Month: May 2023

Callum Wilson is in line for an England recall as boss Gareth Southgate waits on Jude Bellingham’s fitness.

Newcastle striker Wilson has scored 11 goals since he was overlooked for the European Championship qualifying wins against Italy and Ukraine in March.

On Wednesday Southgate names his squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers in Malta on June 16 and at home to North Macedonia in Manchester on June 19, with England top of Group C.

Wilson has helped spearhead the Magpies’ top-four charge and they confirmed their return to the Champions League after 20 years with Monday’s 0-0 draw against Leicester.

The 31-year-old went to the World Cup in Qatar but scored just once in 13 games after the season resumed, prompting Southgate to leave him out.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has previously backed his striker for a recall.

He said: “It’s one for Gareth, but he is certainly doing the right things, scoring goals. That is always going to get you the headlines. He is certainly in great form. I don’t know if it is his best.

“But I think he is very focused at the moment and he knows he has to be. I think the biggest compliment I can pay him is that, whatever situation he’s been in, he’s still been himself, laughing, smiling, joking.

“He is a really positive character. He’s somebody that the squad needs to be positive because he’s such a big personality within it.”

There is a spot available after Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban for betting offences was confirmed this month.

The Brentford striker made his debut as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Ukraine but will be unable to play competitively again until January.

Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins missed out on a call-up last time and will come into Southgate’s thoughts again.

Watkins has 15 goals this season, although he has not scored in his last six outings and missed a penalty in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool.

Borussia Dortmund’s Bellingham missed Sunday’s 3-0 win at Augsburg with a knee problem he suffered in the 5-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach and is a doubt for Saturday’s final game against Mainz.

Dortmund are two points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, hunting their first title since 2012.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is almost certain of a return after his improved form for Liverpool and with Reece James’ season having been ended by a hamstring injury in April.

Marcus Rashford is expected to be fit after injury and illness this month and Raheem Sterling could be recalled after being injured in March, while Morgan Gibbs-White’s form, which has helped Nottingham Forest stay in the Premier League, makes him an option for Southgate.

Ben Chilwell has a hamstring injury, which could open the door for Arsenal’s Ben White to return, while Chelsea team-mate Mason Mount had surgery on a pelvic injury last month and is unlikely to be risked.

LaLiga will request greater jurisdiction to punish clubs whose fans are guilty of racist abuse after feeling “powerless” at the lack of current sanctions in the wake of the latest Vinicius Junior incident.

The Spanish league is engulfed in a racism scandal after Real Madrid forward Vinicius was allegedly subjected to racist chants during Sunday’s game at Valencia and later claimed it was an example of “continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain”.

LaLiga, according to the country’s law, can currently only identify and report incidents, and punishment is rarely handed out.

Now it wants legislation changing so that it has the power to impose punishment such as forcing games to be played behind closed doors or financial penalties.

It said in a statement: “LaLiga will request more sanctioning powers, with the aim of being more agile and effective in the fight against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport, where LaLiga has been leading the identification and reporting of such behaviour in football stadiums for years, but feels powerless when observing how its reporting ends.

“Despite its intense and continuous fight against violence and racism to the full extent of its powers (currently, according to Spanish legislation, limited to identifying and reporting the facts that occur), LaLiga feels tremendous frustration at the lack of sanctions and convictions by the sports disciplinary bodies, public administrations and jurisdictional bodies to which it reports.

“Faced with this serious situation, in the coming days LaLiga will formally request the amendment of Law 19/2007 of July 11, against violence, racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sport and Law 39/2022 of December 30, on sport.

“The purpose of the proposal is to request that LaLiga may exercise disciplinary authority over incidents of this type which occur in matches of the professional competition, so that the disciplinary bodies of LaLiga may proceed to sanction them, among other things, with the total or partial closure of the sports venue, the prohibition of access to it in the case of members/fans and the imposition of financial penalties, without prejudice to the adoption of provisional or precautionary measures that may be appropriate, depending on the nature and seriousness of the incidents.

“As we have been repeating in recent days, LaLiga has been leading the fight against violence, racism and intolerance on football pitches, both inside and outside the stadium, identifying such behaviour through its match directors, security officers and television cameras, and subsequently reporting it to the relevant bodies.”

