Off The Pitch

You’re 18. You’ve just helped your team to a bronze medal in Norway’s Toppserien. You have been nominated Young Player of the Year. Everything feels like it’s falling into place — a career opening up in front of you, a path that could one day follow the likes of Caroline Graham Hansen or Maren Mjelde. And then, suddenly, it stops. The diagnosis every footballer fears: an ACL injury.

Crocheting is a hobby that has gained renewed popularity since the COVID years and is widespread across generations. It has even found its way into professional sport. One well-known example is British diver Tom Daley, who is also an avid knitter. In women’s football, one of the hobby’s most prominent advocates is German star Klara Bühl.

Named the world’s best floorball player by Innebandy Magazinet, Maja Viström has collected success at both club and international level. Yet her sporting career could easily have taken a very different path. Earlier in her life, she also played football — even representing her country at youth international level.

We can all agree that dogs are our most loyal companions, brightening our lives in countless ways. Women’s footballers are no exception, often proudly showing off their four-legged biggest supporters on social media. So, who are the beloved pets of the game’s biggest stars?

Have a friend you want to introduce to women’s football but don’t know where to start? The series Matildas: The World at Our Feet might just be the perfect way in.

The Olympic Games officially begin on Friday, February 6. And although football logically belongs in the summer games, it is also represented here, even though you might not expect it. 

Kerstin Casparij has had a successful time recently. Her team Manchester City tops the WSL table, and she herself was named Player of the Month for November. Fans adore her not only for her skills on the pitch, but also for her longstanding and ongoing support of LGBTQ rights.