The Bold Tackle

Women's football has come a long way, but there are still barriers to break. In this episode of 'The Bold Tackle,' we sit down with Megan Connolly, Football Development Officer for Leicestershire and Rutland FA, to discuss the push for more opportunities, the importance of role models, and why coaching isn't just about football knowledge. Whether you're a player, a parent, or just a fan, this conversation is one you won't want to miss!

Join us on The Bold Tackle as we sit down with Aston Villa and Scotland captain Rachel Corsie. From navigating injuries to leading teams, Corsie shares her journey in professional women's football, insights on resilience, and the evolving dynamics of the sport. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the sacrifices, leadership lessons, and what drives one of the game's most inspiring figures.

Jane Ross shares her remarkable story — from humble beginnings on a small Scottish island to playing for top clubs and her determined fight back from a major injury. An inspiring look at passion, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence.

Ever wonder what it's like to be a pro footballer? Aston Villa's Kirsty Hanson opens up about self-doubt, perseverance, and the unseen struggles behind the success. Tune in for an inspiring journey!

After a tough run of games with one draw and two losses from the first three games this season, we will be sitting down to discuss what really happened last week for Leicester's Women. Here, we'll be analysing all three games individually and Sophie will be giving us her thoughts on not only what went wrong or right but also where this leaves the team. We'll be discussing the secret behind the very solid performance against Arsenal, the trade off between consistency and squad rotation for the cup game vs Bristol and lastly the very disappointing performance against Palace. What went wrong? Summarised, it's too early to panic but last Sunday was definitely a reality check according to Sophie.

Being back to just the two of us, we used this opportunity for a brief catch up on the latest happenings. Here, we will be discussing the first 2024/25 WSL game for the Foxes against Liverpool last weekend and will be looking towards this upcoming Sunday when Leicester's Women take on Arsenal in their first game back at home at the King Power Stadium since the summer. According to Sophie, nothing quite beats playing back at home in front of the own fans and this time, we'll have an extra special supporter in the stands watching very closely. A Sunday full of celebrations – a birthday party across the pond, a milestone recognition accompanied by a family reunion and a long-awaited home appearance back together with the Foxes fans.

Are you on strict diet? What about carbs? They're bad for you, aren't they? What about animal products? And what about sweets? Do I have to cut them out completely? For this episode, we were joined by Tom Jackson, former performance nutritionist for LCFC's Academy and LCFC's Women's Team to discuss all things nutrition. From general guidelines for a healthier diet and the tailored approach for athletes to the discussion around the fear of carbohydrates and the dangerous trend of under-fueling in female athletes, Tom gave us an insight into his knowledge and daily work.

Am I going to make it? Will the manager pick me? I don't think I can come back from this injury… In this episode Sophie is joined by her teammates Jani and Lena to delve into the topic around the multifaceted nature of pressure faced by athletes. The discussion centres around three primary areas of pressure: the pressure to succeed, the pressure of selection, and the self-imposed pressure to meet high personal standards. Herewith, the three teammates give their very different experiences with pressure – external and internally imposed- and give us an insight into their pressure management strategies.

Rounding off the series about Leicester's trip to Australia with this episode, we will be discussing the latter stages of the trip and will be highlighting the two big games played. A solid performance against Man City losing only on penalties and a huge 5-2 win over West Ham saw Leicester's women complete the trip on a high and return to the Midlands with a solid amount of confidence and having had great experience on and off the pitch. From impressive fan support and built relations to club promotion and promising performances, the trip to Down Under was a great success and according to Sophie will be the first of many such trips abroad.

From Koala cuddles and an Aboriginal experience getting to know the country's history and culture to open training sessions and exploring the best coffee places in town – it's been a great first couple of days for the Leicester Women in Perth. For this episode, Sophie was joined by two of her teammates – Janina Leitzig and Lena Petermann – to discuss their first impressions of Perth, their trip highlights so far and what they expect from the upcoming games in the tournament.