It comes on the day four people were arrested in Spain under suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinicius off a bridge in January.

An inflatable doll dressed in a Vinicius shirt was hung from the railings with a banner that read ‘Madrid hates Real Madrid’ ahead of Real’s Copa del Rey game with city rivals Atletico at the start of the year.

And Spanish police confirmed on Tuesday that four suspects had been apprehended.

They tweeted: “Arrested in #Madrid 4 people who allegedly hung a mannequin with the #Vinicius shirt on a bridge near the Ciudad Deportiva del @realmadrid.”

The arrests follow the latest racism scandal that has engulfed Spanish football, with Vinicius targeted by racist chants during Sunday’s LaLiga game with Valencia.

The Brazil international threatened to leave the pitch in the second half after being subjected to alleged monkey chants at the Mestalla.

Real Madrid said the abuse constituted a “hate crime” and filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office.

Valencia on Tuesday confirmed that police have identified three fans suspected of racial abuse, but denied their fanbase is racist.

In a statement, the club said: “The match against Real Madrid was broadcast live and it is totally false that the entire stadium was shouting racist remarks.

“There has been a lot of confusion and misinformation in the last few days. Valencia demand a responsibile and serious approach to the matter.

“This is a very sensitive issue and everyone must remain factual. We cannot accept the labelling of Valencia fans as racist. It is not true. We call for respect.

“Racism has no place in football or in our society. Valencia strongly condemn racism.”

Vinicius tweeted on Monday night: “Every round away from home is an unpleasant surprise. And there were many this season. Death wishes, hanged doll, many criminal screams… All registered.

“But the speech always falls on ‘isolated cases’, ‘a fan’. No, these are not isolated cases. They are continuous episodes spread across several cities in Spain (and even in a television programme).

“The evidence is there in the video. Now I ask: how many of these racists had names and photos exposed on websites? I answer to make it easier: zero. None to tell a sad story or make those fake public apologies.

“What is missing to criminalise these people? And punish clubs sportingly? Why don’t sponsors charge LaLiga? Don’t televisions bother to broadcast this barbarity every weekend?

“The problem is very serious and communications no longer work. Not blaming me to justify criminal acts either. You are not football, you are inhuman.”

The 2022-23 Premier League season concludes on Sunday with plenty of drama at the bottom of the table in store. 

While the title race ended with Manchester City pipping Arsenal to the domestic crown, the battle to beat the drop is far from over.

Southampton have already been officially demoted to the Championship and they will be joined by two from Everton, Leicester and Leeds.

After the Foxes’ 0-0 draw at Newcastle on Monday night, we take a look at the key permutations in the relegation fight ahead of the final day.

Everton (33 points, GD -24)

The Toffees have the simplest task of the three teams thanks to Yerry Mina’s stoppage-time equaliser at Wolves last Saturday.

A win of any sort against Bournemouth will confirm their Premier League status for another season, no matter the results in the other matches.

But if Sean Dyche’s team were to draw at Goodison Park on Sunday, they would then be reliant on Leicester not beating West Ham due to the Foxes’ superior goal difference.

And a defeat for Everton would see Leeds added back into the equation, providing Sam Allardyce’s side can defeat Tottenham at Elland Road.

Leicester (31 points, GD -18)

If Timothy Castagne had converted his late chance at Newcastle to secure a 1-0 win, Dean Smith’s side would be firmly in the driving seat.

But it is out of their hands now, despite keeping this first Premier League clean sheet since November at St James’ Park.

Anything but a victory against David Moyes’ Hammers at the King Power Stadium will see the Foxes playing in the Championship next season.

But the big silver lining for the East Midlands club is their goal difference, which means Everton cannot be comfortable settling for a 13th draw of the campaign against the Cherries.

Leeds (31 points, GD -27)

Big Sam is in big trouble going into the final day. 

After Leeds’ 3-1 defeat at West Ham last Sunday, the survival specialist knows that even a convincing win over Spurs will likely not be enough to beat the drop.

The Whites are now reliant on both Everton and Leicester not picking up positive results against teams who have already secured their Premier League status for next season.

