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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Jess Carter reveals she was 'scared to play' in England's triumphant Euro 2025 final after suffering racial abuse on social media
England defender Jess Carter has revealed that she was scared to play in the Euro 2025 final having been subjected to racist abuse earlier in the tournament. Carter, 27, suffered the abuse in the aftermath of the Lionesses' quarter-final victory over Sweden. However, she was part of manager Sarina Wiegman's starting line-up for the final on Sunday night, which saw them beat Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout to lift a second consecutive European Championship and avenge their World Cup defeat from two years earlier against the same opponents. After celebrating victory with her team-mates, Carter revealed her nerves heading into the match - as she ended up part of a team that created footballing history. She said: 'I was super scared of playing the final for the first time in my life. 'When I woke up in the morning and saw my team and saw the support I had - and the belief I had from my team-mates, manager and family - I could come out and give my all. That's all you can do. 'It's incredible, the fans have been incredible all tournament and we couldn't have done this without them. 'We're so grateful for them and this moment. Giving up is not in our DNA. We have stuck together from minute one. I couldn't be prouder of this team and I'm so honoured to be proud of it. 'I'm more disappointed in my previous performances than anyone else.' It comes after Carter's team-mate Lucy Bronze called on social media companies to take action over online trolls after Carter was racially abused. Carter said she had received a 'lot' of online hate after the game and announced that she was stepping away from social media. Full back Bronze, 33, subsequently launched a fiery condemnation of the vile comments aimed at Carter and revealed abuse has been on the rise in the women's game as it has grown in popularity. 'We all know that any player of colour who's played for England has probably gone through racist abuse. That's a sad fact in this day and age,' said Bronze. '(We're feeling) anger and sadness that our team-mate has gone through this. We don't want it to happen. We want to be focused on the football. England's players unanimously decided not to take the knee before their semi-final against Italy, saying it is time to find a new way to tackle racism 'We want Jess and anybody else who puts on an England shirt to be brave, to be happy when they play for England.' Carter, 27, had posted on Instagram: 'From the start of this tournament, I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performances and results, I don't think it's OK to target someone's appearance or race. 'I am grateful for all the support from the genuine fans, but I am taking this measure to protect myself in a bid to keep my focus on helping the team any way I can. 'Hopefully speaking out will make the people writing this abuse think twice, (and) others won't have to deal with it.' Women's football has experienced a boom in popularity in recent years but, as Bronze made clear, that growth has brought serious challenges. 'The bigger the game gets, the bigger the noise becomes, the more fans there are, the more critics there are,' said the Chelsea defender. ' We're obviously open to critics, that's why we love the sport, but we're not open to abuse. The FA contacted UK police after hearing of the racist abuse Carter had been subjected to 'The bigger the sport's got, it seems to be that more abuse has come as well and especially in women's football, the online abuse seems to be getting worse and worse. 'We see it more in the stadiums in men's football, as well as online, but with women's football there seems to be a real target online. People need to be held accountable.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Hove woman remembers playing football for England in 1972
A former England women's footballer who paved the way for the Lionesses says her team could never have dreamed of the current team's success and the changes to the game more than 50 years Brunton played for England in 1972, becoming part of the first officially affiliated team to play for their country after a 50-year ban on women's football was lifted the year Julia, who lives in Hove, East Sussex, says seeing the game grow in England with the success of the Lionesses has shone a light on the changes from just half a century 73, said: "It was so different in those days." 'I just loved playing football' She added: "About 400 people watched us, and some games there wasn't a changing room and you would get changed in your car."It's really taken off into something we never dreamed of. I just loved playing football, but now they can do it as a living which is something we would never have even thought of."Julia, neé Manning, said she began playing as a forward in her home town of Lowestoft, where the ladies team grew, having started as a team for the It's a Knockout game show. The team came after women's football, having been banned in 1921 by the FA who said it was "quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged", was finally re-affiliated in later took part in rounds of trials before being selected for England to play as a substitute in the first game, a 3-2 win against Scotland in November won her first full cap in April 1973, playing against total, Julia played four times for England, scoring after, Julia moved to Brighton to get married, and played for the Brighton and Hove Supporters Club, Brighton GPO and C&C Sports – all precursors to the official Brighton & Hove Albion women's team. In 2022, 50 years on from the first game, Julia reconnected with her former teammates when she received an official England cap from the said: "That was the first time I felt like a Lioness."We went to training to meet some of the players and at the end of the training session they clapped us on to the pitch. They saw us as the pioneers."Ahead of the Lionesses looking to defend their Euro 2022 crown, Julia says she still keeps in touch with her former teammates in a WhatsApp group to chat about the women's football continues to grow in the professional era, it is Julia and her teammates who still remember laying the foundations for the Lionesses' success purely through their love of the game.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Arsenal complete world-record £1m Olivia Smith signing from Liverpool