The Leicester City Women are off to Down Under! After briefly addressing LCWCF's first two friendlies in week three of pre-season and discussing the importance of promoting Women's football and tailored marketing during this time, we dive straight into the Foxes pre-season tour to Australia. From Jetlag management strategies and training load adaptation to the multi-facetted purpose of this trip, Sophie will be giving us an insight into everything we need to know about the venture to the other side of the world.

What if at the end of the transfer window your manager comes up to you and says: "Look, we've had pre-season to look at you and we don't think you'll be getting loads of game time this season. However, we've got an opportunity for you to go out on loan to club X, which could be essential for your development." Only problem – the club's at the other end of the country. What do you do? Would you go? What about your family? Do you commute? Surely that's not feasible. In this week's episode we'll be discussing the transfer market with all its rumours and speculations. Further we'll be addressing the different lengths in transfer windows between the men's and women's game, will be highlighting the difficult decisions that have to be made during this time and lastly will be discussing the role and incentive money plays in such transfers.

We're finally back everyone! After a long summer break, we are back with the next round of discussions and behind the scenes insight. In this first episode of the new series, we will be discussing the summer break, international duties and the season ahead. From quality time with the family and the goal of qualifying for next year's women's Euros with Scotland to returning to Leicester for pre-season under the new leadership – Sophie will once again be giving us her thoughts and first-hand insight. Simply said, it's great to be back!

And that's a wrap! In the final episode of this season, we'll briefly recap Scotland's recent international break and highlight Sophie's latest milestone. We'll also dive into our summer plans, including a surprise visit and our annual trips to see family. Additionally, Sophie will share her perspective on being a twin and the challenges of living far apart. Thank you for all your support, dear Bold Tackle listeners. It's been an incredible first season, and we can't wait to return with more insightful and enjoyable discussions next season two. Have a great summer break, everyone, and see you soon!

Recently, more and more professional athletes have shared their stories and experiences with mental health struggles. Their willingness to shed light on these internal battles is significant and has likely helped many people facing similar challenges, both on and off the pitch. But who supports these athletes during these tough times? Who is there for them when they are left alone with their thoughts? Is there a connection between mental well-being and performance psychology? What if we told you that confidence isn't always necessary for peak performance? Jess Thom, the head of performance psychology for Team GB at this year's Olympics, sat down with us to discuss these very topics. From the importance of training your brain to think positively to distinguishing between feelings and behaviors when discussing confidence, Jess provides incredible insights into her work. She also shares how everyone can use performance psychology to elevate their game.

With the last game for the 2023/24 season just having passed, in this week's episode we will be taking the time to review and reflect on the past twelve months. As much as it's fair to say that Leicester City's women did not reward their performances with enough convincing results throughout the season, Sophie insists that, yet, it was a season that indicated that the club and team are moving in the right direction. A season with many challenges, that however was defined by and will be remembered for the team's togetherness, resilience, and fight.

"What do you actually want to do with football?" That's all it took for Christie to plot her path to get to where she wanted to be. It is this encounter with her PE teacher that challenged her to think about where she wanted to take 'this whole footballing thing' and to locate the stepping stones she needed to become the elite level athlete she is today. This week, we were joined by Scotland international and Birmingham City captain Christie Harrison-Murray. After sharing her own journey that took her across the world and back again, we will be digging deep into Christie's secret to performing at the elite level year after year. Further, we will be discussing Christie's absolute team player mentality and how she manages to deal with challenges and setbacks. Lastly, Christie will be sharing her drive to give back to the next generation and will leave all listeners with her advice on what it takes to become a professional athlete.

Time to pass on the mic and switch sides. In this episode, we have turned the tables and give Oli a go on the hot seat. Oli will be answering a bunch of quick-fire questions to give us an insight into his life and way of thinking. From his hypothetical very first team meeting as manager and his journey and drive behind self-employment to the biggest lesson life has taught him in recent years – an episode full of remarkable insights. Thank you, Oli, for your vulnerability and for sharing your stories and knowledge. A slightly uncomfortable experience for the man usually in charge of the questions, but one that has given our listeners an incredible insight into who Oli is and what we can all learn from the eldest of us four.

