:00:10. > :00:44.# Oh, I feel so alive. Hello, welcome to the Women's
:00:45. > :00:48.Football Show. The season is finally upon us and we have plenty to
:00:49. > :00:54.discuss and dissect in the next half-hour. Brazilian superstar Marta
:00:55. > :00:57.sambas onto our shores. We reflect on the big kick-off in
:00:58. > :01:04.the Women's Super League. Could the FA Cup provide a sky blue
:01:05. > :01:13.lining for Coventry? And Arsenal right back Alex Scott
:01:14. > :01:16.drops into Radio 1 Xtra. Joining us this evening, a couple of England
:01:17. > :01:24.internationals with 194 caps between them. -- 196 caps, which I think is
:01:25. > :01:27.a record for the show. Arsenal defender Casey Stoney and Chelsea
:01:28. > :01:31.striker Eni Aluko. And in case your wondering where Jacqui is, she gave
:01:32. > :01:35.birth to a baby boy, Max yesterday. Congratulations. Great to have
:01:36. > :01:39.another viewer for the show! We begin in Birmingham. The Blues
:01:40. > :01:42.welcomed Swedish side Tyreso for their Champions League semifinal
:01:43. > :01:46.first leg on Saturday. Ahead of the tie, Jess Creighton sat down with
:01:47. > :01:56.one of the most decorated players in world football.
:01:57. > :02:03.Five-time world Player of the Year. Golden Boot winner at the 2007 World
:02:04. > :02:08.Cup. Olympic silver medallist and Brazil's all-time leading scorer.
:02:09. > :02:13.One of the greatest footballers of all time, Tyreso striker Marta, a
:02:14. > :02:25.role model for women across the globe. TRANSLATION: I am proud of
:02:26. > :02:31.everything I have achieved. I had to fight a lot to get where I am today.
:02:32. > :02:38.Now I have become an example to many women who dream of becoming a
:02:39. > :02:47.professional footballer. Here comes Marta. Still going. It is wonderful
:02:48. > :02:51.to watch. Having adorned the mythical number
:02:52. > :03:00.ten shirt for a decade, she is an ambassador for the World Cup this
:03:01. > :03:04.summer. It is a great privilege, because I am the only female
:03:05. > :03:14.ambassador and this is a step forward in a country devoted to
:03:15. > :03:20.men's football. Little by little, we are breaking
:03:21. > :03:25.down barriers. I am very honoured to be part of this because, without a
:03:26. > :03:33.doubt, I am representing all of women's football. The World Cup will
:03:34. > :03:37.help the growth of the men's game in Brazil but for the women it is a
:03:38. > :03:42.different story. Our game is becoming more
:03:43. > :03:47.professional, but compared to men's football we are far apart and this
:03:48. > :03:52.is a long process that will take time. In a bid to improve the game,
:03:53. > :03:56.the squad recently visited the Prime Minister to share their vision for
:03:57. > :04:02.the future. We are into the second year of a new
:04:03. > :04:08.women's league in Brazil, mainly because of government help and I am
:04:09. > :04:12.happy this is happening. We need to attract more people who believe in
:04:13. > :04:21.our game so that we can get sponsors and more media interest.
:04:22. > :04:25.Two years ago, Marta witness the benefits of improving our own
:04:26. > :04:32.infrastructure as Team GB triumphed over Brazil at the Olympics.
:04:33. > :04:36.Every great player who wants to remain at the top level has dreams
:04:37. > :04:43.of playing here, in a country with a big tradition in the sport. It would
:04:44. > :04:47.be very interesting to have an opportunity to play for a big club
:04:48. > :04:54.in England. It is something I could not turn down. She returned to the
:04:55. > :04:58.UK this weekend with Swedish side Tyreso and standing between them and
:04:59. > :05:03.a place in the Champions League final, Birmingham City.
