Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast

Rachel is joined by Spurs’ head coach Robert Vilahamn for a special, wide-ranging interview!He dials in from Spurs’ pre-season training camp to reflect on his first season in the WSL. He reveals his biggest high of the season – and the moment where he stopped being ‘that Swedish guy’ – and explains just how the squad bought into his ideas so quickly.Plus, Robert outlines the four pillars of ‘Bobbyball’ and opens up about Grace Clinton’s return to Man United.Follow us on X, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

That’s a wrap on the Olympics! And just 84 days after winning the WSL with Chelsea, Emma Hayes had a gold medal with the USWNT around her neck. Rachel was there in Paris and chats with Chloe all about the final – including a special goodbye for Marta.But as Spain head home medal-less, what happened to them? And did this tournament teach us some harsh lessons about player fatigue? Plus, Chloe and Rachel explain why a move to Newcastle could make more sense that it might appear for Nikita Parris and why – yes – Angel City’s announcement video for Katie Zelem didn’t make sense to us either.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

Come for a bumper Upfront, stay for Chloe’s impersonation of a drone.Chloe and Rachel are BACK! They discuss the story so far at Emma Hayes’ USA – with some mixed performances, but an Olympic semi-final under their belt already. Plus, they react to Ann-Katrin Berger’s heroics and Marta’s red card villainy.Har Johal also joins us to explain how spygate has gone down in Canada and where Bev Priestman goes from here.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

While some of football’s biggest names are being chased by elite clubs in Europe and beyond this summer, one story has shown the stark economic reality of women’s football: Reading FC Women. At the end of June, they notified the FA that they would not be able to compete in the Championship this season because of insufficient funds; now, they are re-entering the pyramid in the fifth tier. This week, they released 16 players.Chloe and Rachel sit down with the journalist who broke the story - Tom Garry of The Guardian - to find out what’s happened, hear about the real-world consequences, and discuss what this disaster says about the women’s football ecosystem.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

But do England fans need to start changing their expectations? Chloe and Rach react to that edgy 0-0 draw with Sweden in Gothenburg which secured the Lionesses’ qualification for Euro 2025.We discuss the Alessia Russo conundrum, whether Hannah Hampton can keep hold of the No.1 jersey, and what the qualification campaign as a whole has told us about next summer’s title defence. Plus, bloody hell Ireland! Where did that come from?!Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

We’re back! We’re separated by an ocean and haven’t spoken in a few weeks but we had to jump on for another episode, as the transfer market hots up and England prepare for some crucial Euro 2025 qualifiers.Today, we wonder what on Earth is going on at Man United, as legends like Mary Earps and Katie Zelem have let their contracts expire and left a club that seems unsure of what it needs to do next. Elsewhere, Man City put the WSL on notice after Viv Miedema’s touted move to Manchester City was confirmed - and Fran Kirby’s gone to Brighton?!Plus, we look ahead to another Upfront derby as England face Ireland on Friday!Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

We’re back with a bonus episode after England tried the exact same thing against France - but got a win!We celebrate some impressive performances from Hannah Hampton and Alessia Russo and wonder if England’s stuttering form is because they don’t have a tournament to conquer this summer. Plus, Ireland put in another good showing but will finish bottom of the group after losing to Sweden.Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***

We’re back after England came out on the wrong side of a tussle with France - should we accept that this is part of the harder qualification process we asked for? Or is there cause for concern…We also recap some impressive performances from Scotland and Ireland, see Emma Hayes make her debut as the USWNT manager and discuss FIFA’s new maternity protocols that are definitely an improvement - but do they go far enough?Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon to get ad-free Upfront shows and more: patreon.com/footballramble.***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!***