World Soccer - UK (2020-02)

contender this campaign: Hoffenheim.
Just as the men’s team progressed from
fifth tier to first after Dietmar Hopp
invested in 2000, so did the women’s
after being founded in 2007. After a
string of mid-table finishes they went into
the break in second place, three points
behind Wolfsburg who they host when
the league resumes on February 14.
No Italian club has gone beyond the
quarter-finals in the Champions League,
although Bardolino (now Verona) were
semi-finalists in its precursor, the UEFA
Women’s Cup, in

2008. But all that
      may change after
      Italy’s legalisation
      of professional
      women’s football.
      Previously there
      was a salary cap
      limiting broken-
      time and expenses
      payments to €60 a
      week and €77 match
      bonuses. With the
      cap’s removal and an
      allocated €11million
      over three years to
      facilitate the transition,
      the move is likely to result in those Serie
      A men’s clubs still without a female
      section developing one, and the arrival
      of more higher-standard foreign players.
      At present, Serie A teams are unable
      to compete in the market with the likes
      of Lyon, Chelsea and Barcelona – but
      given the lustre and financial power of
      clubs such as Juventus and Milan they
      should be able to do so in the future.

FOUR BIDS FOR 2023 FINALS

Australia and New Zealand have bid to

become the first joint Women’s World

Cup hosts. They will face competition to

stage the 2023 finals – the first with 32

teams – from Brazil, Colombia and

Japan, with the verdict due in June.

ONLY THORNS FANS TOP TIGRES

Mexico’s Tigres may have lost the

apertura title to local rivals Monterrey

but they can claim to be the second-

best supported women’s team of 2019,

behind only Portland Thorns.

In a dozen games across the

regular and post-season, Tigres drew

an average 18,573 – capped by the

41,615 who saw the neighbours draw

1-1 in the post-season Final first leg.

Monterrey won the second leg 1-0 in

front of 38,251 to take the title.

Thorns averaged 20,098 in their

dozen NWSL matches.

SACRAMENTO ON HOLD

NWSL will remain at nine clubs for

2020 after an attempt to launch

a franchise in Sacramento ran

out of time. It now seems

likely a team from the

Californian capital will

join in 2021. along

with Kentucky’s

Proof Louisville FC.

Amanda Duffy,

who has effectively

been running NWSL

as president and MD, is

leaving to lead Orlando

Pride as executive VP. Utah

Royals’ English coach Laura Harvey has

left to become USA under-20 coach.

NORTH KOREA OPT OUT

North Korea withdrew from the final

round of Olympic qualifying in South

Korea. This followed the collapse of a

proposed joint-bid to host World Cup

2023 by two nations who remain

technically at war.

US PAIR TRANSFORM

WANDERERS DOWN UNDER

Western Sydney Wanderers, last

term’s bottom team, were surprise

front-runners in the W-League with

16 points from a possible 18 before

a 4-0 home loss to Brisbane Roar.

Their revival is spearheaded by USA

internationals Lynn Williams and Kristen

Hamilton, both on loan from NWSL

champions North Carolina Courage.

Last season’s Grand Final runners-up

Perth Glory, struggling to deal

with the absence of Sam

Kerr, took two points

from their opening

seven matches.

RANGERS MAKE

INVESTMENT

Rangers appointed

former French men’s

international Gregory

Vignal as coach and made

a raft of full-time signings

including luring Emma Brownlie

(Everton) and Kirsten Reilly (Bristol City)

back across the border and keeper

Jenna Fife from Hibernian.

Fife was one of several departures

from the SWPL cup winners who were

also runners-up in both SWPL and

Scottish Cup, culminating in the exit

of coach Grant Scott, while Edinburgh

rivals Hearts were promoted.

Progress...Leonie

Pankratz (left) and

Tabea Wassmuth of

Hoffenheim

Joint bid...Australia’s Steph

Catley (left) and Rebekah

Stott of New Zealand

Spearhead...

Lynn Williams

New No1...

Jenna Fife