:05:04. > :05:10.We know Birmingham City are a tough side, visit too strong, they
:05:11. > :05:15.pressure the ball very hard. -- physically strong. I am excited
:05:16. > :05:18.because it has been some time since I won the Champions League and I
:05:19. > :05:28.would like to live this moment again. Who knows, maybe in 2014.
:05:29. > :05:33.A crowd of just over 1500 turned out to see Birmingham keep Marta and
:05:34. > :05:43.Tyreso at bay as they secured an impressive 0-0 draw. What did you
:05:44. > :05:50.make of that performance, Eni? It is a fantastic results. What I looked
:05:51. > :05:54.out for, being on the team before and knowing the players. They have
:05:55. > :06:00.done amazing to get to the semifinal. The Tyreso side has Marta
:06:01. > :06:03.and Veronica Boquete and other strong players and it is a good
:06:04. > :06:09.foundation to go to Sweden and try to get the results. They need to
:06:10. > :06:15.score the all-important away goal in Sweden, how difficult will that be?
:06:16. > :06:20.They have given themselves a great chance by not conceding at home.
:06:21. > :06:26.They have great players, such as Karen Carney. They can get a goal
:06:27. > :06:32.and they had chances at home. They need to be clinical and is tight at
:06:33. > :06:39.the back as they were at home. They had chances at the end and look
:06:40. > :06:44.dangerous on the counterattack they are counterattacking. I hope they
:06:45. > :06:48.carrying go over there and get the job done. It would be great to have
:06:49. > :06:53.an English team in the final. Marta said if she had the opportunity to
:06:54. > :06:57.play in England, she would not be able to turn it down. If a foreign
:06:58. > :07:06.player of that calibre came to the W L S, -- WSL, that would be a good
:07:07. > :07:11.thing. She is one of the most recognised players in women's
:07:12. > :07:17.football. Played against her in the Olympics. I would love to see her in
:07:18. > :07:22.the WSL. She is reportedly on ?250,000 a season. It would be
:07:23. > :07:27.interesting to see if any club could come up with that cash. Eni, what
:07:28. > :07:34.can younger players learn from foreign players, coming into the
:07:35. > :07:40.WSL? It is learning about different styles. It is learning about
:07:41. > :07:43.different cultures, as well, off the pitch. From the point of view of
:07:44. > :07:54.Chelsea, foreign players have come in, such as Ji So-Yun, and they are
:07:55. > :08:00.technical players. They are learning about pressure in tight situations,
:08:01. > :08:04.and from the best. I am a big fan of foreign players coming over because
:08:05. > :08:08.I have learned from foreign players and I have been abroad and been the
:08:09. > :08:17.foreign player and it changed me as a player and a person. It is a
:08:18. > :08:20.fantastic opportunity. Time to focus on domestic matters. We reflect on
:08:21. > :08:26.the big kick-off in the Women's Super League. Sue Smith guides you
:08:27. > :08:30.through the best of the action. With record attendances and the
:08:31. > :08:36.introduction of promotion and relegation, the WSL is back, bigger
:08:37. > :08:45.and better than before. If the games this week are anything to go by, WSL
:08:46. > :08:48.1 is wide open. The most anticipated clash saw titleholders Liverpool
:08:49. > :08:54.host Manchester City. In the end, it was last season's top scorer who
:08:55. > :09:00.proved the difference to give Liverpool their first win of the
:09:01. > :09:05.season. Over 1500 fans saw Jess Clarke make history scoring Notts
:09:06. > :09:12.County's first WSL goal since they moved from Lincoln. The home side
:09:13. > :09:22.were denied a first league win by a superb second-half strike from Alex
:09:23. > :09:26.Scott. Two clubs tipped for relegation cancelled each other
:09:27. > :09:31.out. Everton's Danielle Turner hit the post in a game that struggled to
:09:32. > :09:37.entertain, before the Birmingham forward was denied a spectacular
:09:38. > :09:46.winner. Chelsea's hopes of a league title took a boost after a first
:09:47. > :09:51.half brace from Yukari Kinga. Bristol made the trip to Manchester
:09:52. > :09:59.to face Manchester City and came away with three points. The decisive
:10:00. > :10:04.goal left the home side bottom of the table. Everton went behind
:10:05. > :10:08.within five minutes. Jess Clarke scored both goals as the visitors
:10:09. > :10:15.record a crucial first win in the WSL.