And even if the Merseyside outfit were to draw against Bournemouth, Allardyce’s side would need to win by three clear goals — which they have done just once in the top flight this season — in order to leapfrog them into 17th.

The reason it is not four clear goals is because the West Yorkshire club have scored 47 times in the league this season compared to the Toffees’ total of 33, which is the third-lowest in the division behind Southampton and Wolves.

But a defeat for Everton and either a draw or loss for Leicester would mean any Leeds victory over Ryan Mason’s visitors would be enough to stay up.

Alfredo Morelos leads the list of five out-of-contract players confirmed as leaving Rangers this summer.

The Colombia striker, winger Ryan Kent, veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor, midfielder Scott Arfield and defender Filip Helander will depart the cinch Premiership outfit.

The Ibrox club also announced that veteran midfielder Steven Davis, whose contract is also expiring, “remains in discussions to continue working with the club’s medical team to support his return to full fitness following a long-term ACL injury suffered in December 2022”.

The Light Blues finished runners-up to Premiership champions Celtic this season and will end the season without a trophy.

Boss Michael Beale, who took over from Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November, promised a revamp of the Rangers squad for next season.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “Each of the departing players has given the club excellent service and will move on to the next stage in their careers with the warmest wishes and thanks of everyone at Ibrox and the Rangers Training Centre.

“The individuals have contributed enormously to the club’s capture of a record 55th Scottish league title, last season’s Scottish Cup, the run to the UEFA Europa League final and qualification for the UEFA Champions League this season.

“Allan McGregor, of course, also gained significant honours with the club in his first spell and broke the 500 appearance mark for Gers back in April.

“Tributes to the departing players will be paid at tomorrow’s match with Hearts.

“Additional acknowledgements to those leaving will continue on the club’s digital platforms in the coming weeks, with Allan McGregor to be further recognised in his testimonial match with Newcastle on July 18.”

The penultimate weekend of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign did not disappoint as Manchester City wrapped up the title.

Arsenal’s failure to win at Nottingham Forest meant City became champions for the third consecutive season and continue to march towards a historic Treble.

Elsewhere, West Ham plunged Leeds into further relegation jeopardy, Everton grabbed a last-gasp point at Wolves and Brentford piled more misery on Tottenham.

We take a look at the top performers from a dramatic few days in the English top flight.

Declan Rice (West Ham)

Declan Rice may have played his last home game for West Ham as they breezed past a troubled Leeds side at the London Stadium.

The England midfielder marked his 243rd appearance for the Hammers with a goal as the East Londoners continued to build momentum ahead of next month’s Europa Conference League final.

Leeds took the lead through Rodrigo but were second-best for most of the game and could not prevent Jarrod Bowen and Manuel Lanzini from adding to Rice’s equaliser to complete a 3-1 win.

Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford)

Tottenham lost for the fifth time in seven outings and this time it was Bryan Mbeumo who inspired Brentford to all three points.

Mbuemo, 23, was at the heart of the action as the Bees came from behind to win 3-1 and keep themselves in contention for European qualification.

The Cameroon international scored twice and grabbed an assist to complete the comeback, curling his first low past Fraser Forster in goal and then picking out the same corner to give Thomas Frank’s side another memorable victory.

Evan Ferguson (Brighton)

Evan Ferguson is continuing to blossom into a Premier League star and his brace in Brighton’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Sunday helped the Seagulls to all but guarantee a place in the Europa League next season.

The 18-year-old Irishman smashed his first goal in from close range, beating Alex McCarthy who could not get down quick enough to prevent the opener.

He then followed up with another strike five minutes before half-time, latching on to a driven cross from Kaoru Mitoma and slotting past the Saints stopper once again to put the hosts firmly in control of the contest.

Yerry Mina (Everton)

Everton can still be relegated on the final day, but they took a big step towards safety last Saturday as they clawed back a point in the dying seconds at Wolves.

Yerry Mina was the man who stepped up for the Toffees, tapping in from inside the box to send the travelling Merseysiders into raptures.

The draw keeps Everton’s fate in their own hands and they know a win will guarantee their Premier League status next term.

Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)

Since returning from his eight-match ban, Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored three goals in two games, taking his league tally to 14.