Looking to close the gap to the teams above or wanting to increase the gap behind? This year, the table standing for Leicester's Women is very different to last year's and after Bristol's loss at the weekend, the team mathematically is safe and has nothing to do with relegation. How does this change your mindset or even playing style? What are the feelings in camp? And, given last year's history, did relegation play any role throughout the season? In this week's episode, we will be looking at the current league standing for Leicester and will herewith discuss the different existing feelings compared to this time around last year. Further, we will be highlighting the misalignment of performances and results for the team and will be addressing the importance of the final three games – collectively and individually.

It's been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions for the Leicester Women these last couple of days. Excitement, nerves, joy, heartbreak, disappointment, and pride. They've been through it all. In this week's episode we will be discussing and analysing last weekend's FA Cup semi final between the Foxes and Spurs. Here, we will be discussing the present battle between disappointment and pride and will be hearing a few new voices sharing their thoughts on the game and messages for the fans.

The dramatic start to Scotland's Euros qualifying campaign, the anticipation of the upcoming FA Cup semi-final and a whole load of listeners' questions – it's safe to say we had a fair bit to catch up on. In this episode, recorded almost immediately after Scotland's win over Slovakia, Sophie will be talking you through her thoughts on the past Scotland camp and will re-iterate the importance of and her excitement for this upcoming weekend. Further, she will be taking the time to answer all your questions and will herewith be discussing topics ranging from the importance of mental preparation for the big occasions to how the fear of regrets and complacency have driven her career in many moments.

In this week's episode we will be putting Sophie on the hot seat as she will be answering a collection of quick-fire questions which Oli has put together. And let's just say, he knew where to start digging. A slightly different conversation but one that's equally insightful and honest.

Every football team will most likely at some point go through a transition phase in which many senior players are replaced by younger, upcoming talents. The question herewith often lies in the timing of such transition. When is the right time for such a transition and what value does experience play over energetic feistiness. How would you look to put together your squad if you had the choice and what role does actual footballing skill play in your composition? In this week's episode, we will be taking a closer look at the men's German National Team that has quite clearly undergone a fair few transitions in the last couple of years. Here, we will be discussing the importance of the balance between senior and junior players within the squad and will be addressing the importance of anticipating and allowing for a re-build phase. Lastly, we will be highlighting the value of communication and clarity regarding the players' roles and responsibilities in fostering healthy competition and high performance behaviours.

Women's football has greatly advanced in the latest decade to the point that nowadays, girls wanting to start and pursuit their footballing journey can do so in fully established girls teams, leagues and competitions. This was obviously not the case about 15 years ago where many girls that wanted to start playing football had to start with “the boys”. This was also the case for Sophie when she started all those years ago back in Germany. In this episode we will be discussing Sophie's early footballing days. Here, Sophie will be sharing how these early years playing in boys' teams and leagues had an immense impact on her as a person and player nowadays. Further, we will be addressing potential challenges and barriers Sophie had to face and will be discussing the importance of the great character of the group of guys within her team and more importantly the role her twin sister played in embracing these challenges to reach her full potential.

Another historic weekend for the Leicester Women! After a big FA Cup quarter-final battle on Saturday against Liverpool which ended in a 2-0 win for the Foxes, Leicester's Women advanced to the semi-finals for the very first time in the club's history. Now, they've been drawn Spurs for the semi-finals mid-April. In this episode, we'll be discussing Leicester Women's historic win last weekend and will be highlighting the semi-final draw. Further, we'll be discussing the celebration around international women's day and will lastly be discussing and celebrating Sophie's latest achievement. All around, an episode full of appreciation and congratulations.

