Episode 2 The Women's Football Show

# Oh, I feel so alive. Hello, welcome to the Women's

Football Show. The season is finally upon us and we have plenty to

discuss and dissect in the next half-hour. Brazilian superstar Marta

sambas onto our shores. We reflect on the big kick-off in

the Women's Super League. Could the FA Cup provide a sky blue

lining for Coventry? And Arsenal right back Alex Scott

drops into Radio 1 Xtra. Joining us this evening, a couple of England

internationals with 194 caps between them. -- 196 caps, which I think is

a record for the show. Arsenal defender Casey Stoney and Chelsea

striker Eni Aluko. And in case your wondering where Jacqui is, she gave

birth to a baby boy, Max yesterday. Congratulations. Great to have

another viewer for the show! We begin in Birmingham. The Blues

welcomed Swedish side Tyreso for their Champions League semifinal

first leg on Saturday. Ahead of the tie, Jess Creighton sat down with

one of the most decorated players in world football.

Five-time world Player of the Year. Golden Boot winner at the 2007 World

Cup. Olympic silver medallist and Brazil's all-time leading scorer.

One of the greatest footballers of all time, Tyreso striker Marta, a

role model for women across the globe. TRANSLATION: I am proud of

everything I have achieved. I had to fight a lot to get where I am today.

Now I have become an example to many women who dream of becoming a

professional footballer. Here comes Marta. Still going. It is wonderful

to watch. Having adorned the mythical number

ten shirt for a decade, she is an ambassador for the World Cup this

summer. It is a great privilege, because I am the only female

ambassador and this is a step forward in a country devoted to

men's football. Little by little, we are breaking

down barriers. I am very honoured to be part of this because, without a

doubt, I am representing all of women's football. The World Cup will

help the growth of the men's game in Brazil but for the women it is a

different story. Our game is becoming more

professional, but compared to men's football we are far apart and this

is a long process that will take time. In a bid to improve the game,

the squad recently visited the Prime Minister to share their vision for

the future. We are into the second year of a new

women's league in Brazil, mainly because of government help and I am

happy this is happening. We need to attract more people who believe in

our game so that we can get sponsors and more media interest.

Two years ago, Marta witness the benefits of improving our own

infrastructure as Team GB triumphed over Brazil at the Olympics.

Every great player who wants to remain at the top level has dreams

of playing here, in a country with a big tradition in the sport. It would

be very interesting to have an opportunity to play for a big club

in England. It is something I could not turn down. She returned to the

UK this weekend with Swedish side Tyreso and standing between them and

a place in the Champions League final, Birmingham City.

We know Birmingham City are a tough side, visit too strong, they

pressure the ball very hard. -- physically strong. I am excited

because it has been some time since I won the Champions League and I

would like to live this moment again. Who knows, maybe in 2014.

A crowd of just over 1500 turned out to see Birmingham keep Marta and

Tyreso at bay as they secured an impressive 0-0 draw. What did you

make of that performance, Eni? It is a fantastic results. What I looked

out for, being on the team before and knowing the players. They have

done amazing to get to the semifinal. The Tyreso side has Marta

and Veronica Boquete and other strong players and it is a good

foundation to go to Sweden and try to get the results. They need to

score the all-important away goal in Sweden, how difficult will that be?

They have given themselves a great chance by not conceding at home.

