Emma Smith

At Emirates Stadium today for Arsenal v Brighton in the WSL. The Gunners need a win to avoid their worst league start in 11 years. Daphne van Domselaar keeps her place in goal despite recent errors.

Arsenal vs Lyon LIVE: UEFA Women's Champions League LIVE - text, radio commentary, stats & head-to-head Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Arsenal vs OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women's Champions League

136 days ago, Arsenal won the Women's Champions League.

Tonight, they begin their title defence against Lyon, who they so memorably beat in the semis last season.

Chloe Kelly and Beth Mead both start, follow the action here: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Ashleigh Plumptre: 'I deeply hurt people by moving to Saudi Arabia' In an interview with BBC Sport, Ashleigh Plumptre says she regrets losing the trust of some LGBT fans in women's football by moving to Saudi Arabia.

EXCLUSIVE: Former WSL star Ashleigh Plumptre on life as a female footballer in Saudi Arabia, on:

- Feeling safer as a woman in Saudi than the UK
- Regrets at hurting LGBT friends and fans
- Initially turning the move down

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Liverpool and West Ham: Nine games, nine losses for dire WSL bottom two Nine games, nine defeats. Three goals scored, 24 conceded. The combined records of Liverpool and West Ham United in the Women's Super League make very bleak reading.

Nine games, nine defeats. Three goals scored, 24 conceded.

Just why have Liverpool and West Ham been so dire this season?

My WSL autopsy for BBC Sport.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Tottenham Hotspur: Taking the knee 'no longer feels meaningful' Tottenham did not take the knee before Sunday's Women's Super League match because the anti-racism gesture

Anti-racism gestures in Sunday's WSL fixtures:

Spurs v Brighton - Spurs did not take knee, Brighton did
London City v Liverpool - both sides took knee
Leicester v Everton - both sides took knee
West Ham v Villa - both teams joined arms in centre circle

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Of all the decisions I've ever made, travelling to Macclesfield via rail replacement buses in a storm ranks as one of my worst.

But I'm here in one piece, ticking off another ground in Moss Rose for Macclesfield v. Marine in National League North.

Sport Today - 2025/10/03 GMT - BBC Sounds BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.

Delighted to be back on BBC World Service tonight previewing the weekend's Premier League action alongside Lee James and John Bennett - in particular the various issues facing Liverpool, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

Have a listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Man Utd vs Chelsea LIVE: Watch WSL stream, text commentary, stats & head-to-head Watch, follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Manchester United vs Chelsea in the Women's Super League.

Despite the best efforts of Storm Amy, second v first in the WSL is on tonight and should be a cracker.

I'm on the live text of Man Utd v Chelsea for BBC Sport, follow here: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Thanks for talking about my feature on Christian Burgess! Yes the intro is a stretch, but the lure of talking about the World Wars was too strong for a British journalist like me.

Under Precheur?

Out now!

@catmackenzie048.bsky.social, Anne Butzelaar and @emmasmithbbc.bsky.social look back at

❌ Two points dropped for Arsenal

Solid showing for Manchester United.

🗣️Andre Jeglertz and Jocelyn Precheur post-match interviews

Forest Fire in WSL2.

open.spotify.com/episode/1ArA...

Arsenal: With four points dropped, have the Gunners blown their WSL title bid already? At first glance the question posed in the headline of this piece seems ridiculous, but scratch below the surface and there is substance.

Have Arsenal blown their WSL title bid already?

That might sound like overblown clickbait at first - but when chasing perfect Chelsea with a misfiring attack and predictable subs, there is truth behind the bluster.

Post #ARSAVL piece for BBC Sport

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Question: What does a trans girl need when the Progesterone really hits?

Answer:

Delighted to be nominated on the Women's Football and EDI categories at the Football Content Awards 2025!

It's 50% based on fan votes, so please consider voting for me here - if you're a fan of my work, it would mean an awful lot: footballcontentawards.com/voting

Matt was a lovely bloke who really cared about his players, I don't know anyone who covered women's football in England who's ever had a bad word to say about him. Women's football is poorer for his passing.

Now confirmed - Chris Wilder returns to Sheffield United for his third spell as manager, 114 days and six Blades defeats after he oversaw their loss in the Championship play-off final. #bbcfootball

Sheffield United: Inside 113 days of madness as Ruben Selles leaves On 24 May, Sheffield United narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League. Now they are taking drastic action to avoid a Championship relegation fight.

- An AI-led recruitment strategy, now seemingly scrapped
- Irate fans calling for the manager to be sacked after one game
- Chris Wilder on the verge of returning for his third spell

The story of 113 days of chaos at Sheffield United

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

WCMX: How 'BMX in a wheelchair' became online para-sport sensation WCMX - short for wheelchair motocross - is the para-sport taking social media by storm. So what is it, and what is its future?