His influence in the final third has helped Fulham return to form, though his brace against Crystal Palace last Saturday was not enough to earn the Cottagers three points.

The Serbian powerhouse equalised for the hosts from the penalty spot before briefly giving them the lead in the second half thanks to a well-placed header, but Joel Ward had the last laugh as the Eagles left West London with a point.

Nick Pope ensured Newcastle booked their Champions League place with a game to spare as he denied Leicester a priceless victory in their bid for Premier League survival.

The Magpies’ £10million summer signing kept out Timothy Castagne’s volley in the second minute of stoppage time with his first save of the game to secure a 0-0 draw on a night when the home side battered at the door but were unable to find a way through.

Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron were both denied by the woodwork, but a point was all their team needed to ensure their place among the continent’s big boys for the first time in 20 years.

By contrast, Leicester, who are still two points adrift of safety, will head into their final-day clash with West Ham knowing their fate is not in their own hands.

Eddie Howe’s men were lauded by a crowd of 52,152 on the final whistle, having secured Champions League football for just the third time in the club’s history and way ahead of the schedule drawn up by the club’s Saudi-backed owners when they took control in October 2021.

In some senses it proved to be a frustrating 90 minutes – it might have been more so had key midfielder Bruno Guimaraes seen red rather than yellow for a poor early challenge of Boubakary Soumare – but it was ultimately the bigger picture which mattered.

Howe was forced to make a last-minute change when, after he had taken part in the warm-up, midfielder Joelinton was unable to start and was replaced by Elliot Anderson.

Any fears the reshuffle might unsettle his team proved unfounded as they took the game by the scruff of the neck amid a party atmosphere at St James’ Park, although Guimaraes was perhaps fortunate to escape with only a booking for his studs-up ninth-minute clash with Soumare.

The Magpies dominated possession but in the early stages were unable to find a telling final ball.

Almiron, who had made another high-octane start, fired over after cutting inside from the right and Anderson tested goalkeeper Daniel Iversen for the first time with a curling attempt.

Alexander Isak was seeing plenty of the ball down the left but sliced a long-range effort well wide as the Magpies piled forward repeatedly without ever really being able to summon up the required precision to make the pressure tell.

For their part, City attempted to hit Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho long and early and, although they achieved a measure of success, they met with stubborn resistance from Fabian Schar and Sven Botman.

Wilson twice went close to his 19th goal of the season four minutes before the break when he stabbed a shot against a post and then saw Wilfred Ndidi clear his follow-up header off the line, while Almiron was similarly denied by the woodwork before Isak steered the rebound wide seconds later.

Wilson headed over from a Kieran Trippier corner in stoppage time after Iversen had misjudged the flight and the half ended goalless.

James Maddison entered the fray at the break as a replacement for Iheanacho, but the traffic continued to head very much in the direction of his team’s goal, with Isak and Almiron menacing out wide, although the massed ranks of blue held impressively firm.

Iversen had to turn a 59th-minute Isak snapshot over his crossbar and block Sean Longstaff’s 76th-minute drive with a foot, but it was the Foxes who almost snatched victory at the death when Pope was forced into his first save of the game to keep out Castagne’s stoppage-time volley.

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Showing Howe it is done

Eddie Howe insists Newcastle will spend wisely after sealing their return to the Champions League.

The Magpies will compete in Europe’s elite competition next season after a 0-0 draw with Leicester sealed their top-four spot with one game to play.

Given the riches the Saudi-owned Toon have at their disposal, many have tipped a number of superstars to head to St James’ Park over the summer.

But boss Howe has suggested they will take a more measured approach to their recruitment — much like they did to get themselves into this position.

The 45-year-old told Sky Sports: “There is a very small pool of players to look at. We have to recruit wisely, as we have done in every transfer window to date. This will be our toughest one.

“We’ll think about next season during the summer. We don’t want to go far away from what we’ve done. We are realistic to know there will be more games and that’s a challenge.

“Whenever you achieve something you’re not just happy to participate. You want to succeed and want success. 

“I want success massively for this football club. We’ll enjoy tonight, but we want to bring silverware here if we can in the future.”