:10:16. > :10:21.Eni, after all that has been said about Manchester City, they are the
:10:22. > :10:24.only team without points so far. It might be surprising, but it shows
:10:25. > :10:30.the competitive nature of the league. I know quite a lot of the
:10:31. > :10:39.Manchester City players and they see it as a transition season. They have
:10:40. > :10:43.just come together as a new team. In terms of the media attention, there
:10:44. > :10:47.is a lot of pressure on them. It will be interesting to see how they
:10:48. > :10:51.get on, they have fantastic players, but every team will look to beat
:10:52. > :10:57.them because of the name and the brand behind them. A frustrating
:10:58. > :11:02.start for our small. You said you wanted to play Champions League
:11:03. > :11:08.football. Out of it already, after Birmingham get through to the
:11:09. > :11:12.semifinals. It has been frustrating. I think Wednesday, second-half, is
:11:13. > :11:19.somewhere near to where they want to be. We performed well in the second
:11:20. > :11:23.half. We have not got a game for two weeks and hopefully that will give
:11:24. > :11:28.us time to get injured players back and get the new players in and
:11:29. > :11:34.playing well together. I think we have a bright season ahead. A
:11:35. > :11:41.difficult start compounded of EU by losing the England captaincy. I was
:11:42. > :11:47.very disappointed, personally, but it is a new manager who wants a new
:11:48. > :11:52.start. He has made a statement by changing the captain. He chose Steph
:11:53. > :11:56.and I am behind her and the team. Chelsea were in action yesterday
:11:57. > :12:05.against champions Liverpool. They are one of the biggest spenders
:12:06. > :12:09.preseason. We sent Faye White along to assess their new South Korean
:12:10. > :12:14.star. This season the league has an influx
:12:15. > :12:17.of new talent as clubs look further afield the players, including Ji
:12:18. > :12:30.So-Yun. Let's see how she gets on. She has just done a good bit
:12:31. > :12:46.dribbling, showing great skills. She has seen a lot of the ball in
:12:47. > :12:52.midfield, but she is dropping deep to receive it. I think Chelsea need
:12:53. > :13:01.another midfielder to support upfront.
:13:02. > :13:08.Chelsea's midfield are starting to dominate, putting pressure on,
:13:09. > :13:10.picking up the ball and working hard to win it back quickly and set up
:13:11. > :13:30.the attack. Chelsea should be 1-0 up. Eni Aluko
:13:31. > :13:37.put through a great ball for Ji So-Yun.
:13:38. > :13:49.Ji So-Yun, she has just been sent off a diving in the box.
:13:50. > :13:55.Unfortunately, the end of her game. That is the full-time whistle. 0-0.
