Episode 2 The Women's Football Show

Football Show, two days until kick-off at Euro 2013, and England

are ready. Runners-up last time, can hope

how's lionesses go one better this time? Will Sweden thrive on the

expectation of a nation? We investigate the ongoing controversy

surrounding Doncaster's demotion. And, the FA celebrates 20 years of

running women's football with Kick Off Your Career.

I am delighted to say we have a wealth of international experience

this evening, 183 caps tween Faye White and Sue Smith. It is with the

current team that we begin, hope Powell's team have arrived in Sweden

to go one better than four years ago.

You have to go into a tournament thinking you are capable of winning.

I have visualised it, I have dreamt about it. We think we can go far.

have got to prove we are good enough. The belief is there. We can

excite the nation. We can play against the best teams in Europe.

Our ambition is to do as well as we possibly can, we know that we got to

the final in 2009. Maybe we were happy with just getting to the

final, we did not really believe we could win. We have to win every

match if we want to get to the final and when. We have got to face our

opposition first, Spain, Russia and France, all hard games, so we will

have to be on top form. Spain are a fantastic team, people would not tip

them as favourites, but they play fantastic football, it is difficult

to play them against, that is why we played Japan in a warmup game.

Russia, very disciplined, they are a tournament team. We went 2-0 down in

2009, we came back to win 3-2, so we know we can beat them. We played

France in November, it was a tough game. We have got a lot of players

who play with each other every week. It will be a tough test. Up until we

lost to Sweden, we were doing OK. They are a good side, the home

nation, but we did not play how we can play. If we had done things

differently, we could have beaten them. If we had not lost against

them, would have thought we were fine, and we could be comfortable,

but perhaps this is a humbling experience. The fact that we were in

the WSL season, you are bound to pick up injuries, unfortunately.

That is what you have a squad of 23. We are not the only squad that have

had severe injuries, we are fortunate that our injuries seem to

be ending. She can look at the bench and put any player on and know that

they can do a job. We have five women's international teams now,

there is more quality, the fact we have got eight teams in the top WSL

division means that the competition is tough, and that helps the

international team. Hopefully, we will gain fans, football fans.

People who enjoy watching good football. There are some serious

contenders, and I would like to think we are one of them. There is

no bigger honour than playing for England. We will battle for

everything, we will give 100%. is what we show when we play

football, character and effort, to do England proud. We will give

absolutely everything we have got to get results, because we want to win.

Confirmation of England's opponents. How are they going to do? I think

they have got a good chance. They have got a strong squad. My only

concern is the injuries, and a lot of key players are injured, will

they be fit enough to play? They have got a chance of progressing

onto the next stage, but we have got to believe in England. If all of the

players are fit, but the star player is Kelly Smith, she is struggling.

Yes, she has always had a lot of injuries, and it is not the first

time she is coming back from an injury, but she is experienced, you

would want her in your squad even if she is only 50% fit. She can score

top quality goals. The other thing, the opposition fear her, she can

produce moments of magic. But now, another benefit, the team can play

without her, so maybe as an impact player. They will have to, at least

to start with. Who else can score the goals? Is a team wants to

progress, you need to have goals from everywhere, and England have

Fara Williams, she can score from long distance, also, Ellen White,

who made an impact in the World Cup, she scored against Japan, and she

has got better and better, she is scoring goals in the WSL. There are

lots of players that can score goals, the second one is any Loko, a

fantastic layer. -- Eniola Aluko. She can finish. We have seen

different finishes through the WSL. A fantastic player. Ten, Toni

Duggan, she has got youth on her side, natural ability, she

pressurises really well. She has got no fear. She can be an impact

player. She could come on and change the game and hopefully then start

later in the tournament. Somebody with plenty of experience, Rachel

Yankey made history with her 120th cap against Japan. Could she be the

big figure? Experience is key, she has played a lot, and I would like

to contribute to the goals a bit bowl. She can supply them. This is

her record, their 126th cap. An inch perfect pass for Eniola Aluko. It is

being able to CD-ROMs and put the ball in the danger area. She can be

a key figure. They drew against Japan. But they got hammered by

Sweden. What will they have learned? They have to learn from it,

they have to take the positives and negatives. They looked disorganised,

which is not normally England. But Sweden did press them really high,

they caused problems. Their physicality was a difficulty for

England. They need to learn from that, especially when they play

Russia. But they can learn from games like this. This is something

that they will have looked at, the players will have looked at it,

individually and collectively. It is something they can take on into

their first game against Spain, it is just good it did not happen in

the first game. There are a number of players who have either been

injured or who are not match fit. Is that a big concern? What effect will

that have against Spain? There are six players that have had injuries.