Pundit Gary Neville had similar views, commenting: “There is a humility about what they have done. They need to stick to these principles. 

“There is a challenge about how they move forward. We have seen the likes of Neymar linked in recent months but that would scare the living daylights out of Eddie Howe.”

Smith hails clean sheet

Dean Smith believes Leicester’s first Premier League clean sheet since November will hand his players a psychological boost ahead of a nail-biting final day of the season.

Monday’s 0-0 draw at St James’ Park means survival is out of the Foxes’ hands, as they remain two points adrift of 17th-placed Everton.

The East Midlands outfit were dominated for large parts of the clash but could have won the game at the death with their only shot of the game from Timothy Castagne in stoppage time.

Having held on for their first shut-out in 21 league games, interim boss Smith believes it could be an important point on the road.

He said: “We hadn’t kept a clean sheet. That’s a big thing mentally for the players.

“It is the first clean sheet at half-time that we have had in my first seven games, so it was important that we did that.

“You can’t open up here at St James’ Park and go at them with the momentum they have.

“So, yes, it was a tough watch at times, but you can see that the players were fighting for it, and we had a great chance at the death.”

The Foxes will need to beat West Ham at home on the final day and hope Everton lose or draw against Bournemouth to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Salford chairman to step down

Salford chairman Karen Baird will step down after 10 years in the role.

Baird has overseen Salford’s rise from non-league to the EFL since the takeover in 2014 by Gary Neville and the rest of the Class of ’92, all while running her own business.

A statement from the Class of ’92 said: “Karen has been an inspiring figure at the club for many years and an outstanding leader both on the football and business side, and we really could not have done it without her.

“She worked committedly for the club and in the early years much of that was voluntary, highlighting just how much the club meant to her.

“We would all like to thank her for her dedication and wish her all the best in everything she chooses to do.”

Eddie Howe will target quality rather than quantity as he embarks upon a recruitment mission to equip Newcastle for the Champions League.

The Magpies booked a return to European club football’s biggest stage on Monday evening when a 0-0 draw against Premier League strugglers Leicester handed them the point they needed to be sure of a place in the top four.

That will place fresh demands on a squad which has been boosted by the injection of more than £250million since the club’s Saudi-backed owners took charge in October 2021, but head coach Howe insists there will be no wild spending as he once again looks for astute acquisitions.

He said: “We’ve got work to do, we’ve got work to do to be ready, we know that. There’s a big task ahead of us, but I’m confident we can do it.

“It’s going to be important for us, we have got to try to get it right and that’s going to underpin our success, really. I think we’ve been really, really good in the three transfer windows so far since I’ve been here.

“The challenge gets harder and more difficult because, now we’ve become a better team, there are fewer players who would make us better, so it’s going to be a big window for us.

“It won’t be huge numbers – I don’t think it can be. We don’t have the ability to spend the money that people will think we have, so we’re going to have to be smart.

“It will be a small group of players, but hopefully ones that can make the difference.”

Newcastle last played in the Champions League under Sir Bobby Robson in 2002/03, and repeating the feat was a long-term aim when Amanda Staveley and the consortium she put together completed their takeover, with relegation from the top flight a very real possibility.

That it has arrived so soon is testament not only to their financial backing, but to the expertise, attention to detail and intensity Howe and his staff have brought to their task and the ability and willingness of their players to answer every question they have been asked.

Howe said: “When I came here, creating history and trying to bring success to Newcastle was very much in our thoughts of what we hoped to do. Hopefully, this is the start for us.

“You never know what’s around the corner in football, but we’ll try to enjoy the achievement.

“We’re going into now an incredibly tough competition, but the best competition that you can be in, so I don’t think the achievement can be underestimated.

“It’s a very, very difficult thing to do. To break that monopoly of the top four is so tough, so I think it’s a massive achievement for us and we’ll look forward to what it brings.”

For those supporters old enough to remember, qualification will bring back memories of Faustino Asprilla’s famous hat-trick against Barcelona in 1997 and the Craig Bellamy goal which secured a dramatic victory over Feyenoord and a place in the second group stage five years later, and Howe is determined that his team will not simply make up the numbers this time around.