"It's basically BMX in a wheelchair"

The WCMX World Championships start this weekend, and I spoke to Tomas Woods - a double champ aged 16 - about the para-sport turned viral sensation, and whether we will see it at the Paralympics.

www.bbc.com/sport/articl...

Sam Kerr: Chelsea striker could make first appearance after 20 months out with ACL injury Sam Kerr could make her first Chelsea appearance for 20 months in the Women's Super League season opener against Manchester City on Friday.

Sam Kerr will be in the Chelsea squad for their WSL opener tomorrow night against Man City, says manager Sonia Bompastor.
It would be Kerr's first appearance since January 2024 after 20 months out following a serious knee injury.
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

5 Live Sport - 03/09/2025 - BBC Sounds Mark Chapman presents the day's sports news.

A pleasure to appear on 5 Live Sport last night to talk about my interview with Lauren James, and the new WSL minimum salary (17 minutes in, slightly iffy quality as I was calling in from a car park)

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

WSL2: 'Good for the game' as women's second tier goes fully professional For the first time in the 2025-26 campaign, all 12 sides in the second tier will be fully professional after newly promoted Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town both went full-time over the summer.

No longer is WSL2 home to students, nurses and climbing centre employees. It is home to stars like Jordan Nobbs as the women's second tier goes fully professional for the first time.

Forget any romanticism, this is only a good thing.

#WSL #BBCFootball

www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

Lauren James: England winger criticises fans as 'too quick to judge' at Euro 2025 Chelsea and England forward Lauren James has criticised fans as

Exclusive: Chelsea star Lauren James opens up to BBC Sport

- Fans "too quick to judge" during struggles at Euro 2025
- She was unable to enjoy England's triumph due to injury
- "Relief" that other players miss penalties against Sweden amid racism fear

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Women's Super League: London City Lionesses captain Kosovare Asllani wants more than mid-table London City Lionesses, promoted to the WSL for this season, are the first fully independent side in the competition's history, but captain Kosovare Asllani has big ambitions.

Exclusive: Newly promoted London City Lionesses would not be satisfied with a mid-table finish in WSL - and Kosovare Asllani says only breaking into the top four would represent a "good season".

#BBCFootball #WSL

www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

Premier League LIVE: Chelsea vs Fulham - scores, radio & updates Follow build-up to Chelsea v Fulham in the Premier League before five more games on Saturday, with radio commentaries, team news, live text and score updates as it happens.

Things can't get any worse for Manchester United, can they?

Can they?!

I'm on the BBC Sport Premier League live text this afternoon, covering events at Old Trafford and around all the 3pm kick-offs.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Nuno Espirito Santo: Nottingham Forest boss says quit talk 'absurd' - but he may still leave Nuno says he would never walk away from Nottingham Forest, but cannot guarantee he will be in charge come the end of the transfer window.

Nuno Espirito Santo says he will not quit as Nottingham Forest manager - "It is absurd. Never."

But he would not guarantee he will still be in charge by the end of the transfer window - "I cannot answer that question."

Post-match fall-out from Palace 1-1 Forest

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

At Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest today, where questions abound.

Will this be Nuno's final game?
How will Palace cope without Eze?
And just how bad is the blood between fans, players - and owners?

All this and more to be answered, follow the BBC Sport live text #BBCFootball

Keith Andrews: New Brentford head coach makes poor first impression in Forest loss As far as first impressions go, Keith Andrews' debut as a Premier League head coach was the equivalent of forgetting your name or spilling red wine on your carpet as his side suffer a 3-1 loss at Nott...

As far as first impressions go, Keith Andrews' debut as head coach was the equivalent of forgetting your name or spilling red wine on your carpet.

Analysis of Brentford's 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest for BBC Sport, which should worry every Bees fan.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Premier League LIVE: Tottenham v Burnley, Sunderland v West Ham & Brighton v Fulham after Newcastle draw at Aston Villa Follow action from five matches, radio commentaries, team news, live text and score updates as it happens from across the Premier League.

First Saturday of the Premier League, first #bbcfootball live text of the season for me as Wolves take on Manchester City at Molineux.

Hopefully this is more Liverpool v Bournemouth and less Aston Villa v Newcastle

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Could you add me please?

Delighted to be taking on a coaching role with Manchester Laces this season, as they make their debut in Tier 6 and the FA Cup.

The announcement had mostly nice, and accurate, things to say.

Sydney Lohmann: Perfect time to move to England following Euro 2025 triumph, says Germany midfielder New Manchester City midfielder Sydney Lohmann says she

Exclusive interview with new Man City midfielder Sydney Lohmann...

- Her new team mates “underachieved” last season
- She suffered abuse online after Germany lost to Spain at Euro 2025
- Being sworn at by Jill Scott at Wembley was "intense" but “funny”

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...