Karen Carney and Kelly Smith are the long-term injuries. But Steph

Houghton, Casey Stoney, they played against Sweden, they have got time

under their belt, and they were able to overcome their injuries. We have

had players before that have had injuries. The experience and ability

to play over those injuries, that is what you do as a player to play in a

major tournament. England get under way against Spain on Friday night.

We will also have the best of the action from the other match in the

group, between France and Russia. More from the England camp shortly.

Now, the story that has polarised women's football. One week into the

WSL season, Doncaster received a phone call to say they were being

demoted to the new second division for the following season because

they have failed the new entry criteria for the first division. The

club appealed, but nine days ago the appeal was rejected by an

independent panel. Manchester City will take their place in the top

division. What next for one of the Doncaster have been in the top

flight of women's football for 22 years. They have won the FA women's

cup six times, the old FA women's Premier League twice, and between

1978 and 1993 they only lost one league match. The FA's new game

changer initiative has put new standards in place to strengthen the

women's game, but Doncaster is a community club with minimal

resources, and they have struggled to meet the new criteria. The

reaction to the decision to demote them has been fierce, and the

headlines do not make comfortable reading for the FA. The feeling in

Doncaster is one of shock and disappointment. Gutted, devastated,

difficult to take. 44 years of heritage does not give you a divine

right to be there, from a respect point of view, some are relative, we

have been treated badly, playing on a pitch, promotion, allegation, that

is what sport, we believed, was about. To tell the team after one

game, it is criminal. It is so difficult to pick the players and

staff up. But credit to them, they have done great. They are quite

strong minded. The FA have defended their position, with a 38 page legal

summary and this statement. The decision by the selection panel not

to offer them a licence was due to them primarily being unable to

satisfactory meet minimum requirements, alongside further

concerns on their commercial and marketing strategies. Doncaster

continued to maintain their facilities are up to scratch, and

they can fulfil the fixture list. But at this stage, their position in

the second division is not even confirmed, because according to the

FA, they still have criteria to meet. They have finished next to

bottom in the two seasons since the WSL was formed and have struggled

this season under the cloud of the FA decision. But the club are

determined they have a positive future to look forward to. You take

the hit, and you continue on the football field. The 4th of August,

we play Chelsea. We will put our heart and soul into not finishing

bottom, if ever there was a challenge to fit -- to prove

somebody wrong, that would be it. just got on with it. We went to the

appeal, we hope something could happen, it has not, so we are not

going to labour on the fact that it has gone against us. We just have to

get ourselves ready for what is next. I'm joined by Kelly Symond s

of the FA. One of the main criteria is the facility, but they play where

Doncaster Rovers play. The problem with the women's club have is the

access to it. This season they've been the forth priority on the pitch

after the men's football club, rugby and other events. It's led to

problems with fixtures as well as the quality of the pitch.

Unfortunately Doncaster Belles through the application process

weren't able to satisfy the FA that would improve. It's so important

because the FA and the clubs signed up to delivering semi-

semi-professional women's football. For the first time we have two major

broadcast deals with the BBC and BT sport. We're moving to regular

coverage. It's essential that we lock down the fixtures and encourage

fans to come to the game and deliver the league. Something that they are

unhappy about is the lack of communication during the process, so

they knew they weren't on the right track at the time. Of course the

timing, being told after first game. Do you have regrets about how you

could have done something differently? We don't actually,

because communication, they've never really raised the issue of

communication. All of the clubs were aware of the process an the time

lines. We delivered to those. I personally rang Doncaster before the

decision came out to explain to them what the result was and why they

hadn't achieved WSL1 status. From the outside it looks strange, but

the women's Super League plays across the summer. The rest of

women's football plays across the winter. The women's Super League has

been closed off with no relegation. We will open that up from 2014. We

can take ten teams from the winter pyramid to make up the Super League.

Those new clubs have to come out of the women's leagues now, this

summer, they can't play in 13/14 because they need to be ready for

the Super League kicking off in March next year. It is an anomaly.

