Edition 32

Headlines

Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati was awarded the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin. The midfielder enjoyed a wonderful 2022/23 campaign in which she played a pivotal role in Barca’s Champions League victory and Spain’s first ever Women’s World Cup win.?

Due to round four of the Women’s Nations League group stage taking place on the same week as the ceremony, a number of nominees for the Ballon d’Or Feminin were unable to attend. Lionesses Millie Bright, Mary Earps, Rachel Daly and Georgia Stanway were among those nominated but not present at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, with the latter insisting that better planning is needed in order to allow players to go to the ceremony in future.

Controversy also surrounded who was chosen to give out the Ballon d’Or Feminin. Tennis star Novak Djokovic gave award to Bonmati on the night, and the decision to choose Djokovic to do this was met with notable ire due to him previously speaking out against equal pay for men and women in tennis.?

FIFA have confirmed that disgraced former RFEF president Luis Rubiales has been banned from all-football related activities for three years. Rubiales was found to have breached article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code by kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso without consent.?

Legendary Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has confirmed that she will step down from her role at the end of the season. Hayes has spent 11 trophy-laden years with the club, establishing herself as one of the sport’s most successful managers by winning six FA WSL titles, five Women’s FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups and one FA Women’s Community Shield.?

While Hayes is set to leave on her own accord, across the pond Mark Parsons hasn’t been so lucky. Washington Spirit have agreed to part ways with manager Parsons after the team failed to qualify for the NWSL play-offs. The D.C. based team narrowly missed out on a top-six spot, finishing in eighth place.?

England suffered yet another surprising defeat in the Women’s Nations League. The Lionesses were beaten 3-2 by a spirited Belgium outfit, and have now lost three of their last five games.?

Elsewhere in the Nations League, Spain defender Irene Paredes was denied her 100th cap when a “computer error” led to her name not being added to the teamsheet for the clash with Switzerland. Paredes’ next opportunity to win her 100th cap will come on December 1st when Spain face off against Italy.?

The World Cup contributed to a huge increase in women’s sport viewership this year according to the Women's Sport Trust. An astonishing audience of 21.2m people watched BBC’s coverage of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand, with 12 million watching the final alone.?

In the WSL, ACL injuries once again reared their ugly head in recent weeks. Manchester United star defender Gabby George has confirmed to have suffered an ACL injury which will likely keep her out for around a year.?

Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema are among the women’s players to have joined Common Goal’s new ‘Create the Space’ initiative. ‘Create the Space’ is the largest player-led mental health movement in football, with a host of international players calling for others to join in taking action against the mental health crisis.

90min Highlights

90min launched their new bi-weekly women’s football podcast with Republic of Ireland internationals Ruesha Littlejohn & Lucy Quinn, where the duo will reveal all about life as a professional footballer.?

Business Corner

A new women’s sport investment scheme created by the Department for Business and Trade has held its first session. The new scheme called ‘Women’s Sport Investment Accelerator’ will run for a year and bring together sports rights holders who are seeking investment. The FA Women’s Super League is one of the elite women’s sport competitions that are participating.

Sportswear brands adidas and PUMA are keen to take advantage of the fashion world’s interest in football following the Women’s World Cup.??

Lewes FC owners have voted in favour of a consortium taking over the club. Mercury 13 have said they are set to invest around ￡80m into the women’s game.?