They have great players, such as Karen Carney. They can get a goal

and they had chances at home. They need to be clinical and is tight at

the back as they were at home. They had chances at the end and look

dangerous on the counterattack they are counterattacking. I hope they

carrying go over there and get the job done. It would be great to have

an English team in the final. Marta said if she had the opportunity to

play in England, she would not be able to turn it down. If a foreign

player of that calibre came to the W L S, -- WSL, that would be a good

thing. She is one of the most recognised players in women's

football. Played against her in the Olympics. I would love to see her in

the WSL. She is reportedly on ?250,000 a season. It would be

interesting to see if any club could come up with that cash. Eni, what

can younger players learn from foreign players, coming into the

WSL? It is learning about different styles. It is learning about

different cultures, as well, off the pitch. From the point of view of

Chelsea, foreign players have come in, such as Ji So-Yun, and they are

technical players. They are learning about pressure in tight situations,

and from the best. I am a big fan of foreign players coming over because

I have learned from foreign players and I have been abroad and been the

foreign player and it changed me as a player and a person. It is a

fantastic opportunity. Time to focus on domestic matters. We reflect on

the big kick-off in the Women's Super League. Sue Smith guides you

through the best of the action. With record attendances and the

introduction of promotion and relegation, the WSL is back, bigger

and better than before. If the games this week are anything to go by, WSL

1 is wide open. The most anticipated clash saw titleholders Liverpool

host Manchester City. In the end, it was last season's top scorer who

proved the difference to give Liverpool their first win of the

season. Over 1500 fans saw Jess Clarke make history scoring Notts

County's first WSL goal since they moved from Lincoln. The home side

were denied a first league win by a superb second-half strike from Alex

Scott. Two clubs tipped for relegation cancelled each other

out. Everton's Danielle Turner hit the post in a game that struggled to

entertain, before the Birmingham forward was denied a spectacular

winner. Chelsea's hopes of a league title took a boost after a first

half brace from Yukari Kinga. Bristol made the trip to Manchester

to face Manchester City and came away with three points. The decisive

goal left the home side bottom of the table. Everton went behind

within five minutes. Jess Clarke scored both goals as the visitors

record a crucial first win in the WSL.

Eni, after all that has been said about Manchester City, they are the

only team without points so far. It might be surprising, but it shows

the competitive nature of the league. I know quite a lot of the

Manchester City players and they see it as a transition season. They have

just come together as a new team. In terms of the media attention, there

is a lot of pressure on them. It will be interesting to see how they

get on, they have fantastic players, but every team will look to beat

them because of the name and the brand behind them. A frustrating

start for our small. You said you wanted to play Champions League

football. Out of it already, after Birmingham get through to the

semifinals. It has been frustrating. I think Wednesday, second-half, is

somewhere near to where they want to be. We performed well in the second

half. We have not got a game for two weeks and hopefully that will give

us time to get injured players back and get the new players in and

playing well together. I think we have a bright season ahead. A

difficult start compounded of EU by losing the England captaincy. I was

very disappointed, personally, but it is a new manager who wants a new

start. He has made a statement by changing the captain. He chose Steph

and I am behind her and the team. Chelsea were in action yesterday

against champions Liverpool. They are one of the biggest spenders

preseason. We sent Faye White along to assess their new South Korean

star. This season the league has an influx

of new talent as clubs look further afield the players, including Ji

So-Yun. Let's see how she gets on. She has just done a good bit

dribbling, showing great skills. She has seen a lot of the ball in

midfield, but she is dropping deep to receive it. I think Chelsea need

another midfielder to support upfront.

Chelsea's midfield are starting to dominate, putting pressure on,

picking up the ball and working hard to win it back quickly and set up

the attack. Chelsea should be 1-0 up. Eni Aluko

put through a great ball for Ji So-Yun.

Ji So-Yun, she has just been sent off a diving in the box.

Unfortunately, the end of her game. That is the full-time whistle. 0-0.