Sarah Green is a performance coach developer currently working for England Netball. She describes herself as a disruptive thinker who is passionate about helping others become better. But what really is a coach developer? How do you become one and what does the role entail? In this episode, Sarah will be giving us an insight into her career as a performance coach developer. She will be sharing her own journey that got her to the role and position she currently has and will be highlighting her motivation to support and assist coaches to become the best they can be.

Think back to a time in your life where you encountered a person that had a remarkable impact on you. A person that inspired you. A person that earned your respect and trust. A person that got the best you out of you. Who is this person for you? Maybe this person was somebody at work. Maybe it's someone in your family or maybe it's a complete stranger that had the ability to captivate you and for some reason you were suddenly all in. In this episode we will be discussing the meaning of leadership and the value of great leaders in sport. Further, we will be highlighting the importance of recognising and fostering various leadership types and will discuss our non-negotiables and fundamental attributes of leaders nowadays. Lastly, we will be giving our opinions on current leaders in sport and will share our very own experiences of great leadership in our professional and personal lives.

After a busy time for Sophie at the King Power stadium last weekend, we sat down to discuss the role and importance of the Foxes supporters for the team, the club and Sophie herself. In this episode, we will be highlighting what the fan's support means to Sophie and how this strong connection has developed and evolved over the years. Further, we will be addressing the unique fan base of women's football and will be discussing the importance of building relationships and connections with the community to further grow the game and build a strong supporters base. Last, but certainly not least, Sophie expresses her gratitude towards a community that has allowed her to feel at home and build a life in a once foreign place, and leaves a personal message around appreciation and encouragement for all the Foxes fans.

After last week's win over Birmingham, Leicester City have now been drawn Liverpool in the FA Cup Quarterfinal. A hopefully exciting game that both teams will be looking to advance from. But what about league? And international? In this episode, we will be discussing the latest ongoings at club and country for Sophie. After discussing the latest FA Cup fixture against Birmingham, we'll be discussing the quarter final draw and will be looking ahead to what's next for Leicester in the WSL and for Scotland in the upcoming international window. Further, we'll be discussing Emma Hayes' departure from Chelsea, what her exit means for the WSL and we will be highlighting the need to support female football players taking the first step towards coaching during their playing career.

As a professional athlete you travel the world and get to know different cultures. Surely, as you're part of a team you're never lonely and seemingly always happy. You benefit from sponsorships and preferential treatment – in the end, you're a professional. In this episode, we will be discussing the clichés of the game and profession. Have we maybe developed an untrue perception of overall glory and fame, of benefits and perks? As much as football in Sophie's eyes is the best job in the world and she is immensely grateful for the life football has given her, we are keen to address external assumptions that are made and voiced far too hastily.

I think it's fair to say that it's been very sad news for every single Liverpool supporter this past week – Jürgen Klopp has announced that he will be leaving the Reds at the end of the 2023/24 season. After an incredibly successful spell at the club, Klopp will be departing as one of the greatest. But what makes Klopp so good? Why is he so loved by the fans and the community and how come his players - present and past - speak so highly of their manager? In this episode we will be discussing managers in the game. What does it really mean to ‘manage a team' and what are fundamental values and attributes a manager needs to display. What role does communication play when leading a team and how can you foster team togetherness despite the challenges of team selection and individual disappointment.

From crying in the changing room wondering what she was doing ‘here' to winning the Women's Champion's League twice and being Belgium's most capped women's player - It's fair to say Janice Cayman is an incredible athlete who used her passion for the game to overcome frustration and disappointment and to go and pursuit her dreams. Now, Janice is part of Leicester City's set-up and is looking to bring her top-class quality and experience to this ‘exciting project'. In this episode Janice shares her own story that led to her prosperous career. She gives us an insight into the foundation behind Lyon's success, what it meant to play for the world's biggest club and will share her motivation to publish an autobiography early last year. If not obvious before, after this discussion it's safe to say that Jancie is not only an amazing football player, but an incredible person whose attributes will be embraced by both our current mission and future generations.

