Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast

Chloe and Rachel react to Saturday’s seismic news that Emma Hayes will be leaving Chelsea - and the WSL - at the end of the season!  We discuss what’s next for Hayes, Chelsea and the league as a whole – plus, we speak to one of the journalists who broke the news of Emma Hayes’ move to the US Women’s National Team, Jeff Kassouf from Equalizer Soccer! Elsewhere, Chloe blames literally every ele...

Chloe and Rachel bring you a tour of all the international action!  Sarina Wiegman continues her transformation from Consistency Queen to Surprise Queen as England complete part one of the Belgium double header – but is Alessia Russo struggling being the star striker? Fran Kirby’s return might well help! Plus, the tiny violins are out for Luis Rubiales, Germany’s manager goes AWOL, and Canada...

One of the WSL’s best ever players returned to the pitch on Sunday. No, it wasn’t Chloe Morgan – it was Viv Miedema! Clo and Rach pick apart Spurs’ battering of Aston Villa and reflect on the continued fallout to Arsenal’s all-white squad photo. Plus, does the Champions League format need a shake up? Mark Skinner certainly thinks so! We give our thoughts on that, as well as our completely half-bak...

Chloe and Rachel discuss Beth Mead’s dramatic comeback, why the Foxes continue to outsmart every rabbit in the WSL, and look forward to Mark Skinner dipping his hand into another tombola to pick his Manchester United team in Paris tomorrow! Plus, US football journalist Megan Swanick joins us to talk you through a truly one-of-a-kind ‘Decision Day’ in the NWSL. Join us! Check out Upfront's new soci...

On today’s bonus episode, Chloe and Rachel are joined by Claire Bloomfield. She’s the Head of Women’s Football at the European Club Association, which has become a vital part of governance within the women’s game over the last few years! Claire chats to us about their recent groundbreaking study into football boots and what can be done to improve accessibility and safety within the game. We also s...

Loads more WSL action for us to get stuck into, after Arsenal and Man United played out a cracker under the Friday night lights, with orchestras and dramatic moments aplenty. We also chat about the bizarre Alex Greenwood sending off in Man City’s draw with Chelsea and wonder if West Ham can make a play for best of the rest!  Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us on  Twitter...

We’re very comfortable with our title as “women’s football experts” but we have to admit that the opening weekend of the WSL made some of us look very stupid. Today, Chloe and Rachel kick things off by giving credit to Liverpool for their surprise win in front of 54,000 fans at the Emirates. Plus, we celebrate the return of Fran Kirby in Chelsea’s win over Spurs and also officially remove Leiceste...

Chloe and Rachel are back to preview the opening weekend of the WSL 2023/24 campaign and the season as a whole! What lies in wait? Which players should we look out for? Expect flaming hot predictions about Arsenal, Brighton, Aston Villa and more – and be prepared, Chloe makes enemies with literally everyone. Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us on  Twitter ,  Instagram , an...

Before Thursday’s WSL preview, Chloe and Rachel discuss the first round of Nations League fixtures! Were England really as bad as everyone made out? Just HOW did Spain beat Sweden after the toxic whirlwind of the past week? And can Chloe pronounce Ellen DeGeneres’ name? Spoilers: no, with hilarious results. We also pay tribute to Sheffield United’s history-maker, Maddy Cusack. Check out Upfront's...

We’re back! And guess what? We’re diving headfirst into the chaos. Chloe and Rachel discuss all the biggest stories since the end of the World Cup, including a summer of scandal that has overshadowed Spain’s winners. We speak to Spanish football journalist Semra Hunter to understand the latest. Plus, we discuss our favourite transfers of the summer and discuss the inaugural Nations League. Is it w...

In our final episode Down Under, Chloe and Rachel convene in the bowels of the Olympic Stadium in Sydney to discuss the 2023 World Cup final, where Spain carried home their first trophy. England, you were so close! They discuss why England never quite got going - was it Sarina’s selections? - and finally reflect on their players of the tournament and favourite moments. ***Enjoyed our coverage of t...

History, here we come. Chloe and Rachel preview the final of the 2023 Women’s World Cup! We discuss the media’s suggestion to put Lauren James in socks and why Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh have the chance to achieve something completely unprecedented. Plus, Sweden’s podium finish after beating the Matilda’s and - please - someone close the doors on Gianni Infantino. Check out Upfront's new social c...