Neither team can make the breakthrough. The Chelsea,

everything positive going forward went through Ji So-Yun. It ended on

a sour note with a sending off. Let us clear up the red card

incident. What happened? My gut reaction is that if a penalty, but

she has gone down so theatrically and so looking directly at the

referee I think he thought it as a red card. You definitely do not see

a lot of red cards for diving. Maybe she would not have been sent off for

that on a different date with a different referee. #n Early days, of

course, but it's Notts County who lead the way, followed by your

Chelsea side, Eni, and champions Liverpool. #n There is a bit of a

break because of the Continental League Cup but WSL action continues

next month. This season of course sees the introduction of a second

tier with promotion and relegation. Relegation. We had a strong

pre-season and we are looking to make a strong start. We had a decent

result yesterday. We were disappointed yesterday, but against

the league champions it was good to build on. Chelsea have been the big

spenders in closed season. What are your expectations? Our expectations

are to compete for honours this year, and hopefully be in and around

the top two at the end of the season. It is difficult to sit here

with such an unpredictable competitive league and make any

statements about what we are going to do but sadly, over the past three

games, we have seen strength and depth in the team and we have

performed well. There is a belief and hopefully, we can keep going and

keep getting results. This season sees the introduction of a second

tier with promotion and relegation. Here are the results from the

opening rounds of WSL2. Demoted last season, Doncaster are

looking to bounce back at the first time of asking and opened with two

wins to top the table. Sunderland also with maximum points. Durham and

Oxford are still looking to get off the mark.

So what does the expansion of the Women's Super League mean for those

who were unsuccessful in obtaining a license? Emily Croydon has been to

speak with two clubs who experienced contrasting fortunes in the bidding

process. This is an Olympic football venue

antennae the occasional home of Coventry City ladies and the

Southern Premier League. Despite playing games in this first-class

venue and developing a loyal following, Coventry will not play

WSL football in the foreseeable future. To get the word that you

haven't got a license, that was disappointing for the whole club and

everybody involved. We will survive and we will keep going, but we need

support. So what do clubs like Coventry need to do to compete in

the future? Lincoln recently became Notts County to help them comply

with the WSL criteria. We did not meet the criteria so as a club and a

group of people, we wanted to ensure we were in the super league. Being

in the Notts County men's football club gave us the past. We had

everything in place. We did not have a viable end club to support us. --

men's club. The message is that we did not have the men's club. The

whole bid was put together not having the men's club because of the

situation at the time. You spread everything around. So if one sponsor

pulls out you keep going, you do not want to rely on one sponsor. I would

love to see the men back. We have played our cup games and had ties.

We have and increased financial gain, which helps. The FA Cup fifth

round gives us the perfect opportunity to compare the teams.

Everyone here is for the game. If we are out there and doing everything

we need to do, they will be level because they are playing well, but

hopefully we can capitalise it. Can you win? Of course we can, we would

not be here if we could not. Coventry's men's team had to leave

the city so some fans have adopted the ladies' team. I have really

enjoyed watching every day so far and I am hoping for the same today.

If the men comeback will you follow the ladies? I will still enjoy the

ladies' games as well. On the pitch it was Notts County who took the

lead midway through the first half. England's international slotted past

for the first goal. Notts County doubled their advantage and with ten

minutes on hand Susie was on hand. The Sky Blues had a consolation in

injury time. But it was not enough to deny Notts County their maiden

competitive win. We have shown we can compete against top teams.

Everybody around the club is doing a fantastic job and we have shown we

can match the top teams. When it comes up for the Super League we

really should be showing that we can make it, we can do it. We have

spoken to Kelly Simmons. The FA will be meeting the Women's Premier

League clubs in January to discuss both the future expansion of the WSL

and promotion and relegation between the winter and summer pyramids. The

FA also told us that it wasn't a requirement to link with a men's

football team but rather to have a partner who could fullfill the WSL

criteria, for example like Bristol Academy or Durham. It is fair to say

Coventry proved themselves against Notts County, didn't they? 2-1 and

it was a tight scoreline. How important is it for clubs like

Coventry to bring through developing talent? It is very important. When

those girls reached 17, they might not necessarily be ready for FA WSL

one -- WSL1. They need to provide experience to bridge the gap. How

much do you think the expansion of the WSL will help grassroots

football? It will help in the sense that young players have a pathway to

get through to the big leagues and to play in a more professional setup

supported by the Football Association. It is great that girls

coming up will not just in their footballing careers at 16 or 17 and

they are going into clubs and competitive leagues in order to

aspire to get higher. It is exciting to see some of the expansion plans

going in. And if you're feeling inspired and

want to start playing football then head over to bbc.co.uk/getinspired

to find all the details of your nearest club. You can also follow

@bbcgetinspired on Twitter. Back to the FA Cup now, both our

guests still have an interest in this season's competition. Holders

Arsenal face Birmingham. Eni's Chelsea travel to Manchester City.