There's no doubt that Women's Football has come a long way in recent years and has undergone an incredible development to get to the stage that it's at now. But what really are the biggest changes from a decade ago? What does a professional set up entail and what support is offered to the athletes to reach their potential? In this episode we will be discussing the impressive development of women's football and will compare current set -ups with those from ten years ago. Further, we will be highlighting the demands of athletes on and off the pitch and will discuss how becoming a professional athlete is not simply a job but more a commitment to a lifestyle fully dedicated to the sport. And lastly, we will be addressing the importance of feedback for the development as a player and person and will be discussing the idea of a mentorship program that in Sophie's eyes could be a missing piece to the professional set up.

Head knocks and head injuries – a topic close to Sophie's heart and a topic that she is not only passionate about but unfortunately also has a fair bit of experience with. Soph received her latest concussion during the last game in 2023 before the Christmas break and has fortunately managed to recover smoothly and quickly and is back on the pitch working hard. In this episode we will be discussing head injuries in football and will be highlighting Sophie's experience herewith during her career. Finally, we will be looking at the impact of heading load on training management and why Sophie demanded to see a head trauma/brain specialist after a conversation with her family.

We are finally back! In this very first episode of the second round of discussions we will be talking about contracts and the transfer window. What is the role of agents in contract talks? Why are contracts offered in women's football so much shorter than in men's football? And what factor does age play in the negotiations? In this episode we will be discussing the process of contract negotiations with Sophie giving us an insight into her experience, her current situation and what she thinks she would do differently having learned from her own mistakes.

As our final episode before Xmas and therefore our final episode for this year we are taking this opportunity to do a review of 2023. After a very eventful year both personally and career-wise, we a will be discussing each of our highlights and will be addressing potential low points of the year. What made us happy this year? What are we proud of and what are we looking forward to in the upcoming year? How did we deal with these mentioned low points and what role did family pay for both of us in 2023? Despite our career highlights being very different we both very much agree that not only the birth of Oli's daughter and him marrying his wife but most importantly the amount of precious family time we managed to all spend together has made this year extra special and makes us very much look forward to Christmas and the year 2024. Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year! See you in 2024!

Back on international duty, back to Nations League. Scotland currently sit bottom of the table and have everything to play for in these next two games against Belgium and England. In this episode, we will be discussing the upcoming games for Scotland and the role the results of the remaining games within the group could have for not only the final standings but more interestingly the qualification for the Olympics in 2024. A bizarre situation to say the least. Further we will address the question around the immense load of players in relation to their wellbeing and welfare. For months players have gone from club to country and back to club again to compete for and represent their teams at the highest level. Every player at the highest level wants to play every game they can for their club and country, but when is it too much? When are we putting athletes at too high risk and what needs to happen to protect the players from physical and mental overload? What are key factors in athletes managing this load and being mentally and physically ready to compete every single week for many months at a time?

What's been happening? In this week's episode we will be using the opportunity to recap the last couple of weeks. What's been happening on the pitch for LCFC's Women? What's been the big take-aways from the recent tough games and where does this leave the group going forward? Furthermore, we are also giving a quick debrief on our latest two episodes where we will be discussing our favourite moments of Katharina's and Shaunagh's insights. Two completely different but very inspirational discussions leaving both of us and hopefully all of you with some thinking to do. How do you use your past experiences to fuel you to go and achieve? What's the one advice you'd give your children when they start their journey in sports?

She's a professional rugby player, a former hammer thrower, a gas engineer and a firefighter. And that's only mentioning a few of her successful careers on and off the pitch. When Shaunagh is approached and seizes an opportunity, she commits wholeheartedly and gives it her all. For this episode, we invited Shaunagh Brown to discuss her incredibly unique life story. She highlighted the important role her Mum played in developing her mindset and attitude towards life. And lastly, we dive deep into the discussion around body composition in sports where Shaunagh shares her experience and opinion on the importance of celebrating performance and longevity within the sport instead of weight loss and physical appearance.

