Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast

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 d...

Brazil is set to become the first-ever South American country to host a Women’s World Cup, as they’ve won the 2027 bid! So what will this World Cup look like? Brazilian football journalist Júlia Belas Trindade joins us to discuss the response to this announcement back home in Brazil, as well as the background behind their bid. And finally, they tackle the million-dollar question: could Brazil lift...

Barcelona toppled the mighty Lyon for the very first time on Saturday! Chloe and Rachel react to an epic spectacle and the fairytale ending to a difficult season for Alexia Putellas. Plus, we discuss who should start in midfield for the Lionesses against a tricky France side and Chair of Goaldiggers Gaia Lailder joins us to talk about a growing problem in grassroots football. Follow us on  Tw...

Who was our player of the season? Who was our manager of the season? And – most importantly of all – what was our WTF moment of the season?! The prestigious Upfront Awards are back. Join Chloe and Rachel to relive a glorious and dramatic season of WSL football! Follow us on  Twitter ,  Instagram , and  YouTube ! Email us show@upfrontpod.com . Sign up for the Football Ramble Patreon...

On the final day of the WSL season, Chloe and Rachel spoke to a range of Chelsea voices around Old Trafford about Emma Hayes, what she means to them, and her and the club’s future. They catch up with Mark and Prue, two of the founders of the Chelsea Women’s Supporters Group who remember times when there was just four(!) of them turning up at away games. We also chat with Tracy Brown, chair of Chel...

Chloe and Rachel reflect on the final weekend of the WSL and discuss the season’s winners and losers. Did Manchester City bottle it and how can they avoid the same slip-up next season? Will Arsenal’s decision to let Vivianne Miedema go turn the fans against Jonas Eidevall? And what’s the future for managerless Aston Villa and rudderless Brighton? We’ve got (some) of the answers to a...

Clo and Rach give their reactions to an astonishing day at Old Trafford and a fairytale ending for Emma Hayes. From Mayra Ramírez’s incredible display, to Fran Kirby’s emotional goal – we had a front seat and share all our insights from outside the stadium! Come join us. And don’t worry: we’ll be back as usual on Tuesday to look back on the final weekend across the WSL! Follow us on  Twitter...

The sun was out, the good times were flowing, Chloe and Rachel were back together at Box Park… the weekend felt like Euro 2022 all over again! And then - for Spurs - reality struck. Clo and Rach react to a huge victory for Manchester United to lift their first major trophy. Could this change the trajectory of their summer transfer window? And how do Spurs – especially Becky Spencer – come back fro...

This Sunday is a first for Tottenham Hotspur: it will be their first EVER Women’s FA Cup final. And it’s been quite the journey over the past 20 years. One woman who knows that better than anyone is former Spurs player and captain – now academy coordinator – Jenna Schillaci. She’s also one of Chloe’s former teammates! They discuss how far the club has come since their playing days and why this sea...

Back in March, Chloe and Rachel came together with over 50 young women and dozens of coaches for a very special event with the Premier League at the National Football Museum in Manchester. Their aim? To discuss gender equality, explore opportunities for women within the football industry, and inspire these young girls.   The event was all organised by Premier League Changemakers, a progr...

WHAT a week in the WSL! Clo and Rach try to make sense of it all after three minutes and two Stina Blackstenius shots sent the WSL trophy back towards west London on Sunday. Chloe reckons it’s somewhere in St Albans now… They discuss Chelsea’s sensational collapse at Liverpool, before some ol’ Emma Hayes mind games brought them back from the brink. Plus, should Steph Houghton have got minutes for...

Bristol City’s relegation was confirmed last Sunday after defeat to Manchester City. Today, Lauren Smith joins Rachel on the pod to reflect on relegation and their WSL journey this season. Lauren reveals what it’s really like to fight at the bottom of the table in the WSL, the importance of getting the backing of the board at Bristol, and her continuing ambition to promote young talent – even with...

Chelsea and Emma Hayes’ Champions League run is over! Barcelona broke yet more hearts in front of a sold out Stamford Bridge – and Hayes was left fuming with the referee. Now the dust has settled, Clo and Rach look back on the game and whether there were other reasons behind Chelsea’s collapse. Looking at you, Maya Ramirez. Elsewhere, we react to Lauren Hemp’s contract extension at Man City and El...