There's a mouth-watering Merseyside derby. Whilst Notts County's reward

for beating Coventry is a trip to the only non WSL club remaining -

Portsmouth. Finally this week, we end where we

began. We recruited England's dressing room DJ Alex Scott to

choose the music for our opening titles. And as a thank you, we

arranged for the defender to play her selection live on BBC Radio one

Extra. I am Alex Scott and I play for

Arsenal and England ladies. I'm here today at the Radio 1 studios. I'm

about to meet Trevor Nelson. He might give me a few tips on my DJ

skills. I wonder what he will say about my song collection?

Maybe this is my day to be a DJ? Good to meet you. Welcome. Thank you

for having me. I have heard you had the music programmer at Arsenal, am

I right? Arsenal and England changing win. Going to the Arsenal

changing room and saw them out! This is a typical Chelsea-Arsenal game,

isn't it? Camera over here, Sir! Put the camera on the score! 6-0! You

are going to be on microphone three. He could have picked a better

picture. Welcome Alex Scott from Arsenal. Thank you. I urge anyone to

watch women's football. You are the designated musical director of all

things in your dressing room. I am. What is normally on the playlist?

Some people like a bit of old school, then you like a bit of

current, Beyonce, house music, and obviously Stigma is a dressing room

favourite. Let's play the June you have made. It is the soundtrack to

the Women's Football Show on BBC Three.

As chosen by my guest Alex Scott... The best Arsenal player out there!

Good to see you. I promise to come and see you play football. I will

hold you to that. It has been great meeting you. I have enjoyed it. To

see you guys play would be great and I would love to come. We have got

this on camera, Trevor is coming to one of our games!

Get yourself down there Trevor. I'll be there too, and we hope to see

plenty of you at England's next World Cup qualifier against the

Ukraine on Thursday eighth May. If you can't make it you'll be able to

see it live on BBC Two from 7.30. Another date for your diary - you

heard it here first. England play Sweden in a friendly on third

August. A question on Twitter. What is your

favourite moment in an England shirt? My favourite moment in an

England shirt would be qualifying for the World Cup in 2007. At the

time it was the first time we had qualified in 12 years and I just

remember the pure emotion that was on the pitch. I was crying at the

time, I think. My mum was crying. It was a really special moment and

something I am never going to forget. Casey, just as emotional for

you? For me, it was captaining the team in the 2011 World Cup when we

beat Japan. We were the underdogs and we were not expected to win and

produce such a magnificent performance. It was the way the team

played, it made me proud. Just enough time to have a quick

look at this year's nominees for PFA Player of the Year award. What are

your top contenders? Lucy and Nicole, who is a talented winger.

Siobhan Chamberlain was integral and getting Bristol their success last

year. It would be Nicole, she terrorised us last season and got a

lot of goals for her team. My top three would be Natasha, Nicole and

Kim Little, because her performances for Arsenal works Dann were

outstanding. Even though she won last year? She would be my winner

again because she is a fantastic player. She would be a big loss to

WSL this year. We'll know the winner when we return

for our next show on the 26th May, where we'll also be looking ahead to

the FA Cup final. Before that, we've got live commentary of the derby

between Liverpool and Everton in the Continental Cup, BBC five Live

Sports Extra, Wednesday 30th April at 6.30. -- at 7pm. Thank you Eni

and Casey. And thanks to you for joining us. It's been a great to

start to what promises to be the best WSL season so far. Bye for now.

You've become an Eeyore. And you've got to be a Tigger.