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Women’s football in England is undoubtedly still on the rise. From sell-out crowds last season, to guarantees of all home fixtures hosted at main stadiums. The Women’s Super League continues to enjoy a meteoric rise as the top tier of the FA’s Women’s Football Pyramid.

It is worth also casting an eye over the emerging successes in other leagues. Let’s have a look at Bristol Rovers in the National League Division One South.

One such example of a club being newly promoted is Bristol Rovers. For many fans of the women’s game, Bristol may be a city exclusively associated with former top flight club Bristol City. However, there is also movement on the other side of the city, over in BS7.

Bristol Rovers gear up for their first season playing in Division One South West of the FA’s Women’s National League. This will happen after being promoted from the South West Regional Women’s Football League’s Premier division.

To further the anticipation surrounding the 2024/25 season for the club, it has also been announced that the team will play their home games at Memorial Stadium. This is Bristol Rovers’ home ground this coming season.

Looking ahead to the club’s team for the upcoming season, they have retained many of their players. They were part of last season’s squad that helped them secure promotion, while also welcoming some exciting new signings.

One such signing is Daisy Ackerman. The forward brings experience from her time at Cheltenham Town and the Arsenal Academy to Bristol Rovers ahead of their first game of the 2024/25 season. They will face AFC Bournemouth, a strong side who finished second in the league in the 2023/24 season. Being interviewed on the Bristol Rovers’ official website, Ackerman said: “The team vision for further progression was impressive.”

This sentiment — that Bristol Rovers is a club with ambitious plans for the future and further progression — can undoubtedly be seen in their signings and their commitment to move the women’s side in line with the men’s, by playing home fixtures at Memorial Stadium. 

While the opening match of the season, set to take place on the 18th August, will undoubtedly offer the newly promoted team a challenge, it is one to watch closely to see how the club’s ambitions will begin to take shape during their first season in the fourth tier of the English Football Pyramid.

The Seattle Reign retired former star Megan Rapinoe’s No. 15 jersey and then capped the celebration with a 1-0 stoppage-time victory over the North Carolina Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League on Sunday night.

Teenager Emeri Adames finally broke through for the Reign seven minutes into stoppage time with a header that bounced off the post and into the goal as Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy tried in vain to stop it.

Afterward, 18-year-old Adames celebrated by striking Rapinoe’s iconic victory pose from the 2019 Women’s World Cup as Rapinoe cheered her on from the stands.

Jaelin Howell came close to scoring for Seattle shortly after entering the game in the 75th minute, but her left-footed shot from out front went just wide. Howell was acquired by the Reign earlier in the week in a trade with Racing Louisville.

The victory was Reign coach Laura Harvey’s 100th in the NWSL.

The weekend’s games were the first for the NWSL after a six-week break in the regular season for the Olympics.

Rapinoe spent her entire NWSL career with the Reign before retiring from soccer last year. Her jersey was the first retired by the club.

Rapinoe joined the Reign in the league’s first season in 2013 and played in 115 regular-season games with 51 goals.

Fans displayed a banner of Rapinoe’s image that read: “You Changed the Game.” Seattle’s Space Needle was lit up in lavender — a nod to Rapinoe’s hair color at the 2019 World Cup — for the occasion.

“Just overwhelmed,” Rapinoe said. “Honestly, the whole weekend, the club’s done such a great job in putting this all together and just to see everyone in lavender, all the No. 15s, all the support, it’s the world to me. Very overwhelming.”

Maya Le Tissier says did not hesitate to accept the captain's armband for Manchester United Women, despite only being 22 years old.

She replaces her England teammate Katie Zelem as captain after the midfielder left United at the end of her contract.

Le Tissier joined the Red Devils from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022 and quickly became a fans' favourite, scoring twice on her debut against Reading as she went on to become a key part of the team's backline.

Talking to ITV Channel in her first media interview since the announcement, the defender from Guernsey explains: "I was buzzing. I sat down with Marc [Skinner - Manchester United Women's manager] speaking about the previous season and the challenges when he asked me. He said to go away and think about it because obviously it's a big responsibility but straight away I said yes.

"It's kind of crazy to be honest that it's happened so soon. Our previous captain did a fantastic job, I've seen what she had to deal with and she really led by example so I'm just hoping to do the same and I'm really proud to have the opportunity.

"This is a massive club, probably the biggest in the world and it can bring a lot of things, good and bad, so I need to be ready for that." 

Le Tissier has also received praise from her peers, winning the joint Players' Player of the Year Award last season.

That trust will be crucial as she takes on her new leadership role and aims to push United on to an improved performance in the league this campaign.

The defender explains: "This is my third season now so I think it's time to take the next step, I've had that experience of playing in the big games and I've been around the girls for quite a while now.

"The girls know what I'm about, I play with my heart on my sleeve and I'm very committed to the club and training. I'll be there if the girls need me to connect the players to staff.

"This captaincy won't change me at all, otherwise it would show I wasn't ready and I wouldn't have taken it.

"There's a still a long way for me to go with this club and internationally so it's just really exciting to see what the future brings and this is another step that I'm really grateful for.

"We definitely want to improve on last season, especially in the league, and continue with the cup runs."

