Newsletter: 13 May 2025

"Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility.”

Billie Jean King - very gladiatorial which is perfect for the Rome Open

Welcome … this week we’re covering footy, tennis, cricket and netball + our usuals: ICYMI and Podium Places.

Football - wanna be our football writer or know someone who does? Let us know!

It’s that time of year. The women’s Super League in England is coming to a close but that doesn’t mean there isn’t news.

League

Chelsea slam dunked the season and finished it without losing. Sonia Bompastor, Chelsea manager, is recognised as footy manager of the 24/25 season - an amazing job given she was following on from Emma Hayes.

Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw has achieved the golden boot / paw for the second consecutive season. Spanish footballer and Arsenal heroine Mariona Caldentay has been named WSL Player of the Year.

Impressive spread of achievements across teams. This league has depth.

FA Cup

This weekend sees the culmination of the FA Cup with the final at Wembley between Chelsea and Manchester Utd. Will Chelsea continue their unbeaten run, or will current title holders Man Utd retain the silverware?

WSL and Championship Rebrand

The WSL has undergone a rebrand and the Championship has been carried along too. The Championship will now be known as WSL2.

What do you think of their new branding? Last minute winner or sad own goal?

A note on last week’s newsletter…..

Ooops! We now know that this para was missing a link. If you want to read more about Michele Kang and the London City Lionesses, click here.

London City Lionesses Roar into the WSL!

· Huge news: London City Lionesses are moving up to the WSL for the very first time! Their 2-2 draw with Birmingham City sealed the deal. Watch out for these new stars next season! Read more about London City Lionesses propulsion into the WSL here.

Cricket

Last week kicked off the Vitality Women’s T20 County Cup, a super-exciting cricket tournament where a whopping 37 county teams battle it out in fast-paced 20-over matches.

Big Moments from Round One

Yorkshire smashed it! They scored a huge 205 runs and then totally crushed Derbyshire, who only managed 83 runs. Lauren Winfield-Hill was amazing, scoring 88 runs all by herself! Yorkshire won by a massive 122 runs and are moving on to the next round.

Kent beat Middlesex in a close game. Middlesex scored 136 runs, but Kent chased it down and won with 5 wickets to spare.

Staffordshire also won their game against Cumbria by 7 wickets.

Other counties like Cambridgeshire and Coventry also had some exciting matches.

The competition is heating up, and it’s going to be awesome to see who makes it to the finals! This summer we also have England playing internationals and The Hundred!

Tennis - Amelie Brooks

As the clay season quickly progress in Europe, the Brits took to the Rome Open, another WTA 1000 event following the British success in Madrid.

So far Emma Raducanu has booked her place in the round of 16 and is on a winning streak of three matches! She will next play the in-form American Coco Gauff for a place in the quarterfinals.

At time of publication, we know that Emma is sadly out of the Rome Open.

Netball

The Netball Super League has been drawing huge audiences. It’s being shown on TV too so there’s no reason to miss out.

London Derby

London Pulse beat their city rivals London Mavericks 63-53 at Wembley Arena.

This win puts Pulse back in first place! Olivia Tchine was on fire, helping her team dominate.

Cardiff Dragons Finally Win!

After losing their first seven games, Cardiff Dragons showed they’ve still got fire in their belly by beating Birmingham Panthers 61-57.

They made a cool comeback in the last few minutes, with Phillipa Yarranton scoring a clutch super shot and Georgia Rowe nailing 39 goals!

This win moves them off the bottom of the table - big mood!

Leeds Rhinos’ Appeal Denied

Leeds Rhinos tried to get a controversial loss overturned because of a scoring mistake, but the league said no.

The debate is still going on, but the result stands.

What do you think about the super shot? Reply to this and let us know!

ICYMI

Safeguarding - Do you remember our webinar with Joanna Gamper Cuthbert? The website to accompany Joanna’s work is up and running. Congratulations Joey and good luck with it!

Mental health - It’s Mental Health Awareness week and this year’s theme is community. Sport and community go hand in hand, whether you’re playing, supporting or spectating. Read about how you can build a community around you through sport, here.

Camogie - Camogie is now firmly in our conscience thanks to a row about the wearing of skirts or skorts. Agreement couldn’t be reached and so the final between Cork and Waterford was postponed. Let them wear what they like and let’s get on with the game we say…

Podium Places.

Watching: A true story, ‘Ladies with Style’ is about a South African women’s football team’s journey to play in the first women’s African champions league in 2021. It’s about the uniting power of football and the liberating power of sport. No spoilers but it’s a goodie.

Listening: We’re compiling our Spotify We are Girls in Sport workout playlist with contributions from our community. Send us yours!

Doing: Sunshine, water, movement. Daily. That’s what we’re aiming for.

See you next week!

The WAGIS Team x