Women’s Football Hub

Episode Summary: In this focused session, Occupational Therapist Mark McGuigan offers a grounding reflection to help players recognise and interrupt negative thoughts. Whether it’s self-doubt, overthinking, or inner criticism, this tool guides you to pause, shift perspective, and take back control of your mindset. What You’ll Learn: ✅ Why negative thoughts are normal — and what to do with them ✅...

Episode Summary: Emotions are part of football — but sometimes they can feel overwhelming or out of control. In this episode, Occupational Therapist Mark McGuigan offers a calming and reflective tool to help you make space for difficult emotions without letting them take over. Designed for players and coaches alike, this short session helps you understand and regulate emotional responses in high-p...

Episode Summary: Feeling tense? Need to switch off after a match or long day? This calming session, led by Occupational Therapist Mark McGuigan, guides you through a full-body Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) to help release stress and support recovery. It’s perfect for use before bed, during injury rehab, or any time your body feels tight and your mind won’t slow down. What You’ll Learn: ✅ Ho...

Podcast Title: Women's Football Hub Episode Title: Strength Training Myths & Realities in Women's Football with Sarah Payne 🎙️ Episode Summary: In this episode of Women's Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent speaks with Sarah Payne, a strength and conditioning coach specialising in women's and girls' team sports. Sarah, founder of The Human First Method and a player for Stevenage FC, shares her jou...

Episode Title: Concussion Rehabilitation with Dr. Julia Treleaven 🎙 Host: Carolyn Kent 🎙 Guest: Dr. Julia Treleaven, Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and Fellow of the Australian College of Physiotherapists 🔹 Episode Overview: In this episode of the Women's Football Hub podcast, host Carolyn Kent speaks with Dr. Julia Treleaven, a leading researcher in neck dysfunction, post-co...

🎙️ WFH Podcast: Perfectionism in Football with Dr Tracy Donachie 📢 Episode Summary In this episode of the Women's Football Hub podcast, host Dr Ian Cookson speaks with Dr Tracy Donachie from Newcastle University about perfectionism and overthinking in football. As a former footballer and sport psychologist, Dr Donachie shares insights into how perfectionism affects players' mental well-being, per...

Women's Football Hub Podcast – MSK Physiotherapy Series 🎙 Episode Title: Emerging PhD Research on Hamstring Injury & Function 👩‍⚕️ Guest: Emma Sconce, Researcher & Former Footballer 🎧 Host: Carolyn Kent Episode Summary In this episode, Carolyn Kent sits down with Emma Sconce, a former footballer turned researcher, who has just completed her PhD at Sheffield Hallam University focusing on...

🎙️ WFH Podcast: Youth Injuries in Women’s Football with Angela Jackson Episode Overview In this episode of Women’s Football Hub Podcast, host Carolyn Kent sits down with Angela Jackson, a consultant physiotherapist and strength & conditioning expert, to dive into one of the most crucial topics in youth football—injuries in young female players. From growth-related injuries to training loads an...

Women's Football Hub Podcast – Heading, Concussion & Brain Health in Football with Dr. Kerry Peek 🎙️ Host: Carolyn Kent 🎙️ Guest: Dr. Kerry Peek – FIFA Medical Researcher in Brain Health, Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, Former Council Chair at Sports Medicine Australia Episode Overview In this episode of the Women’s Football Hub Podcast, host Carolyn Kent speaks with Dr. Kerry...

Women's Football Hub Podcast – Breast Health & Performance with Prof. Deirdre McGhee 🎙️ Host: Carolyn Kent 🎙️ Guest: Professor Deirdre McGhee – Sports Physiotherapist, Researcher, and Educator at the University of Wollongong Episode Overview In this episode, Carolyn Kent speaks with Professor Deirdre McGhee, a leading expert in breast biomechanics and injury prevention in sport. With over 20 y...

Women's Football Hub Podcast – Episode with Ivi Casagrande 🎙 Host: Carolyn Kent 🎙 Guest: Ivi Casagrande – Performance Coach, Former Brazil Women’s National Team and Orlando Pride Coach, FIFA & UEFA Technical Expert Episode Overview In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Carolyn Kent sits down with Ivi Casagrande, a performance coach with an impressive career spanning multiple continents. Fro...

Women's Football Hub Podcast Episode Title: Understanding Menopause in Female Athletes with Dr. Nicky Keay Episode Summary: In this episode of Women's Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent speaks with Dr. Nicky Keay, a leading expert in female athlete health, honorary clinical lecturer at University College London, and author of Hormones, Health and Human Potential and The Myths of Menopause. They discu...