The first £1m transfer in women's football has been completed after the Canada forward Olivia Smith concluded her record-breaking move from Liverpool to Arsenal. The 20-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the European champions and, although the fee is officially undisclosed, multiple sources say it is the game's first to reach the £1m mark, as revealed by the Guardian a week ago, in a historic moment for the sport. The previous highest was the $1.1m paid by Chelsea for the US centre-back Naomi Girma in January. Liverpool are understood to have accepted the seven-figure offer after rejecting several bids and the club intend to reinvest the money into the squad, having made about £800,000 in profit since signing Smith for a club-record fee of just over £200,000 from the Portuguese club Sporting in July 2024. Smith, who in 2019 became Canada's youngest senior international at the age of 15, scored nine goals in 25 appearances for Liverpool. 'It's a privilege and an honour to sign for Arsenal,' she told the club's website. 'It's my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I'm excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal. The atmosphere the supporters create at Emirates Stadium is incredible and I can't wait to have that behind me.' Arsenal's director of women's football, Clare Wheatley, said: 'We're thrilled to bring Olivia to Arsenal. She's one of the most talented young players in the game and has huge potential for further development here.' Arsenal, who beat Barcelona in last season's Champions League final and are attempting to add strength for their attempt to defend that title, have also signed the England winger Chloe Kelly, the former Liverpool vice-captain Taylor Hinds and the 24-year-old German goalkeeper Anneke Borbe, all on free transfers. Arsenal are understood to have been impressed by the extensive experience Smith has accumulated at such a relatively young age and regard her signing as a major moment for the club. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The head coach, Renée Slegers, said: 'Olivia is an exciting young player and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal. We've been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a young age. I know she has a level of ambition that matches our own and we're looking forward to working with her as she continues to grow at the club.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England pioneer Pat Davies remembers career of remarkable firsts
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat White Stuff shares an optimistic tribute to the foremothers of English football, featuring members of the first England women's team from 1972. While women's football has made huge strides in recent years, this campaign acknowledges those who came before. Pat Davies' football career is full of remarkable firsts. Advertisement The Netley-born striker was part of the first-ever England women's team in 1972 and scored a hat-trick in the first-ever FA Cup Final. Davies scored eight goals in eight appearances for England during a remarkable career during which she won six FA Cup titles. But despite such success, Davies still faced challenges along with moments to savour. 'My debut for Southampton at 12 was very special because it was played in my local village at Royal Victoria Hospital in front of friends and family,' she recalled. 'Scoring a hat-trick in the first-ever FA Cup final at Crystal Palace [was another key memory]. Advertisement 'But I remember very poor pitches, no facilities and just a cold water tap. There were no toilets, we were getting cleaned in duck ponds and whatever we could to just get by.' Despite the conditions, however, Davies' talent was clear after impressing for Southampton Women F.C., she was soon trialling for the England women's squad. 'After the trials we got a letter in the post. I remember standing in the window waiting for the postman everyday before it dropped on the mat,' she said. 'The four of us from Southampton all got in so it was even more special. We were all part of the first team which was absolutely fantastic. So special.' Advertisement With women's football rapidly growing in visibility, the pioneering side they received their England caps in front of a sold-out Wembley in 2022. This summer, White Stuff are refocusing the limelight on the foremothers of women's football in their latest heartfelt campaign as they celebrate the women who paved the way. For Davies, it is those memories of wearing the Three Lions on her shirt that remain some of the best. In fact, 50 years on, the prolific striker can still think of no better feeling than scoring for England. 'It was absolutely fantastic [to play for England]. It was always so special to pull the shirt on and the national anthems always brought a tear to my eye,' she said. Advertisement 'To actually score a goal was just the best feeling in the world. It couldn't get any better than that. I was over the moon, you just feel like you're on a different planet.' Members of the first England women's squad (White Stuff) Davies' contribution in scoring those goals and washing in duck ponds just to play has paved the way for the legends of today to follow in their footsteps. The importance of her legacy and that of her teammates is abundantly clear, and with the recognition White Stuff and others are giving, the players are beginning to believe that themselves. 'It's nice to receive the recognition of what we did achieve. It makes us feel like what we did, did actually mean something,' she said. Advertisement 'It makes you feel happy and proud and think, 'yeah, we started it, we were the first.''
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Who have been Newcastle's best managers?
Throughout Thursday, we will be revealing who former Magpies captain Lee Clark thinks are the top five managers in the history of Newcastle United. At number five, Clark has gone with Doug Livingstone. He was in charge of the club from December 1954 and led the club to an FA Cup win in 1955. "This is someone who the older fans will remember," Clark said. "And why he is in there is because he won silverware for our club. "It's not an easy thing as a Newcastle manager!" At number four, he chose Livingstone's predecessor at St James' Park, Stan Seymour, who was in charge of the club on three different occasions between 1939 and 1958. Under his stewardship, the club won back-to-back FA Cups in 1951 and 1952, making him the first person to win the trophy with the same club as a player and a manager. "This was quite a tough one, and the only reason I have put him at four and not higher is because it was before my era. "Seymour led us to two FA Cup wins and to do that in any era is tough. He could have easily been higher." Listen on BBC Sounds
