading into the window following her impressive outings in the Irish Women’s Premier Division. 

Sheffield United sacked head coach Jonathan Morgan after “new information came to light about his conduct” prior to joining the club. 

Chelsea Women’s manager Emma Hayes has called out the lack of female coaches in English football, insisting that the nation has a “lot of work to do to close that gap.”

Aston Villa star Rachel Daly has been given a three-match ban from the FA for violent conduct. The England international elbowed Bristol City’s Megan Connolly in the face during a recent 2-2 draw between the two sides. 

Business Corner

According to research conducted by the Women’s Sport Trust, 46.7m people in the United Kingdom tuned into at least one minute of women’s sport during 2023.

NWSL side Bay FC announced a multi-year found partner sponsorship deal with financial services institution PNC Bank. 

The Premier League are set to provide £20m worth of funds to accelerate the women’s game’s commercial development in the UK. 

BBC have found that there are now twice as many registered female football teams in England as there were seven years ago, highlighting the significant growth of the game.