Herfootball.org

Emma Hayes is a significant architect of modern women's football, having transformed Chelsea women from part-time to one of the elite professional powerhouses, setting new standards for the game.

History was made in the Six Nations over the weekend after Hollie Davidson became the first woman to referee a Six Nations match. 

With the rise of women's football in England and increased uptake, it is surprising that the proportion of England-qualified players in the WSL fell to just 30% last season, less than half the level of seven years ago.

It has long been speculated that the impacts of a woman's menstrual cycle and injuries in women's football, but nothing has been officially confirmed or can be proven. To date, there has been a lack of high-quality data to demonstrate how and when this occurs. New research published by the Barça Innovation Hub changes the conversation.

Ahead of the Chelsea match against Liverpool at Kingmeadow, 2,000 members of the supporters' club had organised a protest over the treatment of Paul Green.

With the new format of the Women's Champions League, clubs are given a second chance to qualify for the knockout through the play-offs. Two legs home and away, it could all change. These drawn clubs, three or four, have already met in the league phase. They already know their competition, except for the Wolfsburg v Juventus match.

While Chelsea's season has not gone completely to plan, with poor results and controversies surrounding the club, this remains true. Their recruitment under Paul Green was impeccable. Most notable are their two summer signings, Alyssa Thompson and Ellie Carpenter, who have become key players for the team. Both players have saved Chelsea's season, and the teams have relied on their speed to make the difference on multiple occasions.

Chelsea 2026 has been one to forget, back-to-back losses in the WSL for the first time since 2015, and the first time Sonia Bompastor has experienced that in hermanageriall career. The WSL title slipped from your grasp, and you thought it was the lowest it could get. But the decline of the treble holders, who sit third in the WSL, nine points behind Manchester City, has got progressively worse. 

With the Champions League play-offs well underway, the new league phase viewership stats are proving that the revamped Swiss-style has paid off.

The UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout phase begins with holders Arsenal, first-time qualifiers Manchester United, and European heavyweights Wolfsburg all in action, as fine margins and first-leg control come sharply into focus.

Eni Aluko has been known to make claims about the women's game that have gone down like a lead balloon with pundits and fans alike. Many fans across both the women's and men's games have criticised her “poor punditry.”

The Women's Asian Cup is just weeks away, with the WSL likely to lose some of its greatest stars to the international tournament. There is no worse time for the club as we head into the final stages of the WSL, the League Cup final, Champions League knockout fixtures, and the FA Cup, all at their peak intensity. This absence could make or break some clubs' seasons in a matter of weeks.