Katharina Kleinfeldt is one of the upcoming sports presenters in Germany. Currently, she is a TV presenter for the German broadcaster Sport1 and has spent many years covering the biggest sports competitions ranging from the German Handball Bundesliga to London's famous Grand-Slam Wimbledon. We invited Katharina, who grew up playing football with Sophie's twin sister, to join us on the podcast and explore her journey within sports journalism and presenting. Here, we discuss Katharina's motivation to aspire a career within the world of media and how she managed to not only persevere but very much thrive within a male dominant industry. Further, Katharina shares why Saturday nights have become her very own “game day”, gives us her opinion and perspective on the question around emotions and honesty within interviews and lastly highlights the role and importance of human connection within her work.

Media coverage is an essential part of any sport these days. It increases visibility and promotion; it allows fans to connect with their club and players and it gives an insight into what happens in the day-to-day life at the training ground. Often, what fans really want to see is content from behind the scenes and entertaining coverage around the players and team especially off the pitch. But where do you draw the line? When does it become too personal and maybe “unprofessional”? How do you give the fans the content they want whilst respecting the player's personal lives? In this episode we will be discussing not only the role of media in increasing the visibility and growing the women's game but will be taking a closer look at the difficulties in pleasing all parties within the game. We will be addressing the role of emotions in interviews and will be getting an insight into Sophie's most tricky media moments throughout her career.

Not long ago, we released an episode on our views on players' agents within the game. Through our discussions it became very clear that we generally were missing a wholistic approach towards the player's care and wanted to find out more about this business through some first-hand insights. Therefore, for this episode, we invited Christian Leonhardt to join us. Christian is a former sports agent that consciously decided to leave the business of intermediary behind and has now founded his own company, RuhmReich, which is an independent multi–family office in Germany. Here, Christian believes, they finally offer their athletes the overall support that is needed for them to fully focus on their jobs on the pitch, court or in the arena. A family-like relationship based on trust and transparency has been key in RuhmReich's success. But what were the motivators in Christian's decision to leave the sports agency world? What makes him and RuhmReich different and why does he believe honesty and tough conversations are absolutely crucial in not only working together but for their athletes' hopefully successful careers.

It's fair to say that Leicester's Women have had an impressive start to the 2023/24 season. Seven points from three games and second in the league on goal difference. Historically and statistically this certainly is the best start to a season that LCFC Women have had in the WSL. But what is their secret to success? What is the team doing differently this season to lead to the performances we've seen and how are they looking to continue this form? In this episode we will be discussing LCFC Women's great start to their league campaign and will be highlighting the performances in each of the three opening games. Further, we will be getting Sophie's thoughts on crucial factors behind the current success and will be highlighting how the team is focused to stay on top of their game.

“What do I tell my child when it hasn't made the team?” “How do I rebuild my child's knocked confidence?” and “How do I manage my own frustrations and feelings when I see my child struggling?” Parents play an incredibly crucial part in their children's development and are often the ones their son and daughters look to for support, encouragement and guidance. However, sometimes even parents don't have all the answers and look for advice how to handle certain situations and their emotions throughout their children's development and career. So, for this episode, we will be bringing our dad, Neil, on the podcast to discuss how he himself perceived Sophie's career and development throughout the years. We will be highlighting Neil's involvement during her playing career and how he handled his own emotions during the highs and lows of being a parent of a professional footballer. Lastly, we will be looking at the influence dad had in Sophie's wholehearted dedication to football and will be sharing his biggest advice for a parent of a child that loves the game as much as Sophie does.

“She doesn't even look like an athlete”. “There's nothing to her. How can she even tackle anyone?” “She must have been hitting the gym lately”. These are the comments we've all heard at some point - whether directed at us directly or our teammates. Unfortunately, we have developed an ideology of what a female footballer should look like. Skinny and attractive but not too skinny. Strong and athletic but not too bulky. Who cares! What should really matter is what you perform like on the pitch. How many runs in behind you can make. How many 1-vs-1 duels you win and how many headers you score based on your aerial dominance. In this episode we will be discussing the topic of body composition in sport. We will be looking at how body composition can be used to support performance improvements and how the lack of understanding and knowledge in this area can lead to a downward spiral of the everlasting desire to be skinny and to fit the “golden standard”.

