Upfront - A Women's Football Podcast

And breathe. It's all been kicking off in the Upfront WhatsApp group this past week - from Fran Kirby's retirement, to Millie Bright's shock announcement, to the actual bloomin' Euros squad itself! Chloe and Rachel are ready to react to it all.

They explain why Millie Bright should tell the haters to do one – while Clo is very excited about Michelle Agyemang's inclusion. But Rach has concerns about England's midfield...

Elsew...

Today, we’re joined by an absolute legend of the English game.

Steph Houghton remains one of the best defenders of all time and played over 120 times for England, captaining the Lionesses at two World Cups and a Euros.

She has just finished the UEFA A Licence course - the highest qualification a coach can receive - which qualifies her to coach in the WSL!

Will we be seeing her in the dugout soon? Rachel sat down with Steph...

Chloe’s just about got the glitter off from Mighty Hoopla to chat all things international football! England put on a clinic against Portugal ahead of Sarina Wiegman unveiling her Euros squad on Thursday. Where does hat-trick hero Aggie Beever-Jones sit in the attacking pecking order? And if Lauren James is fit and back in the squad, who’s going to miss out?

Plus, Wales and Scotland suffer Nations League relegation, in part due ...

Today, we're joined by one of England's exciting next generation and a rising star in the WSL: it's Brighton's Maisie Symonds!

Rach caught up with Maisie from her seaside home (and, really, it couldn't be any closer to the sea) to look back on Brighton's season, which saw Dario Vidošić make an instant impact and some brilliant home form before a tougher second half of the campaign. She also reveals what it was like to be named i...

In case you hadn't heard, Arsenal wrote themselves into the history books on Saturday by beating Barcelona to win the Champions League. And now's your chance to relive it!

Rachel and Chloe met outside the José Alvalade Stadium after the full time whistle to reflect on their feelings after an extraordinary 90 minutes. But before that, Rachel gives you a flavour of the build-up to the game and the atmosphere inside the stadium as ...

We’ve got two SEISMIC bits of football news to get stuck into today! First up, despite coming into the game as the unfancied underdogs, Arsenal put in a performance for the ages and won the Champions League! Rachel and Chloe discuss their own experiences of Saturday’s final and praise a phenomenal effort from Renée Slegers and her players.

Then, our preview of England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures gets interrupted by the sh...

Here we go, people! Whether you're an Arsenal fan jumping on a flight to Lisbon or you're a neutral who's just ready for a huge Champions League final, Chloe and Rach have got you covered.

We look back on Arsenal's route to the final and Barcelona's various demolitions, before looking ahead to the key battles on Saturday. Can Mariona Caldentey make the difference? Will Renée Slegers make a huge call and change her defence? And j...

Rach dials in from Portugal to catch up with Clo about the FA Cup final, where Chelsea flexed their dominance for one last time this season. Some BIG names rocked up to Wembley - and surprise, surprise, Sir Jim Ratcliffe wasn’t one of them…

We also get stuck into some rather weird Marc Skinner quotes (sorry Marc) before weighing up Man United’s chances at the World Sevens tournament, which kicks off tomorrow! Plus, we discuss th...

Who was our player of the season? Who was our manager of the season? And - most importantly of all - what was our WTF moment of the season?! And yes, there were a fair few to pick from…

The iconic Upfront Awards are back. Join Chloe and Rachel to relive a hugely entertaining season of WSL football!

Follow us on X, Instagram, Bluesky and YouTube! Email us show@upfrontpod.com.

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And just like that, the 2024/25 WSL season comes to a close! Clo and Rach are here to reflect on the final weekend and discuss this season’s winners and losers.

Chelsea (obviously) managed to pull off another invicible campaign and Arsenal beat Man United 4-3 at the Emirates to hold on to second place! Plus, how did Aston Villa finish sixth after flirting SO closely with relegation at the end of March? And the manager merry-go-...

Joining us today is someone who’s been instrumental in reshaping and driving the women’s game forward in England: Kelly Simmons OBE! From putting the WSL on the map to championing investment in grassroots pathways - and everything in between - Kelly’s 30-year career at the FA has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Kelly reflects on her journey, the highs and lows along the way and whether she’d do anything differently if she ...

First things first… in case you missed it, Rach got an assist in the WSL this weekend!

But in other news, Chelsea clinched their sixth straight WSL title with two games to spare, on a random Wednesday night at Leigh Sports Village of all places! But can they go the whole season unbeaten? Clo and Rach dive into just that.

Elsewhere, the Manchester Derby lived up to its name as United bagged themselves a place in the Champion...

It’s the Merseyside Derby this weekend! Which naturally means Clo and Rach have roped in Everton (and Ireland) number one, Courtney Brosnan!

Courtney takes us inside Everton’s injury-hit season, the impact of fresh investment at the club, and what Brian Sørenson is building with this team.

Elsewhere, she and Clo obviously get into the nitty-gritty of what it really takes to be a goalkeeper at this level, while Rach of cours...

Rach joins Chloe from an airport lounge in France, fresh from witnessing a true Arsenal masterclass on Sunday. Their hugely impressive comeback against Lyon means they’ve reached the Champions League final for the first time in 18 years! Arsenal’s Renée-ssance really is in full effect…

Meanwhile, Chelsea suffered another semi-final exit to Barcelona but Rach tells us why their performance on Sunday was an improvement on that bru...

Clo and Rach are back in the studio after a frustrating weekend of Champions League football for both Arsenal and Chelsea.

Can either of them turn it around in the second legs? Clo reckons it’s close to impossible for Chelsea, but Rach has cooked up a strategy that might just work. Let’s just say the word “Tetris” springs to mind…

Elsewhere, all this European drama has distracted us from a spicy WSL weekend, which saw Totte...

Rach is here with a very special episode all the way from Canada, jetting over there for the launch of the brand-new Northern Super League!

Ahead of the historic opening match between Calgary Wild and Vancouver Rise last night, she found time to sit down with Calgary’s head coach and former Leicester City manager, Lydia Bedford.

Lydia opens up about the challenges of relocating to a new country - during such a difficult tim...

First things first, if you haven’t seen that Phallon Tullis-Joyce save… where have you been this weekend?! Don’t worry though, Clo and Rach are here to fill you in...

Manchester United are heading back to Wembley to defend their FA Cup crown - cue Clo’s celebrations - but can they get past Chelsea? Rach reckons this could be Chelsea’s best-ever chance at winning the quadruple.

We also discuss Marc Skinner’s contract extensi...

Michelle Agyemang… WOW. Just wow. She had a night she will never forget, but England suffered a disappointing 3-2 defeat in Belgium. Rach can hear the alarm bells ringing already - but don’t panic, her and Chloe are very much on hand to bring the calm that’s needed in this special post-match reaction pod!

Plus, it’s safe to say Sazzy Wiegs has a selection headache to contend with ahead of Euro 2025, so we thought we’d help her ...

The Lionesses put in a five star performance against Belgium on Friday… this obviously means they’re going to win the Euros now, right?! Rach reveals the player that impressed her the most while Clo tries to work out - once and for all - who’s starting in goal at the Euros.

We also turn our attention to Ireland - who put four past Greece - and then to Wales, who Clo reckons are like the Crystal Palace of the WSL. Plus, are Scot...