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1 week ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Multi-million prize money on offer at the World Sevens puts governing bodies to shame, but can it last? The oft repeated assertion in women’s football is that it should be brave enough to follow a different path from the men’s game. That is the rationale behind World Sevens Football, a new tournament that occupied the three days leading up to yesterday’s Champions League final.
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1 week ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Hot favourites Barcelona denied by underdogs who claim their first Champions League title since 2007 It was on Rua do Arsenal in 1974 that Captain Salgueiro Maia dug in with his troops and forced the Portuguese dictatorship to surrender to the military, thus bringing back democracy to the country.
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2 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Investor Alexis Ohanian, who pitched in with £20m for Chelsea, got the ball rolling. Now other stars are following suit When Chelsea women take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final today, the most famous athlete in Wembley stadium may not be on the pitch. The tennis superstar Serena Williams is expected to be in the crowd, enjoying the match with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit, after the announcement last week that he has invested £20m in the club.
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2 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Pioneer investor Alexis Ohanian, who has pitched in with £20m for FA Cup hopefuls Chelsea, first got the ball rolling. Now fellow stars are following suit When Chelsea women take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final today, the most famous athlete in Wembley stadium may not be on the pitch.
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2 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
For a whole generation of women’s football fans, ten years of the cup final at Wembley has allowed them to build their own traditions When Chelsea and Manchester United walk out onto the Wembley pitch today, they will be marking the tenth anniversary of Women’s FA Cup finals being held there. For Chelsea, Wembley FA Cups are woven into the history of the women’s side. The inaugural 2015 final was their first major trophy, as they beat Notts County 1-0.
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2 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Irish sport has been plunged into chaos as a growing revolt over what women wear has gathered pace. Camogie, the women’s version of hurling, is played by approximately 100,000 women in Ireland, with the amateur participants required to wear a ‘skort’, a short skirt with built-in shorts underneath. But on 3 May, all 60 players from Kilkenny and Dublin walked out for the Leinster Championship semi-final in shorts, in protest at the rule.
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2 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
The Chelsea head coach opens up on grief, pressure and parenting On Sunday, Sonia Bompastor has the opportunity to complete the greatest women’s domestic season in history. Her Chelsea side have already won the Women’s Super League without losing a single game, as well as the League Cup. Only Manchester United stand in their way of an unbeaten domestic treble. The 43-year-old French manager has exceeded expectations in her first season managing Chelsea.
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3 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
When Chelsea Women are playing at Stamford Bridge, the usual collection of street vendors on the Fulham Road put away their men’s merchandise for the afternoon. In their place hang scarves resplendent with the star names – Sam Kerr, Millie Bright, Lauren James. It is not a particularly scientific method for monitoring the growth of the women’s game but it is a notable change. One of those scarves says ‘Beever-Jones’.
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3 weeks ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
The WSL champions broke every record in winning their sixth consecutive title, but their individual stars have been strangely overlooked. The last time there was a trophy lifted at Stamford Bridge, it was 2017 and Antonio Conte had led his Chelsea team to a Premier League title in his debut season. In the intervening eight years, league success has been hard to find around these parts, but not around this club.
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1 month ago | 
observer.co.uk | Jessy Parker Humphreys
Despite two trophies already in her first season, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor is determined to do more As the warm-ups ended at Leigh Sports Village, Sonia Bompastor asked one of her staff for the score in the Arsenal game. Aston Villa had pulled off a shock 5-2 win, meaning Chelsea needed only a point against Manchester United to wrap up the Women’s Super League title with two games to spare.
