These incredible football players are changing the record on women's sport
Change The Record is a Glamour series dedicated to profiling and celebrating British sports stars, from the grassroots to the elite and from the pundits to the pitch. These pioneers are flipping the narrative on what it means to be a woman in sport, from competing on their periods, navigating body image pressures, campaigning for inclusivity in sport – and yes, chasing world records.
The Women's Super League (WSL Football) is home to some of the best footballers – male or female – in the world. While the top level of women's football has long been dominated by Chelsea F.C. Women – winning eight WSL titles since the league's inception in 2010 – the table has had something of a shake-up this season, with Manchester City and Manchester United currently sitting ahead of the defending title-holders, with Arsenal hot on their heels in fourth.
But the action isn't solely reserved for the top of the table. London City Lionesses, owned by American businesswoman and investor Michele Kang, have stormed the WSL since becoming the first fully independent women’s team to be promoted to the league last year, with Brighton only two points behind them.
In the WSL2, teams including Charlton, Birmingham City, Newcastle, and Southampton battle it out for promotion to the promised land of the WSL – with the top two teams automatically qualifying and the third-ranked team taking on whoever finishes bottom of the top division.
Basically, it's all to play for. That's why Glamour is delighted to be collaborating with the WSL on our latest Beauty Box: the Active Refresh Edit, which champions the power of sport and shines a spotlight on some of the players shaping the women’s game.
Below, we chat to 6 Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL2 players, sharing stories about their impact on and off the pitch…
Andrea Southam/WSLTara Bourne, Southampton W.F.C
What's the biggest misconception about women's football?
People make comments like it's not exciting, or it’s boring, or that the quality isn’t great compared to the men. I completely disagree and always oppose that with the fact that it is women playing against women, so you can't compare the physicality to the men, and our game has its own qualities. I’ve had so many people tell me that they didn't watch or enjoy football until they watched women's football.
One woman who paved the way in your sport?
Sarina Wiegman has won the last three Euros, and the last two for England, which has massively increased awareness of the women’s game in this country and given it the recognition it deserves. The fact that England hadn't won a trophy since the 1966 World Cup and now have two Euros and finished as runners-up in the World Cup for the Lionesses is absolutely massive and really pushed the sport in this country.
Jess Hornby/WSLEmma Kelly, Newcastle United W.F.C.
Can you talk us through a time in your personal and/or professional life when you've gone against the norm?
When I first started playing football, it was uncommon for girls to play on boys’ teams. Despite this, I was determined to challenge that norm. I pushed for the opportunity to join a boys’ team both locally and at school, even though it wasn’t something typically encouraged or accepted at the time. By advocating for myself and consistently demonstrating my commitment and ability, I was able to break through those barriers and compete alongside the boys.
What's the biggest misconception about women's football?
In recent years, the misconception that no one watches women’s football has been clearly disproven. Major tournaments like the Women’s Euros have attracted record-breaking global audiences, and club competitions in leagues such as the Women’s Super League, even my current club, Newcastle United Women, in the Championship, regularly show a huge increase in fans and online viewers from game to game. With increased media coverage, sponsorship, and fan engagement, women’s football has grown into a widely watched and highly supported sport, showing that interest and enthusiasm for the women’s game are stronger than ever.
What's one thing you'd like to change in women's sport?
One thing I would like to see change in women’s sport is the constant comparison to men’s. Women’s sport deserves to be recognised and showcased on its own merit, not measured against a different standard. It should be given equal visibility and respect, without the hate or derogatory comments from those who may not personally enjoy watching it. Sport can be appreciated in many forms, and women’s sport has every right to be valued in its own right.
Kate Green/WSLElysia Boddy, Newcastle United W.F.C.
What's the biggest misconception about women's football?
The biggest misconception is that women’s football is lower quality or not as exciting or a “new trend” when it’s actually very high quality, highly skilled, well thought out, and women players put themself through exactly the same amounts of bodily and mental stress as men.
One woman who paved the way in your sport?
One woman to pave the way for me is Lucy Bronze because she’s not had it all handed to her on a plate; she’s had to work extremely hard and has continuously portrayed elite standards and a top work ethic to be one of the most decorated players in history.
What's one thing you'd like to change in women's sport?
One thing I’d like to change in women’s sport is the amount of women supporting women. The majority of men’s games have men watching, so we need more women to engage and watch women’s sports.
Kate Green/WSLShania Hayles, Newcastle
Can you talk us through a time in your personal and/or professional life when you've gone against the norm?