Asked about making an impression, he said: “Yes, of course, otherwise all the hard work and effort it’s taken to get there is, I wouldn’t say wasted, but you’ve wasted an opportunity to try to leave a mark and try to make a dent in a competition that is an amazing thing to be part of, so we want to be in it as long as we can.”

It might be more challenging for Mauricio Pochettino to work out which Chelsea players he wants to keep than who he wants to sell.

The Argentine tactician — set to be appointed as new head coach at Stamford Bridge — will not have been impressed by what he has observed during a run of seven defeats from nine matches under Frank Lampard.

Fortunately, Poch will not need to convince anybody of the need for a clear-out. The Blues have used 32 players in the Premier League this season, causing logistical issues at the training ground and confusion on the pitch.

We take a look at five first-team members who seem unlikely to have a future with the Blues.

Edouard Mendy

It has been quite a decline for Mendy since FIFA crowned him the world’s best goalkeeper just 16 months ago.

The 31-year-old won the African Cup of Nations with Senegal the following month, too, and it seemed inevitable that several seasons as Chelsea’s No1 was to follow.

But the stopper has lost his way this season, with a high-profile error at Leeds setting the tone, and Kepa Arrizabalaga has largely been preferred by both Graham Potter and Lampard.

Tottenham have emerged as a potential destination should the Blues cash in.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Handing Cesar Azpilicueta a two-year contract when he looked set to leave last summer seems like a mistake.

The Spaniard has been off the pace this season and former right-back Gary Neville called it out while commentating on Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City.

Neville said: “I am just watching Azpilicueta on that far side. It does take me back to games towards the end of my career. He just looked shattered over there.”

The Blues could reward a club legend by allowing him to join a new team on a free transfer rather than demanding a fee.

N’Golo Kante

N’Golo Kante at his scampering best remains a good option but availability is one of his worst attributes.

The Frenchman is counting the cost of the ground he covered during his peak years for Leicester and Chelsea, featuring just nine times this season and breaking down again after a string of appearances in April and May.

In terms of league minutes, the 2018 World Cup winner ranks 25th of the 32 players to have featured.

Kante’s stock might still be high enough that Stamford Bridge chiefs can recoup a decent fee this summer, an option that they should consider.

Christian Pulisic

Christian Pulisic is the best example of Chelsea’s haphazard recruitment.

The Blues spent £58million to bring the American to the Premier League in 2019 but have since forked out a fortune on new attackers and left him in no man’s land. 

There is seemingly no way back for him at Stamford Bridge, with Pochettino sure to prioritise Todd Boehly signings Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke.

Chelsea will want to make a quick sale and a move to AC Milan has been rumoured.

Hakim Ziyech

Only a “class A circus” prevented Hakim Ziyech from leaving Chelsea for Paris Saint-Germain last January, with the French club hitting out after incorrect documentation was submitted multiple times.

And after a brief flurry of starts in January and February, the Moroccan has been restricted to limited minutes off the bench to try and get back on track.

Even more so than anybody else on this list, the relationship between club and player appears completely broken and it would be a surprise should Ziyech even pitch up for pre-season.

Newcastle and Bayern Munich have previously shown interest that could be resurrected.

Television coverage of the Women’s Champions League will move largely behind a paywall from next season, the rights holder DAZN has announced.

The group, which has broadcast the competition exclusively on its YouTube channel since 2021, said in a press release that it plans to include 42 of the competition’s 61 matches as part of a subscription package, with the other 19, including the final, remaining free to view.

Twelve group-stage matches as well as four from the (two-legged) quarter-finals and two from the semi-finals will also be available free on DAZN’s online platform, with the rest requiring viewers to pay £9.99 a month to watch.

The news comes as DAZN announced the findings of an investigation analysing the reach of its women’s football coverage.

The group reported that the Women’s Champions League is watched in more than 230 countries, with 362,000 subscribers to its platform.

The final of last season’s competition between Barcelona and Lyon was watched by 3.6million viewers across the broadcaster’s online and TV platforms.

DAZN’s global markets CEO Veronica Diquattro said: “We want to help the women’s game realise its potential, by reaching audiences and by developing its obvious commercial appeal to create a virtuous circle of investment, growth, raising standards and overall interest.”