:13:56. > :13:58.Neither team can make the breakthrough. The Chelsea,
:13:59. > :14:06.everything positive going forward went through Ji So-Yun. It ended on
:14:07. > :14:16.a sour note with a sending off. Let us clear up the red card
:14:17. > :14:20.incident. What happened? My gut reaction is that if a penalty, but
:14:21. > :14:24.she has gone down so theatrically and so looking directly at the
:14:25. > :14:29.referee I think he thought it as a red card. You definitely do not see
:14:30. > :14:33.a lot of red cards for diving. Maybe she would not have been sent off for
:14:34. > :14:36.that on a different date with a different referee. #n Early days, of
:14:37. > :14:39.course, but it's Notts County who lead the way, followed by your
:14:40. > :14:46.Chelsea side, Eni, and champions Liverpool. #n There is a bit of a
:14:47. > :14:57.break because of the Continental League Cup but WSL action continues
:14:58. > :14:59.next month. This season of course sees the introduction of a second
:15:00. > :15:08.tier with promotion and relegation. Relegation. We had a strong
:15:09. > :15:12.pre-season and we are looking to make a strong start. We had a decent
:15:13. > :15:18.result yesterday. We were disappointed yesterday, but against
:15:19. > :15:24.the league champions it was good to build on. Chelsea have been the big
:15:25. > :15:29.spenders in closed season. What are your expectations? Our expectations
:15:30. > :15:35.are to compete for honours this year, and hopefully be in and around
:15:36. > :15:39.the top two at the end of the season. It is difficult to sit here
:15:40. > :15:42.with such an unpredictable competitive league and make any
:15:43. > :15:46.statements about what we are going to do but sadly, over the past three
:15:47. > :15:50.games, we have seen strength and depth in the team and we have
:15:51. > :15:58.performed well. There is a belief and hopefully, we can keep going and
:15:59. > :16:03.keep getting results. This season sees the introduction of a second
:16:04. > :16:04.tier with promotion and relegation. Here are the results from the
:16:05. > :16:11.opening rounds of WSL2. Demoted last season, Doncaster are
:16:12. > :16:14.looking to bounce back at the first time of asking and opened with two
:16:15. > :16:24.wins to top the table. Sunderland also with maximum points. Durham and
:16:25. > :16:28.Oxford are still looking to get off the mark.
:16:29. > :16:34.So what does the expansion of the Women's Super League mean for those
:16:35. > :16:37.who were unsuccessful in obtaining a license? Emily Croydon has been to
:16:38. > :16:48.speak with two clubs who experienced contrasting fortunes in the bidding
:16:49. > :16:51.process. This is an Olympic football venue
:16:52. > :16:56.antennae the occasional home of Coventry City ladies and the
:16:57. > :16:59.Southern Premier League. Despite playing games in this first-class
:17:00. > :17:03.venue and developing a loyal following, Coventry will not play
:17:04. > :17:08.WSL football in the foreseeable future. To get the word that you
:17:09. > :17:11.haven't got a license, that was disappointing for the whole club and
:17:12. > :17:19.everybody involved. We will survive and we will keep going, but we need
:17:20. > :17:22.support. So what do clubs like Coventry need to do to compete in
:17:23. > :17:29.the future? Lincoln recently became Notts County to help them comply
:17:30. > :17:33.with the WSL criteria. We did not meet the criteria so as a club and a
:17:34. > :17:40.group of people, we wanted to ensure we were in the super league. Being
:17:41. > :17:50.in the Notts County men's football club gave us the past. We had
:17:51. > :17:55.everything in place. We did not have a viable end club to support us. --
:17:56. > :17:59.men's club. The message is that we did not have the men's club. The
:18:00. > :18:04.whole bid was put together not having the men's club because of the
:18:05. > :18:15.situation at the time. You spread everything around. So if one sponsor
:18:16. > :18:20.pulls out you keep going, you do not want to rely on one sponsor. I would
:18:21. > :18:32.love to see the men back. We have played our cup games and had ties.
:18:33. > :18:38.We have and increased financial gain, which helps. The FA Cup fifth
:18:39. > :18:47.round gives us the perfect opportunity to compare the teams.
:18:48. > :18:50.Everyone here is for the game. If we are out there and doing everything
:18:51. > :18:56.we need to do, they will be level because they are playing well, but
:18:57. > :19:01.hopefully we can capitalise it. Can you win? Of course we can, we would
:19:02. > :19:06.not be here if we could not. Coventry's men's team had to leave
:19:07. > :19:17.the city so some fans have adopted the ladies' team. I have really
:19:18. > :19:22.enjoyed watching every day so far and I am hoping for the same today.