Barcelona in mid-April. Stephanie Frappart in the middle. Emma Hayes with her formal blue coat on. It can only mean one thing: an ICONIC Champions League semi-final! Chloe and Rachel look back on a historic victory for Chelsea at the Estadi Olímpic and how they “played dirty” to do it! Also, the Ann Katrin Berger Era comes to an end, Rachel explains why she’s worried about Man City in the last str...

Today, we’re joined by the goalkeeper who has made the most saves in the WSL this season: it’s Brighton No.1, Sophie Baggaley! Rachel sat down with her ahead of Brighton’s clash with Everton at the Amex on Friday night. Sophie reflects on her first season at Brighton: from her midnight arrival on transfer deadline day, to Melissa Phillips’ shock exit just six months later. She also reveals which B...

We’re only just getting our breath back from two stunning FA Cup semi-finals! And Chloe has finally stopped communicating exclusively with all-caps in the Upfront WhatsApp group, phew. Clo and Rach give their reactions to Man United’s shock defeat of Chelsea to throw another spanner in the engine of Emma Hayes’ open top farewell bus. How did they do it? There’s also plenty of love for Mary Earps a...

Bay FC are the new kids on the block in the NWSL – and before a ball had even been kicked, they had made huge moves in the game. From Jen Beattie, to Asisat Oshoala, to Rachel Kundananji for a world record transfer fee, they have built an eye-catching squad. The challenge now is making it all fit together. The woman behind all that is Lucy Rushton. Former General Manager at DC United and Head of T...

We’re here a day early because we need to answer some important questions. Should people be worrying about England after their underwhelming draw against Sweden? Or do fans need to accept that England just struggled against strong opposition? Elsewhere, we chat about Wales and their longstanding legends as they smashed Croatia - but Scotland and Northern Ireland both turned in flat performances. W...

Ever wondered how England develop their next crop of stars? We’ve got all the answers for you on today’s pod! Rachel sat down with the brilliant Emma Coates, head coach of England’s U23s. Emma explains how she works with Sarina Wiegman to identify new call-ups, the importance of the U23s as a bridge to the senior side, and how England’s talent pool keeps growing. This is a fascinating chat that yo...

Everyone has gone full-blown Poirot after the Conti Cup final, so Chloe and Rachel get their monocles out and get to the bottom of all the drama between Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall! Of course, we put the game under the Upfront magnifying glass too, and react to an incredible moment for Stina Blackstenius – especially after one of her closest teammates, Frida Maanum, collapsed during the game. El...

Back in February, West Ham Women’s Vice President and Managing Director of Wow Hydrate Queenie Porter said that she thinks women’s football will one day become bigger commercially than the men’s game. Today, Chloe and Rachel sit down with her to explore a bit more about why she thinks that. Queenie also gives fascinating insight into the importance of separating men’s and women’s football when it...

We look back over a tasty Women’s Football Weekend that saw Man City’s title charge rumble on, painting Manchester blue in the process. Has Jess Park given #SazzyWiegs something to think about? Elsewhere, we dive into some Arsenal conspiracy theories after their kick-off was embarrassingly delayed once again, the Merseyside derby left us with more questions than answers and we look ahead to the Co...

Ahead of one of the biggest games of the season, Rachel sat down with Man City boss Gareth Taylor for a chat about how they’ve found themselves at the centre of a cracking WSL title race! Gareth also talks about separating the demands of the job from his family life, which other managers he leans on for support and how his side have developed a resilient edge. Plus, we get a unique insight into ho...

Chelsea worked their socks off on Friday night – but the less said about socks the better… Chloe and Rach look back on a huge win for Chelsea in the title race and Sjoeke Nüsken’s stunning transformation into a number nine! Plus, is Manuela Zinsberger’s time at Arsenal coming to an end?  We also discuss Emma Hayes’ comments on relationships between players and the press conferences across the...

Join us for today’s cup chaos special, as we recap all the results from across the weekend. Man City were knocked out of both cup competitions in the space of a few days - did they re-sign Gareth Taylor too prematurely? Elsewhere, we saw smaller teams continue to close the gap, another lethal performance from Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius, and some odd comments from Man Utd boss Marc Skinner. We al...