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Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast
Inter’s Sofie Junge Pedersen on fighting Fifa’s partnership with Saudi oil giant Aramco
Danish international Sofie Junge Pedersen is at the forefront of a powerful movement urging Fifa to end its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil giant Aramco over human rights violations and environmental concerns.
Rachel sat down with Sofie to find out why her open letter - signed by over 100 players - is a crucial step forward in driving change, the power footballers have to make a real difference, and her vision for a more sustainable future.
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Derby disappointments and England expectations, with Robyn Cowen
44:46|Chloe’s still living it up in Miami, but fear not: today, Rachel is joined by certified commentary royalty as she gets stuck into the latest news with BBC Sport’s Robyn Cowen!We chat about a disappointing North London Derby, where Spurs showed they’ve gone backwards since last season and Arsenal turned on the style in front of 56,784 Chloe Kelly stans. Elsewhere, Chelsea snatched yet another victory from the jaws of looming defeat and we look ahead to some crucial Nations League fixtures for Sarina Wiegman and the Lionesses.Plus, Rachel quizzes Robyn about the art of commentary and her own journey, from stumbling into local radio to delivering one of the most iconic lines in English sporting history, when England emerged victorious at Euro 2022.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!**Man City’s revenge, near upsets in the FA Cup & Chloe Kelly gets ‘dropped’
46:26|We’d like to start by thanking Mary Fowler for saving us all - but especially one very cold Rach - from extra-time against Arsenal last week. Her and Clo react to Man City getting through to the League Cup final to face, you guessed it… Chelsea! Elsewhere, the FA Cup delivered some serious squeaky bum time moments this weekend and we also give our thoughts on whether ‘B Teams’ in the lower tiers are actually a good idea. Plus, Sazzy Weegs has announced her England squad for the Nations League games later this month, and of course people are talking about Chloe Kelly being ‘dropped’. We're here to throw water on that fire and revel in Keets getting her call-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.Chaos in Manchester & a crazy end to the transfer window!
46:43|It’s been a rather chaotic week for Manchester City… First with Chloe Kelly’s turbulent exit and then with that seven-goal thriller against Arsenal! Chloe and Rachel are here to react to it all! Plus, Everton opened the floodgates against one of the meanest defences in the league, Chelsea have signed none other than Keira Walsh and Rach explains which teams have had a great window and who could’ve done more.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.Vintage Viv, London derby controversy & Naomi Girma’s RECORD move
44:35|Would it really be a London derby if there wasn’t some last minute drama?! We give our takes on the penalty decision that gave Chelsea yet another three points and react to Katie McCabe seeing red. Elsewhere, Viv Miedema’s back doing GOAT things and we have Sonny B’s bare ankles in our thoughts and prayers. Plus - much to Chloe’s excitement - Naomi Girma has made the move to Chelsea for a record $1.1m transfer fee. So how did they announce her, you ask? By parading her in front of the Arsenal bench in the pouring rain, of course. Welcome to London, Naomi.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.Manchester Derby DRAMA and Carla Ward heads to Ireland!
45:19|The WSL is back from the winter break! And that Manchester derby was certainly worth the wait. Clo and Rach are once again full of praise for Ella Toone after her hat-trick and we wonder whether it’s crunch time for Gareth Taylor. Elsewhere, Liverpool put in a sharp display against Brighton to take all three points - but Matt Beard’s on a revenge mission against the PGMOL. And THIS time, he has videos... Plus, we caught up with Irish journalist Kathleen McNamee to discuss friend of the pod Carla Ward’s new job as the Republic of Ireland Head Coach!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.Big returns and big scorelines in the FA Cup
41:55|Chloe and Rachel are back together in the studio! And there’s nothing like a whole bunch of postponements to get us kicked off for 2025, is there?!Besides that though, there were some very exciting returns in the FA Cup – we give our takes on Ella Toone, Viv Miedema and LJ’s returns, plus how the FA Cup can be made more competitive after another upset-less weekend.We also react to Jonas Eidevall’s tell-all interview (and do a surprisingly good Jonas impersonation) and there’s the latest transfer news from WSL land!Didn’t catch last week’s episode with Maggie Murphy? Listen 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 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!***Former Lewes CEO Maggie Murphy on what we can expect this year for women’s football
47:24|We’re back with our first episode of 2025! Chloe sits down with Maggie Murphy to unpack some of the big headlines set to shape women’s football in 2025: from Barclays’ renewed sponsorship deal to the record five-year TV broadcasting deal. Elsewhere, Maggie explains why Brighton’s proposed women’s stadium would be a game-changer, discusses whether the Championship should actually be rebranded as the ‘WSL2’ and looks at what impact Euro 2025 could have on the growth of the game. Plus, should we be worried about WSL attendances? 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 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!***Upfront Wrapped PLUS our 2025 New Year’s Resolutions for Women’s Football!
40:35|What a year 2024 has been in the WSL and beyond. Today, we’re wrapping it up in style with our very own ‘Upfront Wrapped’. Join Chloe and Rachel as they relive their most-watched footballing moments of 2024 and reveal their ‘Top Artists’, ‘Biggest Hits’ and ‘Watching Characters’ — spoiler, that last category is a real good’un!We also find out your New Year’s Resolutions for women’s football in 2025 and throw in some serious (and not so serious) suggestions of our own… Happy New Year, Upfront gang!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 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!***Man City slip up, De Pauw messes up, and who’s staying up?
54:50|It’s our final episode before Christmas! And Rach has got her special Christmas hat on – not that Chloe is particularly appreciative…Elsewhere, Chloe might have been busy tending to her sourdough but it was a hell of a WSL weekend. Chelsea dropped points and then – oh no – Man City only got done by Everton, didn’t they?We take a look across the table for our bumper mid-season review and try to work out what’s been going down at Aston Villa. Where better to start than LinkedIn…Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky 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!***