so very fitting that the ECB reiterated yesterday that the Hundred welcomes everyone and that there is no place for discrimination in the game...
I'm also interested in content writing/management work, so if you have a corporate website or social feed that might need a boost, whether it's in sports or not, drop me a line.
I'd appreciate shares for visibility! Thank you.
Sophie Hillyerd on signing for Watford on loan - lnkd.in/e6sqQR-f
I'm now looking for freelance, contract or part-time work - if you'd like me to add depth and context to your women's football coverage, for online or print, please get in touch and let's talk about how we can work together.
Hello BlueSky! A quick post asking for some assistance.
I love telling stories in women's football that might fly under the radar a little otherwise. Take for example these from the last week or so:
Moneyfields - lnkd.in/eSyrfeE9
Emily Wallace of Norwich City - lnkd.in/eC-YdJTJ
Transport for Wales don't run the trains from Swansea into London though :(
when your dog has been beaten up by some other animal in the garden and you have to sit up with her all night because she has a fat lip and a cut chin and is feeling very sorry for herself indeed
as featured in Flying the Flag! What a player she was.
I'm so sorry xx
Love this. Glad you're back x
NEW! Beginning Series 3 of my music textcast #FirstLastAnything, broadcaster/writer Matthew Rudd @matthewjrudd.bsky.social talks about his ace long-running Sunday radio show #Forgotten80s, his home city of Hull and its fourth best band, and much more besides. firstlastanything.co.uk/2025/08/02/f...
This is what we - us now, the generations before - have always wanted.
And we want more.
Everybody watches women's football.
#lionesses #euros
I can't quite imagine how it must feel to be a child now, who started watching football in 2022, and is used not just to England's success, but to it being taken seriously, to it being valued.
Watching the Lionesses retain their Euro title today was an incredible moment. Having watched them at tournaments for more than 20 years, I sometimes feel like a bit of a relic.
And we must not forget those keeping the pyramid and the talent pathway alive, nor rush to make women's football look like men's, and repeat the errors we've seen so many times there.
And inevitably mistakes do get made. There are short memories in our sport. The women at the very top are thriving now but they still have plenty of challenges to face that their male counterparts don't.
As eyes turned to the future, I'd spent months chronicling pen-portraits of the past, the women whose stories had been overlooked but who needed to be remembered and acknowledged so that mistakes wouldn't be repeated.
Well, it was one of them. The gradual rise, the careful build of professional football for women in England sky-rocketed in 2022, the year in which 'Unsuitable for Females' was released.
People were enthralled by these women and their stories - I remember Claire Rafferty got talked about a lot! But they'd been working so hard for so long, and generations of England teams had travelled to tournaments practically unnoticed. Would this be the turning point?
Ten years ago, I very clearly remember coming up with the idea for the book that became The Roar of the Lionesses. I'd not long been back from the Women's World Cup in Canada, and England's good performance there - finishing third - had taken everyone by surprise.
When I first went to a publisher with the suggestion of writing a book about women's football, I was turned down (repeatedly) and told that it was simply too niche.
Nobody watches women's football, right?
Gearing up for the England match tomorrow night? You’ve got the snacks and the beers in - why not celebrate with a copy of Flying the Flag too? 🏆
@carriesparkle’s latest book covers the original Lioness, the first woman of colour to play for England and much more 🏴
#WomesEuro2025 #Lioness
We are super excited about the start of #WEURO2025 today! We have published two fascinating books about women's football by leading journalist @carriesparkle.bsky.social - great companion reads for the tournament
www.hero-press.com/flying-the-f...
www.hero-press.com/woman-up
#football
Thank you! I've emailed them.
OK, so...
Is anyone (maybe a football club, or maybe a company?) screening or hosting a watch party for England v Netherlands on Wed 9 July, and would like me to either come and talk about all things Lionesses beforehand, or come and sell/sign some books? Or even both?!
I'm so grateful to WiF for supporting my new book 'Flying the Flag: The Footballing Heroines of the Home Nations Who Made History Abroad'!
Thank you to all the brilliant women whose stories are spotlighted - and to the friends, family, team-mates and coaches who gave their perspectives.
Available now at all good book shops and your preferred online retailer of choice - tinyurl.com/mr2upfxt
Telling the stories of trailblazing women is one of the great honours of my career and I hope this book fills in some more of the many gaps in women's football history.
Today, 'Flying the Flag: The Footballing Heroines of the Home Nations Who Made History Abroad' is released.
This is a book I've wanted to write for years and I'm so thrilled I've finally been able to.
Thanks, Jacqui! <3 Safe travels!
Yep NEW BOOK IS OUT TOMORROW!