It is a one-off situation. Because from now, with the second division,

it will be about promotion and relegation subject to meeting

license criteria. There's been quite a back lash to the decision. I'm

sure that you're aware, throughout the media, a lot of people

criticising the FA. Doncaster have been in the top flight for many

years. People are upset that they've been relegated for non-fooling ever

footballing -- footballing reasons. Can you understand the backlash? Of

course I can. I would say that the backlash has been because it's been

portrayed the decision is about money. It isn't. There are women's

clubs in Super League one and two who don't have men's club backing,

but have really good local partnerships and are able to deliver

the cry tierament Bristol academy is probably -- criteria. Bristol

academy is the most impressive one. I feel sorry for Manchester City.

They were one of 33 clubs that applied for a place, had a really

strong place and they are only doing what we have been asking men's clubs

to do, invest in women's football. Difficult was this decision to take?

I think it was difficult. The toughest thing for us was the timing

of it. We had gone through the preseason. I had come back from

injury. There was a buzz around the club about playing. When we found

out that we were going to be in WSL2 no mat whaer we did in the league,

that was hard from a players' performative. It's the motivation.

Thankfully we have a group of fantastic individuals and they're

strong characters. We will battle through. I think our aim now is to

probably not finish bottom. That's what we're focussed on. If Donny win

WSL2 next year, then as things stand, they won't be promoted if

they still don't match the criteria. Will you work with them in

particular to help them to match the criteria? Yeah, it's in all our

interests to make sure that all the clubs can meet the criteria so

whoever wins can go up. If they don't meet the criteria they

won't be able to go up. That's similar to men's football, where

across national league systems you have clubs that can't go up because

of facilities. We will work all the clubs and our facilities team are

working with them to find solutions to the problems that they have got.

Very much. We'll keep you updated on all developments with Doncaster and

the WSL when the Women's Football Show returns after the Euros. Now to

Sweden's -- England's base camp in Linkoping, I didn't think I would

ever come back, so when they announced that the Linkoping would

be one of the venues, it was OK. It adds an element of comfort. It's a

bit slower, the pace of life here. Everyone's kind of relaxed. I really

enjoy that. It's a beautiful town, very natural, very green. People

really embrace that. Loads of people just go and hang out in parks. They

embrace their culture as well. There's quite a few museums around.

I enjoyed the original town, this old town Linkoping. You go there and

you just go back hundreds of years. I'm a fan of antiquity. I feel like

I can appreciate it. I like learning the history of towns and I'm kind of

a nerd that way. My favourite part of the cathedral is that you could

basically see it from anywhere in town. If you caught it at the right

moment in the evening, the sun would catch the clock face really nicely.

It just would light up the surrounding area. It was very

pretty. When I first came, we went to go and break the ground, so it's

been amazing to see it go from being a lot of dirt to the stadium that it

is today. It looks like it's going to be a great venue. And a really

nice, intimate theary foo. I'm -- atmosphere. I'm looking to seeing

the things in the blueprint that I was told was going to happen.

England are going to be spending a lot of time in Linkoping. Let's hope

there's plenty to do. The mini golf is good apparently! How much of a

benefit is it being in one town? three teams are in the same city.

The good thing is that it reduces the amount of travel if you get

further in the competition, but for a player, it's good to go through

the same pre-match routines, to be familiar with the stadium you're

going to. If you play well, if you have a good result in the first

game, you often play well in the second game. Some of the players

will go stir crazy in the same city and with not having a change of

scenery. I think as far as the logistics and the practical sense

it's a positive. Will go mad? Williams, jil Scott, Rachel Yankey.

They could stay in Linkoping but they would have to win the group.

France will be the most difficult game I would say. They are a tough

team. They're a team that we have played before and obviously, we went

2-0 up in this game against France, so you think fantastic the way that

we created chances. They can take positives from that and confidence

from that. We did change the team around a bit and obviously France

came back into it, as we know they can. The game ended 2-2. That was

probably disappointing, the fact that you've gone 2-0 up against a

fantastic team. If you keep that result it's a massive confidence

boost. As a team you have to forget past results and look to this. As we

know there's a lot of very good players in France, especial

especially the very talented player that can create and score a lot of

goals. A lot of them are fulltime professional in the French league

and Champions League final as well. Spain are the first team that

England play. Now, you know full well that they're not very happy

with England because you personally helped deny them a place in the last

World Cup. England have denied them a European place as well. That's

right. I scored the equaliser in the World Cup qualifiers, a draw it

turned out but we went through having secured more goals, I think.