Episode Summary: Host Carolyn Kent speaks with Siobhan O’Donovan, physiotherapist and founder of Posture Fitting, about the vital role of breast health and posture in women’s performance. Siobhan, known as "The Boobie Physio," shares practical insights on managing breast weight, finding the right bra, and building internal support through posture and muscle activation.   Key Points: Breast Weight...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Carolyn Kent sits down with Hannah Antony, a senior physiotherapist from Alberta, Canada, and a medical content specialist. Hannah shares her personal journey through ACL injury and reconstruction, providing unique insights from both a patient's and a physiotherapist's perspective. Topics covered include: The mechanism of Hannah's ACL injur...

Episode Title: Unlocking Youth Potential: Athletic Development with Rob Anderson Episode Summary: In this episode of the Women's Football Hub podcast, Carolyn Kent is joined by Rob Anderson, BSc in Strength and Conditioning and MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology from St Mary's University. Rob was the 2024 UK Strength and Conditioning Association Coach of the Year for Youth Sports and is...

Emotional Regulation in Women's Football with Sarah Knapp In this episode of Women's Football Hub, Dr. Ian Cookson interviews Sarah Knapp from Northampton Town Women's Football Club. They discuss Sarah's unique journey into sport and exercise psychology, and focus on the topic of emotional regulation. Sarah shares insights from her experience working with a football player, emphasizing the importa...

Mistakes not to make with nutrition with Aimee Ellen O'Keefe Guest Introduction Aimee Ellen O'Keefe is a performance nutritionist with an impressive background in sports nutrition. She has worked with: Manchester United Women's Football Team (First full-time nutritionist in WSL in 2021) England Rugby Red Roses Williams Racing (Performance Nutrition for Academy Drivers and Pit Stop Crew) Episode Hi...

Integrating Pelvic Health in Professional Football with Emma Brockwell Guest Profile Emma Brockwell is a pelvic health physiotherapist who has worked with top football clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, and Southampton. She is: Co-author of the Return to Running Postpartum Guidelines (2019) Co-host of the podcast "At Your Cervix" Part of the FIFA Female Health Project Episode Highlights Key Topics...

Coaching Youth and Blind Football with Lola Arribas Rodriguez Episode Overview In this episode of Women's Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent sits down with Lola Arribas Rodriguez, a technical support trainer at the Football Association (FA) in England and a passionate coach working with youth and visually impaired athletes. Guest Profile Name: Lola Arribas Rodriguez Current Roles: Technical Support T...

Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Female Athletes Guest Information Guest: Suzanne Carney Expertise: Physiotherapist specializing in breast anatomy, postpartum care, and women's health Episode Overview In this episode, Carolyn Kent and Suzanne Carney dive deep into the complex world of breast anatomy, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the challenges female athletes face during and after pregnancy. The dis...

Nutrition’s Impact on Injury Prevention in Women’s Football Guest Profile: Phil Woodbridge Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University Registered Sports Nutritionist PhD Researcher focusing on nutritional interventions for injury prevention in female football players Episode Overview In this insightful episode of Women’s Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent interviews Phil Woodbridge about his groundbre...

Host Sarah Thorne talks to Gráinne Donnelly the editor of the POGP about her PhD research on compression garments and their potential use for the management of pelvic floor issues.  This podcast episode explores pelvic health in female athletes, with a specific focus on compression garments as a potential management tool for pelvic floor dysfunction. Gráinne Donnelly shares her research insights,...

Sports Science Series: Esther Goldsmith - The Menstrual Cycle   In this episode, Dr. Megan Lowry interviews Esther Goldsmith, a sport and exercise physiologist who works for Sport Wales. Esther specialises in supporting female athletes and educating coaches on how to best support the unique needs of female athletes.   Main Topics Discussed   - Esther's background and role as a sport and exercise p...

In this episode of Women's Football Hub, host Carolyn Kent interviews Mark McGuigan, an occupational therapist and mental health practitioner who works with athletes in the sports industry.   Mark is the Director at Willow Grove Consultants and a Player Care Consultant at the Player Care Group. He has extensive experience working in mental health services and has recently focused on supporting the...

In this episode, host Carolyn Kent interviews Angela Kenneally, who is a sport and exercise medicine specialist Physiotherapist and the current lead physiotherapist for the Football Association of Ireland. Kenneally also specialises in pelvic health. Key Topics Discussed: - Kenneally's background and path to becoming the lead physiotherapist for the Irish women's national team (00:01:51 - 00:03:24...