:19:23. > :19:28.If the men comeback will you follow the ladies? I will still enjoy the
:19:29. > :19:37.ladies' games as well. On the pitch it was Notts County who took the
:19:38. > :19:42.lead midway through the first half. England's international slotted past
:19:43. > :19:47.for the first goal. Notts County doubled their advantage and with ten
:19:48. > :19:54.minutes on hand Susie was on hand. The Sky Blues had a consolation in
:19:55. > :20:03.injury time. But it was not enough to deny Notts County their maiden
:20:04. > :20:09.competitive win. We have shown we can compete against top teams.
:20:10. > :20:12.Everybody around the club is doing a fantastic job and we have shown we
:20:13. > :20:15.can match the top teams. When it comes up for the Super League we
:20:16. > :20:24.really should be showing that we can make it, we can do it. We have
:20:25. > :20:27.spoken to Kelly Simmons. The FA will be meeting the Women's Premier
:20:28. > :20:30.League clubs in January to discuss both the future expansion of the WSL
:20:31. > :20:34.and promotion and relegation between the winter and summer pyramids. The
:20:35. > :20:38.FA also told us that it wasn't a requirement to link with a men's
:20:39. > :20:41.football team but rather to have a partner who could fullfill the WSL
:20:42. > :20:48.criteria, for example like Bristol Academy or Durham. It is fair to say
:20:49. > :20:54.Coventry proved themselves against Notts County, didn't they? 2-1 and
:20:55. > :20:58.it was a tight scoreline. How important is it for clubs like
:20:59. > :21:04.Coventry to bring through developing talent? It is very important. When
:21:05. > :21:13.those girls reached 17, they might not necessarily be ready for FA WSL
:21:14. > :21:22.one -- WSL1. They need to provide experience to bridge the gap. How
:21:23. > :21:26.much do you think the expansion of the WSL will help grassroots
:21:27. > :21:30.football? It will help in the sense that young players have a pathway to
:21:31. > :21:34.get through to the big leagues and to play in a more professional setup
:21:35. > :21:38.supported by the Football Association. It is great that girls
:21:39. > :21:42.coming up will not just in their footballing careers at 16 or 17 and
:21:43. > :21:46.they are going into clubs and competitive leagues in order to
:21:47. > :21:48.aspire to get higher. It is exciting to see some of the expansion plans
:21:49. > :21:51.going in. And if you're feeling inspired and
:21:52. > :21:55.want to start playing football then head over to bbc.co.uk/getinspired
:21:56. > :22:00.to find all the details of your nearest club. You can also follow
:22:01. > :22:04.@bbcgetinspired on Twitter. Back to the FA Cup now, both our
:22:05. > :22:07.guests still have an interest in this season's competition. Holders
:22:08. > :22:11.Arsenal face Birmingham. Eni's Chelsea travel to Manchester City.
:22:12. > :22:16.There's a mouth-watering Merseyside derby. Whilst Notts County's reward
:22:17. > :22:18.for beating Coventry is a trip to the only non WSL club remaining -
:22:19. > :22:26.Portsmouth. Finally this week, we end where we
:22:27. > :22:29.began. We recruited England's dressing room DJ Alex Scott to
:22:30. > :22:33.choose the music for our opening titles. And as a thank you, we
:22:34. > :22:42.arranged for the defender to play her selection live on BBC Radio one
:22:43. > :22:46.Extra. I am Alex Scott and I play for
:22:47. > :22:53.Arsenal and England ladies. I'm here today at the Radio 1 studios. I'm
:22:54. > :22:59.about to meet Trevor Nelson. He might give me a few tips on my DJ
:23:00. > :23:06.skills. I wonder what he will say about my song collection?