If the Euros as well, leading the last 2009 we went through rather

than them. They will feel that they were close to beating up and taking

that spot instead of us. They did well against Scotland to come back.

It was 3-2 in the final game, score scoring 122nd-minute winner after

having a pen at toy. They will take that into -- having a penalty.

about the Russians? They are physical. We struggled with that.

Hopefully we've learned from that and can go into the Russia game more

physical. We have players that can do that. We seem to play well

against the nice, footballing teams - Spain, Brazil and Japan. Hopefully

we can get our physical game in. Away from England's group, who else

could win? Sweden have home advantage and our roving reporter

will be Tina Daheley. She's been assessing their chance was a striker

who lives and works in London. One of the favourites to win this

summer's European champion shops are hosts Sweden and a player hoping to

lead the attack made her international debut against England

in 2011. Now playing for Chelsea in the WSL, Sofia Jakobsson lives a

stone's throw from the I have been playing a lot of a big

turnaments. To score in the Olympics was really good. It was a lot of

people watching. To score was amazing. I feel I'm not new in this.

I feel I will go in there with a good experience and with a good

confidence and help the team as much as I can. Yeah, I think we will be a

tough team. We are at home. It's important that we show people who

are coming to watch our games that we want to win this tournament. We

are organised and we have good players. Hopefully we will score

goals. You have a very experienced coach who led the US to a World Cup

final and Olympic gold last year. What's it been like working with

her? Yeah, I'm really happy with her. Now her coming in the team with

a lot of energy. She has new eyes on every player. She wants to bring in

new players. I think it putses pressure on the ones who have been a

long time in the national team. face your neighbours Denmark in the

opening fixture. How much of a threat will they be? I know Denmark

is a really good team. I think it will be a hard game because, of

course, we want to win and I know they want to win against us. So I

think it's a really important game for us to start well in the

tournament. I know Italy, football is more technical and Finland is

more physical team. But I think we will not have a problem against

them. We are also physical. I think it's more important to focus on our

game. Have you dreamt of scoring the winner in the final? Yeah, of

course, you always do that. Like a striker, you always want to score.

If you can score a winning goal in the final, it's like the best thing

you can do in your life. So confirmation of Sweden's

opponents in Group A: Italy, Finland and Denmark first up. So Sweden have

home advantage, Sue, with that comes plenty of pressure as well. Do you

see them as genuine contenders to win? I didn't a few months back and

recently I've watched their form and they seem to be getting better and

better. They're peaking at the right time. For me, it's the manager. She

seems to have them playing for her. I think that's a massive benefit.

The fact that against England they look sharp. They looked ready.

They're not even thinking about the pressure. I think they're going into

the tournament expecting to win. She's brought in the winning

mentality from being the American manager, used to winning games.

She's brought that and seems to instilled that into her players.

won Olympic gold at Wembley last summer. Sweden versus Denmark kicks

off our live coverage of the tournament this Wednesday, from 7pm

on BBC Three. Also highlights of Italy versus Finland. Today's the

Football Association's 20th anniversary of running women's

football. To celebrate the FA have launched Kick Off Your Career to

inspire young women and girls to work in our national game. Not so

long ago, it was difficult for a woman to have a career in football.

In 1972, England's first official international took place against

Scotland on an icy pitch. It had been more than 50 years since the FA

had banned women from playing on its clubs' grounds deeming the game

unsuitable for girls. England were 2-0 down.

COMMENTATOR: all eyes on number eight. Sylvia Gore started the fight

back with her country's first ever international goal. England won

3-26789 Sylvia has had a long -- 3-1. Sylvia has had a long career.

I've had special achievement awards, a trophy named after me. The FA have

given me awards. I was on the role of honour at my local authority with

Steven Gerrard and Peter Reid. Sylvia's story has beenlet exception

with many women of her era and beyond dropping out of the game. To

celebrate the 20th anniversary of taking over the running of women's

football, the FA have launched Kick Off Your Career, show casing 20

women working in the game, who the FA hope will inspire a new

FA hope will inspire a new generation. I don't think you can

beat match day and that environment. That's what it's about, about

getting the players ready to perform getting the players ready to perform

getting the players ready to perform in the game.