Not too long ago, we found ourselves having a good old “dinner time” conversation during a car ride home from a family gathering. As this discussion caused not only a hell of a lot of laughter in us both, but more importantly as we realised how incredibly much we learned about one another during this conversation, we decided to share our thoughts and outcomes with you all. What is fear and where do fears come from? What are our personal fears in life and what do we do to tackle these? In this episode, we will be sharing our biggest and most bizarre fears growing up and will be discussing how present fears have influenced the way we both live our lives today. Wholeheartedly committed and full of gratitude.

Every person will at some point have to deal with disappointment and rejection. Athletes will have to add injuries to the list. When you're injured you unfortunately automatically drop in terms of priority for selection and performance can for a long time be impacted by injuries. Therefore, rejection is definitely one of the biggest silent struggles the athletes deal with. But what if you're fully fit? How do you deal with it then? And how does this affect you as an athlete, but also as a person outside of the sport? In this episode we will be discussing Sophie's experience with rejection, how this affected her on and off the pitch and how honest self-reflection has got her into the strong mental state she is in today. We will be highlighting how Sophie took it upon herself to find help to get back the “old Soph”, what role her family played in all this and we will be sharing her biggest life lessons she learnt from fighting for validation.

As the women's summer transfer window in the UK is closing today, it's the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the role of mediators in football. Agents - the players' apparent right hand and who every now and then make an appearance in the headlines after sorting a record-breaking deal or a trailblazing move to a new club. But what really is the standing of football agents in the game? And should every player have an agent? In this episode, we will be discussing agencies within the world of women's football. We will be highlighting the demands the athletes have of football agents and will be taking a closer look at the currently existing payment structure. Lastly, we will be addressing the importance of human connection and trust when working with agents and discuss why Sophie has made the decision to represent herself again.

While trying to make history and constantly improving the game of women's football, you are not allowed to forget that behind each great athlete there is a person, a mother, a father, a sibling or a child. It is so important, to always see the person beheind the professional, so therefore, in this episode, we will be looking at Sophie's life off the pitch and what she gets up to outside of football. We will be discussing the meaning behind “football friends” and how Sophie has created a life for herself away from the pitch. Lastly, we will be taking a closer look at what Sophie's plans are for after her playing career and how she uses football to achieve her ultimate goal in life.

For years we have been hearing the shout for equal pay. Across the globe women are fighting for equality in all areas of life. But is equal pay really what we should be asking for in football? And how does this align with the principles of business and finance. In this episode we'll really be getting into the nitty-gritty stuff around finances in football when discussing the difficulty of demanding equal pay.

The outcome of this year's Women's World Cup has been absolutely astonishing and has most likely changed the women's game and the perspective on it forever. Boundaries were pushed like never before and the athletes inspired everyone watching to dream big, chase your dreams and fight for what you deserve. But just as we were ready to celebrate the newly crowned World Champions – one man stole the show with his very questionable sideline behaviour. And this was unfortunately not the only occasion that distracted from the incredible on-pitch achievements and left many viewers in shock. In this episode, we will be discussing the incredible success of the tournament and addressing Spain's historic win whilst taking a closer look at why some viewers may be somewhat torn about this triumph. Last but certainly not least, we will be highlighting some special moments of the tournament. The ones where history was made – and unfortunately also the ones that leave you lost for words and shaking your head. In this episode, we will be discussing the incredible success of the tournament and addressing Spain's historic win whilst taking a closer look at why some viewers may be somewhat torn about this triumph. Last but certainly not least, we will be highlighting some special moments of the tournament. The ones where history was made – and unfortunately also the ones that leaves you lost of words and shaking your head.