:23:07. > :23:20.Maybe this is my day to be a DJ? Good to meet you. Welcome. Thank you
:23:21. > :23:25.for having me. I have heard you had the music programmer at Arsenal, am
:23:26. > :23:32.I right? Arsenal and England changing win. Going to the Arsenal
:23:33. > :23:42.changing room and saw them out! This is a typical Chelsea-Arsenal game,
:23:43. > :23:52.isn't it? Camera over here, Sir! Put the camera on the score! 6-0! You
:23:53. > :23:59.are going to be on microphone three. He could have picked a better
:24:00. > :24:08.picture. Welcome Alex Scott from Arsenal. Thank you. I urge anyone to
:24:09. > :24:12.watch women's football. You are the designated musical director of all
:24:13. > :24:17.things in your dressing room. I am. What is normally on the playlist?
:24:18. > :24:25.Some people like a bit of old school, then you like a bit of
:24:26. > :24:34.current, Beyonce, house music, and obviously Stigma is a dressing room
:24:35. > :24:41.favourite. Let's play the June you have made. It is the soundtrack to
:24:42. > :24:54.the Women's Football Show on BBC Three.
:24:55. > :25:00.As chosen by my guest Alex Scott... The best Arsenal player out there!
:25:01. > :25:07.Good to see you. I promise to come and see you play football. I will
:25:08. > :25:14.hold you to that. It has been great meeting you. I have enjoyed it. To
:25:15. > :25:19.see you guys play would be great and I would love to come. We have got
:25:20. > :25:26.this on camera, Trevor is coming to one of our games!
:25:27. > :25:30.Get yourself down there Trevor. I'll be there too, and we hope to see
:25:31. > :25:33.plenty of you at England's next World Cup qualifier against the
:25:34. > :25:37.Ukraine on Thursday eighth May. If you can't make it you'll be able to
:25:38. > :25:40.see it live on BBC Two from 7.30. Another date for your diary - you
:25:41. > :25:48.heard it here first. England play Sweden in a friendly on third
:25:49. > :25:54.August. A question on Twitter. What is your
:25:55. > :26:01.favourite moment in an England shirt? My favourite moment in an
:26:02. > :26:07.England shirt would be qualifying for the World Cup in 2007. At the
:26:08. > :26:12.time it was the first time we had qualified in 12 years and I just
:26:13. > :26:19.remember the pure emotion that was on the pitch. I was crying at the
:26:20. > :26:21.time, I think. My mum was crying. It was a really special moment and
:26:22. > :26:30.something I am never going to forget. Casey, just as emotional for
:26:31. > :26:34.you? For me, it was captaining the team in the 2011 World Cup when we
:26:35. > :26:41.beat Japan. We were the underdogs and we were not expected to win and
:26:42. > :26:44.produce such a magnificent performance. It was the way the team
:26:45. > :26:48.played, it made me proud. Just enough time to have a quick
:26:49. > :27:00.look at this year's nominees for PFA Player of the Year award. What are
:27:01. > :27:10.your top contenders? Lucy and Nicole, who is a talented winger.
:27:11. > :27:21.Siobhan Chamberlain was integral and getting Bristol their success last
:27:22. > :27:24.year. It would be Nicole, she terrorised us last season and got a
:27:25. > :27:34.lot of goals for her team. My top three would be Natasha, Nicole and
:27:35. > :27:41.Kim Little, because her performances for Arsenal works Dann were
:27:42. > :27:45.outstanding. Even though she won last year? She would be my winner
:27:46. > :27:48.again because she is a fantastic player. She would be a big loss to
:27:49. > :27:52.WSL this year. We'll know the winner when we return
:27:53. > :27:56.for our next show on the 26th May, where we'll also be looking ahead to
:27:57. > :27:59.the FA Cup final. Before that, we've got live commentary of the derby
:28:00. > :28:02.between Liverpool and Everton in the Continental Cup, BBC five Live
:28:03. > :28:13.Sports Extra, Wednesday 30th April at 6.30. -- at 7pm. Thank you Eni
:28:14. > :28:16.and Casey. And thanks to you for joining us. It's been a great to
:28:17. > :28:41.start to what promises to be the best WSL season so far. Bye for now.
:28:42. > :28:49.You've become an Eeyore. And you've got to be a Tigger.