The Lionesses have reached their first ever World Cup final! And they only went and beat the bloody hosts en route! We praise England’s role as the pantomime villain against Australia and how the likes of Ella Toone and Lauren Hemp really stepped up. We also reflect on a fantastic few weeks for the Matildas and how World Cup fever will far outlive the tournament itself.  Check out Upfront's n...

We have our first World Cup finalists, after Spain squeeze past Sweden via a chaotic final ten minutes! We celebrate some amazing performances from various players, in spite of Jorge Vilda’s looming presence. We then look ahead to England’s clash with Australia, where the Matildas' real momentum is making us nervous. Can Sarina n’ co deliver? Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us on&n...

How about that England fans? Another semi-final! Were you calm like Chloe watching that match or did you want to throw your tele out the window like Rachel did when England were trying to run down the clock? Lucky Rachel was at the ground I guess… Today, we’re here to break down another win for the Lionesses, however we can’t help getting distracted by the absolute chaos that was Australia vs Fran...

It’s properly business time! Chloe and Rachel reconvene to look ahead to the quarter-finals, after France swatted Morocco aside and Jamaica’s spirited run came to an end against Colombia.   We highlight some of England’s concerns ahead of what should be another physical test, before trying to pick our winners from a mouthwatering quarter-final line up! Check out Upfront's new social channels!...

Chloe and Rachel catch their breath after a shoddy England were almost knocked out by a vastly superior Nigeria. But we march on! Elsewhere, the US are going home in a flurry of ifs, buts and maybes - brace yourselves. Plus, Australia continue to find their groove while Japan and Spain make light work of their Round of 16 opponents. Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us on Twitter , I...

For the first time ever, Germany are out of the World Cup before the knockouts. Chloe is fresh back from the stadium in Brisbane to react to it all with Rachel – and she comes with some stunning revelations about Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s in-game management… Plus, we relive Jamaica and South Africa’s finest hours and - with the knockouts finally decided - discuss England’s run-in. For Chloe’s sak...

England are back, baby! Chloe and Rachel giddily reconvene after England’s stylish 6-1 win, with Lauren James further cementing herself as the jewel in England’s crown. All hail Sarina! Plus, the US get past Portugal by the barest of margins. We wonder if their star is waning and tip our caps to the Netherlands after their demolition job against Vietnam. Check out Upfront's new social channels! Fo...

Yet more chaos from Down Under for Rachel and Chloe to get stuck into, as Australia defy expectations and turn in a ruthless performance - even without Sam Kerr! We look over that, check in with the Irish after their valiant efforts and revel in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, as Germany lost to Colombia in the 97th minute!  Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us o...

Chloe and Rach break out the wine for a post-England debrief. Another 1-0 win means progression is all but secured - we rave about Lauren James, pour one out for Keira Walsh after she was stretchered off and wonder what Sarina Wiegman does next. We also check in with the USWNT after a scrappy - but thrilling - stalemate with the Netherlands, while co-hosts Australia are on the verge of an early ex...

What a last few days! All the action has left Chloe and Rachel *seriously* delirious. Strap yourselves in for this one. The girls jump on mic just after the Philippines picked up their first EVER World Cup win! Elsewhere, we wonder whether we witnessed the first ever ear to be caught offside, a Ballon d’Or winner gets the s***ts, and we have the crushing realisation that Colombia superstar Linda C...

England get off to a winning start, but a pretty unconvincing one. So, what next? Chloe and Rachel react to the Lionesses 1-0 victory over a fearless Haiti side and discuss what needs to change ahead of Denmark next week! Chloe also reveals all about her major Mary Earps hint in the last episode… Plus, why this is turning into the summer of the underdog and Sophia Smith’s childhood diary literally...

Chloe and Rachel relive Day 1 of the 2023 World Cup, where both hosts got off to the perfect start. We discuss Australia’s scrappy win over Rachel’s girls and the incredible support from the Green Army which even drowned out the home crowd!  Plus, why are Norway so bad?! Check out Upfront's new social channels! Follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube ! Sign up for our Patreon for exclu...

Chloe and Rachel are back with the second part of our bumper World Cup preview, ahead of the tournament’s opening matches TOMORROW! If you’ve come for the headline acts, you’re in the right place. We’re talking the USWNT’s chances of a three-peat, while Brazilian football expert Júlia Belas Trindade   joins us to chat about Marta’s sixth and final World Cup. We also hear from Helene Altgelt ,...