I say, this is the environment we try to create as players. I work at

Norwich, that small bit of funding we put in makes a massive

difference, it gives them somewhere to be, to be like everyone else and

to be part of it. It is something I dream golf from a kid, playing in

the World Cup. The famous gifted boot of Kelly Smith has done the

business! I won a silver medal in Finland in 2009. That is the only

medal I have one, playing for England, so it is special. A lot of

young people from 15 to 19 are dropping out, and for me, it can be

a tough sell, particularly to some females, about trying to get

involved, because they think it is for boys or they do not want to get

hot and sweaty on their lunch break. I am on call 24 hours a day. In a

tournament situation, every second counts. It's a fine line between

being superfit and super healthy and being injured, unfortunately.

have heard from some of the top women in the industry, and you do

not have to be playing football to be part of it.

Get involved! You can find out more about Kick Off Your Career on the FA

website. Sylvia taught you all do know. I am so glad she is getting

recognition, what an inspirational woman. She told me about that goal

so many times, what a great goal! Really pleased for her. It is time

to focus on group the of Euro 2013, and the Liverpool and Icelandic

midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir is hoping to carry her good form into

For Liverpool, I have been playing holding midfield, simple, winning

the midfield battle. I have got good passes, good in the air. Physical.

With the national team, I have more of a role creatively. I have got it

all, I think! Playing for Liverpool and coming from winning a lot of

games will hopefully help my mentality, going into Euro 2013. For

Iceland as a nation, we are up for any challenge. We have got the

attitude that we can beat anyone. We are quite a physical team, we fight

until the end. It can be hard to break us down. Not this year, but it

has been in the past. We will hopefully find it again. We never

quit, we rely on counterattacking. The players to watch, the

goalkeeper, the centre back, and our top goal-scorer can hopefully get

some goals for us. In our group, Germany, Holland and Norway. It is a

difficult group. All tough teams. Norway has done well, we beat them

in Iceland and then lost in Norway. To play them in the tournament, it

will be a good fight. Germany are a great team. Holland... It is all

good teams, we just have to do our best. On a good day, we can beat any

team. We want to make our country proud, so hopefully we can battle.

Success is being able to go home and know we did our best. And go home

with no regrets. Iceland are the underdogs in the

group, alongside the former champions Norway, the Netherlands

and the mighty Germans, going for their sixth straight title. You

expect them to replace their missing players and march on to the next

title. Many teams would struggle, missing six key players, but they

bring through the youngsters. They have such a strong squad. A great

striker, who seems to be taking over the mantle. 17 goals in qualifying.

They have confidence, great experience, winning trophies along

the way. I see them coming out of their group comfortably. 17 goals

from one player! Germany are the firm favourites to win the group,

they have not lost a game at the Germans last lost a match at this

tournament, but it is very much part of everyday life for a player. We

have entered into the England hotel as Toni Duggan and Alex Scott took

time out to take part in a live Q&A OK, it seems as though we are off.

Who are you most looking forward to playing? The first game, Spain.

Wattage your favourite tournament you have played in? The World Cup,

2011, the crowds in Germany, the whole buzz around women's football.

The under 19 European Championships, because we won. Is this more nerve

wracking than being on the pitch? Gel has got the best banter. They

have made up a song for us. The Addams family theme. Duggan and

Scott! It is going to be stuck in my head! Who has the worst dress

sense? Who can we stitch up? ! Stoney! I am sure you could give her

a make over! We have got new questions. What is the team morale

like? It is the best it has ever been, the team is one United group.

Have you practised penalties? Of course, we want to be the best

prepared we can be. Katie has got back to us! She says, excuse me,

white and I getting battered on this? ! Save the best till last!

What is the most exciting prospect of playing in a tournament? The

chance to win a medal. Our famous song... Duggan and Scott!

If you want to get involved, send us your tweets. Or you can visit the

Facebook site. Who will win the tournament? Over to you! I will go

for Germany, but I think France will have a good chance as well.

England's group! What about. Course is? I wanted to take a dark horse! I

think Holland. They got to the semifinals in the last tournament,

they did really well, they hit teams on the break. They have changed

their style, so to see them playing the Dutch style, it will be

interesting. They will progress further than people think. The dark

horse? It is hard to see beyond the major teams, Germany, Sweden, France

and England. They are the top four ranked side! More of that insightful

punditry on Friday evening, when we bring you live coverage of

England's opening match from 7pm on BBC Three. We kick off the