The biggest thing is probably my dress sense. When I was younger, I just used to wear what I wanted, whether that was hats or bright shoes or bright clothes. Even now, I like to be different, and I like to dress differently and wear things that are ‘out there'. It’s a way of expressing myself, my culture and everything that goes with it.
One woman who paved the way in your sport?
One woman who has paved the way would be Rachel Yankey. Back in the day, she was a footballer for Arsenal and England, and with me being of mixed origin, seeing a Black woman represent her country and a big club like Arsenal was massive for me and made me believe that I could become a professional footballer. It gave me the inspiration I needed to see someone who I kind of looked like and aspired to be like achieve so much, and it was a big push in the direction of wanting to be like her when I grew up.
What's one thing you'd like to change in women's sport?
One thing I would change is more coverage and more marketing to get people to watch. Playing in front of a lot of fans is amazing and is something that I have done before, which is a real made-it moment, so to have that every game would be so good, and the atmosphere would be amazing. Also, equal pay is a big problem in women’s sport, but we deserve to be paid a lot more than we do; we do exactly the same as everyone else and work hard.
Kate Green/WSLMadison Haley, Brighton & Hove Albion WFC
What's the biggest misconception about women's football?
The biggest misconception about women’s football is that it is not as exciting as men’s football or as entertaining. It's something you hear in the discourse a lot but maybe less so nowadays, which is a good thing. The viewership numbers in the WSL and other leagues across the globe have shifted that narrative because records keep getting broken over and over again. We’ve seen here in the WSL with a lot of the teams playing in bigger stadiums that attendance records continue to get broken year after year. It just shows how much the game is growing in the UK, but also across similar leagues such as the NWSL.
One woman who paved the way in your sport?
I can't choose one woman; I want to choose a group of women, and that is the US National team. The national team has a reputation for standing up and taking on big causes that are meaningful and important, and they have been successful with things like equal pay and triumphing in the end, which was amazing. You can look across the history of the US national team and see them constantly speaking up to injustices in the US and across the world.
People might say, "Stay in your lane and focus on being an athlete," but the US national team has really gone against the grain, charted its own territory, and taken on causes, championing the people who were voiceless or weren’t the loudest in the room. I think that is something really special and powerful for young women and girls around the globe, and especially in the US, to see that they have changed soccer in the US and they have empowered a lot of women and girls and other national teams to speak out against injustices and fight for what they believe in and what’s right.
Are there any stereotypes about women's football?
The attitude towards investment in women's sport. Making sure that women's teams are treated like professionals, have all the facilities, staff, and everything they need to be successful, perform at the highest level, and play exciting, engaging football for fans. I also think attitudes in engaging with wider communities around teams – going out and finding ways to bring more women and girls to come and watch, getting them in and around the environment, playing football, getting outside, and moving their bodies and learning about the game. There has been so much growth in the last couple of years that you have really seen across the globe that young girls are seeing a real future in playing elite sports. If you look back a couple of years, maybe that wasn't the case, but we need to find more ways of engaging and bringing more fans to the table. Finding more ways to connect with the communities and get them involved and excited about the incredible product that is being put on in front of them in the WSL.
Ali Painter/WSLEmily Orman, London City Lionesses
What's the biggest misconception about women's football?
The biggest misconception is that women’s footballers want to be like the men. There are a lot of positives we can draw on from the men’s game because of how successful it is, especially with things like its media presence, but ultimately, we want to be our own entity and mould women’s football in its own way.
Are there any stereotypes about women's football?
People might be surprised by me saying this, but women’s football is inevitably slower than men’s football but I think it's important to note that, Simone Biles for example is an incredible gymnast and although that she may not be as fast or as powerful as a male gymnast, that doesn't take away from her athleticism or her craft and her skill and that is the same for me with women’s football. There are, of course, biological differences, but women, female athletes and female footballers are still incredible athletes and incredibly powerful, and the sport should have the same respect as men's football, not because of what we don't have but because of what we do.
What's one thing you'd like to change in women's sport?
For me, the biggest thing is making women in sport less remarkable and creating spaces where girls and women can play sport recreationally and not be considered remarkable. Research shows that young girls stop playing football when they hit puberty, and women don't tend to play sports recreationally or join teams as adults. I think that is something that women really miss out on, and something that I think, as we progress more in a professional sense, we can inspire and encourage more women to do so. I would love to see it more normalised in society so that more women and girls can enjoy the beauty of sport.
We are proud to have collaborated on a Glamour Beauty Box edit with these game-changing women – grab yours now!
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra or on TikTok at @lucyalexxandra.
This one's going to be hard to beat.
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