Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast

And just like that, the 2024/25 WSL season comes to a close! Clo and Rach are here to reflect on the final weekend and discuss this season’s winners and losers. Chelsea (obviously) managed to pull off another invicible campaign and Arsenal beat Man United 4-3 at the Emirates to hold on to second place! Plus, how did Aston Villa finish sixth after flirting SO closely with relegation at the end of March? And the manager merry-go-round strikes again at Crystal Palace… Come for a bumper end-of-season edition, stay for Rach’s Taylor Swift singalong!Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

Joining us today is someone who’s been instrumental in reshaping and driving the women’s game forward in England: Kelly Simmons OBE! From putting the WSL on the map to championing investment in grassroots pathways - and everything in between - Kelly’s 30-year career at the FA has been nothing short of extraordinary. Kelly reflects on her journey, the highs and lows along the way and whether she’d do anything differently if she was starting out again. Plus, she gives her thoughts on why WSL relegation shouldn’t - and probably won’t - be scrapped, tells us why the exclusion of the women’s game from the Independent Football Regulator is a huge missed opportunity and gives her take on the FA’s controversial decision to ban transgender women from playing women’s football. Kelly is speaking at a Fair Game conference later this month. For more details and to get tickets, click here.Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

First things first… in case you missed it, Rach got an assist in the WSL this weekend! But in other news, Chelsea clinched their sixth straight WSL title with two games to spare, on a random Wednesday night at Leigh Sports Village of all places! But can they go the whole season unbeaten? Clo and Rach dive into just that. Elsewhere, the Manchester Derby lived up to its name as United bagged themselves a place in the Champions League next season - surely Jim Ratcliffe knows about that, right?! Plus, London City Lionesses have become the WSL newbies after their spicy final-day match against Birmingham City. But will they be able to stay up?Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

It’s the Merseyside Derby this weekend! Which naturally means Clo and Rach have roped in Everton (and Ireland) number one, Courtney Brosnan! Courtney takes us inside Everton’s injury-hit season, the impact of fresh investment at the club, and what Brian Sørenson is building with this team. Elsewhere, she and Clo obviously get into the nitty-gritty of what it really takes to be a goalkeeper at this level, while Rach of course gets the lowdown on all things Ireland! And yes, Courtney does reveal what it’s like coming up against international teammates in a huge club fixture like this...Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

Rach joins Chloe from an airport lounge in France, fresh from witnessing a true Arsenal masterclass on Sunday. Their hugely impressive comeback against Lyon means they’ve reached the Champions League final for the first time in 18 years! Arsenal’s Renée-ssance really is in full effect…Meanwhile, Chelsea suffered another semi-final exit to Barcelona but Rach tells us why their performance on Sunday was an improvement on that bruising first-leg. Plus, it was heartbreak at the weekend for Crystal Palace - and of course Clo - as their 7-1 defeat to West Ham confirmed their relegation from the WSL.Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

Clo and Rach are back in the studio after a frustrating weekend of Champions League football for both Arsenal and Chelsea. Can either of them turn it around in the second legs? Clo reckons it’s close to impossible for Chelsea, but Rach has cooked up a strategy that might just work. Let’s just say the word “Tetris” springs to mind… Elsewhere, all this European drama has distracted us from a spicy WSL weekend, which saw Tottenham come so close to picking up their first league win since January. Why are they having such a weird season after showing such promise last year? And is Robert Vilahamn really in trouble? Clo and Rach get stuck into just that.Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

Rach is here with a very special episode all the way from Canada, jetting over there for the launch of the brand-new Northern Super League! Ahead of the historic opening match between Calgary Wild and Vancouver Rise last night, she found time to sit down with Calgary’s head coach and former Leicester City manager, Lydia Bedford. Lydia opens up about the challenges of relocating to a new country - during such a difficult time in her personal life - and shares the powerful way she managed to gel her squad in just a matter of weeks. And more importantly, Lydia reveals how she and her dog Baxter have been adapting to life in Canada! It involves some tabogganing... After that, we hear from Canadian sports journalist and friend of the pod Har Johal who joins Rach to react to this first-ever NSL match and explain what this brand-new league really means for Canada Soccer. Come and join us!Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

First things first, if you haven’t seen that Phallon Tullis-Joyce save… where have you been this weekend?! Don’t worry though, Clo and Rach are here to fill you in... Manchester United are heading back to Wembley to defend their FA Cup crown - cue Clo’s celebrations - but can they get past Chelsea? Rach reckons this could be Chelsea’s best-ever chance at winning the quadruple. We also discuss Marc Skinner’s contract extension at United and why Man City are crying out for a summer rebuild. Should Nick Cushing stay on permanently? Clo and Rach aren’t on the same page about this one... Plus, Canada’s first-ever women’s professional soccer league kicks off tomorrow (about time!) and Rach is flying out for the opener… because why wouldn’t she be?! We dive into all the details of this brand new division! Come and join us.Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**

Michelle Agyemang… WOW. Just wow. She had a night she will never forget, but England suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat in Belgium. Rach can hear the alarm bells ringing already - but don’t panic, her and Chloe are very much on hand to bring the calm that’s needed in this special post-match reaction pod! Plus, it’s safe to say Sazzy Wiegs has a selection headache to contend with ahead of Euro 2025, so we thought we’d help her out. We’ve picked our starting XI for that tough opener against France. Who’s in? And who’s out? Come and find out! Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.For ad-free episodes and much more from across our football shows, head over to the Football Ramble Patreon and subscribe: patreon.com/footballramble.**Please take the time to rate us on your podcast app. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!**