For Manchester City, Sunday was a case of remembering that pre-season is not all about results, as their tour of Australia ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The Cityzens were the better side throughout and really took the game to one of Europe's elite teams, but regularly found outstanding goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek in their way before Jennifer Echegini scored a late penalty to win the game.

Jess Park, Khadija Shaw and Laura Blindkilde Brown were among those in blue to be left frustrated by the excellence of Kiedrzynek in the first half of the final match of the Perth International Football Cup, the Poland international producing some fantastic saves to show that England star Mary Earps will have to be on top form to earn the No.1 shirt at the French club. Shaw had some frustration to direct the way of the referee, too, after seeing strong penalty appeals waved away following a clumsy challenge from Eva Gaetino.

PSG did start to get into the game towards the end of the first half, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto having a shot blocked, Sakina Karchaoui going close and Paulina Dudek prodding just wide after a corner turned into a goalmouth scramble. However, City remained the dominant side after the break, Kiedrzynek producing some more top saves to thwart Lauren Hemp and Shaw.

Echegini, though, gave the City defence plenty to think about after coming on at half-time. A good run down the right troubled the English side, even if her shot from an angle could only hit the side-netting, and young Naomi Layzell needed to position herself well to block a shot from the Nigeria international just before the hour, too. While her game-winning goal wouldn't come from any of this lively play, instead from a penalty conceded when Kerstin Casparij fouled Tara Elimbi Gilbert in the 86th minute, Echegini's cool conversion from 12 yards only added to her impressive performance.

There was a good chance late on for City to level the scores and take it to penalties, but Chloe Kelly's effort fizzed agonisingly wide just seconds before the whistle went for full-time.

arly on Thursday, the National Women’s Soccer League announced a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with its players’ association. Ratified almost two years ahead of schedule, it’s a landmark deal underscoring the league’s commitment to innovation and player empowerment. Key elements of the agreement include increased salary minimums and a growing salary cap, expanded healthcare options and a groundbreaking shift to a fully free agency model, making the NWSL the first US professional league to abolish the draft.

The timing of this agreement is strategic. With the CBA now extending to 2030 (the former CBA was set to expire in 2026), NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said that the goal of this preemptive return to the negotiating table was to lay a solid foundation for long term labor stability. While only in the second year of their immediate media rights deal – already historic for its 40-fold increase – she said sights are already set on the next set of contracts due in 2027. “As we begin to think about preparing for our next media deal, we now have a long horizon for owners, sponsors, and media partners to invest in women’s soccer without fear of disruption, knowing that the players are our product,” Berman told the Guardian.

Far from dehumanizing the players, the logic is simple: by investing in your product, you tacitly invest in the business.

It’s a smart move. According to Deloitte, in 2024, global revenues for elite women’s sport will surpass $1bn for the first time, reaching as high as $1.28bn – at least 300% higher than just three years earlier.

The new CBA will roll out gradually, with all restriction on player agency notably being lifted immediately.

While drafts have historically been a cornerstone of the American sporting landscape, European leagues have long embraced a system in which players have significant control over their careers, marked by free agency models and robust transfer regulations. This framework allows players to negotiate contracts, choose their teams based on preference of location and salary, and move between clubs with relative freedom, provided they adhere to established contractual requirements.

The Orlando Pride dominate, as the race for a playoff spot heats up across the league. The NWSL season is back, and the Orlando Pride have everyone locked in. Unbeaten in 18 straight games, and sitting at the top of the standings, the Pride are heating things up across the league. Elsewhere, battles for a playoff spots continue. With all of the Olympians back in NWSL play, the teams are generally operating with their full rosters.

While the new Women's Super League campaign might still be several weeks away, Arsenal's season starts sooner than most, with their pre-season tour of the United States this past week made all the more important by the crucial Champions League qualifiers that loom for Jonas Eidevall's side. Twelve months ago, the Gunners fell at the first hurdle, losing to a giant-killing Paris FC side in the first qualifying round. There is a genuine threat of the same disappointment occurring this time around too, as if they beat Rangers on September 4, they will likely face Spanish giants Atletico Madrid for a place in the second round just a few days later. To avoid lightning striking twice and ensure they are well-prepared for the challenges that await next week, Arsenal's mini-tour of the U.S. was a big one, and there were certainly positives to take from it, especially after the 2-1 win over the Washington Spirit in their first outing. However, there are also a few concerns, highlighted by the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea that the trip ended with.

Aston Villa have staged a handful of their matches at Villa Park in recent seasons with some healthy crowds having been recorded. The club are investing heavily in the growth of their women’s team and Aston Villa have now revealed that the next step is to play all 11 of their home league matches at their main stadium. All other fixtures will continue to be played at The Poundland Bescot Stadium in Walsall. Following this morning’s announcement, Aston Villa’s Head of Women’s Football, Lee Billiard said “This is another big step forward and represents a continuation of the progress of our women’s programme at Aston Villa.“Through the support and hard work of many departments across the football club, we have been able to show Villa Park is a commercially viable venue for us. “In the times we have played there, especially over the last couple of seasons, it has always created a special matchday experience for everyone involved. “Players and staff collectively share an excitement to call Villa Park our primary ground from 2024/2025 onwards. “Our relationship with Walsall Football Club continues as Poundland Bescot Stadium will be our secondary venue.” The 2024/2025 Barclays Women’s Super League fixtures will be announced in due course.