FORMER Arsenal striker Ian Wright continues to prove that he is just as much of a legend off the pitch as he was on it.
The 61-year-old has been a huge advocate for women’s football over the years.
And last April, he showed just how much he cared with an incredible gesture to a player who had suffered a potentially career-jeopardising injury.
After Stoke City defender Kayleigh McDonald suffered a ruptured ACL during a match against Burnley, she was forced to set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds when the club refused to pay for surgery.
Stoke eventually backtracked – largely thanks to Wright, it has been revealed.
The Telegraph has revealed that he paid for a sports lawyer to advocate for McDonald.
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And when the club pulled funding for her rehab at the end of last year, Wright started paying for it out of his own pocket.
The defender has revealed that her rehab costs around £1,700-a-month.
McDonald has insisted that Wright deserves more recognition for his kind gesture.
She told Telegraph Sport: “I wouldn’t be in a great place mentally if it wasn’t for Ian Wright.
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“I would probably still be waiting for my surgery if it wasn’t for him.
“For him to do this for me, someone he didn’t know, I think there should be more of a spotlight shone on him.”
News of the Arsenal legend’s incredible generosity comes after he was criticised by former England Lioness Eni Aluko for “blocking” opportunities for women in football broadcasting.
Speaking on Radio 4 Woman’s Hour earlier this week, she said: “I’ve worked with Ian a long time and, you know, I think he’s a brilliant broadcaster, but I think he’s aware of just how much he’s doing in the women’s game. I think he should be aware of that.
“The fact of the matter is, there is a limited amount of spaces available.
“If we had a situation where there was an equal opportunity in the men’s game for broadcasters and coaches that there is in the women’s game, it’s a free for all.
“But that’s not the case. I can’t dominate the men’s game in the way that, you know, you used Ian as an example.”
When asked to clarify if she thought it was wrong for Wright to be at the forefront of women’s football coverage, Aluko added: “I don’t know about wrong, but I think we need to be conscious and we need to make sure that women are not being blocked from having a pathway into broadcasting in the women’s game.
“It’s still new, it’s still growing. There’s a finite amount of opportunities and I think that men need to be aware of that.
“Men need to be aware that, you know, you’re in a growing sport, a growing sport for women, and we haven’t always had these opportunities, and so it’s about the awareness and supporting other women through that pathway.”
Wright has continued to back the growth of women’s football in recent years.
In 2023, he teamed up with Barclays to help create the Ian Wright Coaching Fund – an initiative created to increase the number of female coaches at grass-roots level.
He made a £15,000 donation and paid for 664 female coaches to attend their Level One training course.
And in 2022, following England’s European Championship semi-final win over Sweden, he insisted that all girls should have the opportunity to play football at school.
Wright said: “Whatever happens in the final now, if girls are not allowed to play football in their PE, just like the boys can, what are we doing?
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“We have to make sure they are able to play and get the opportunity to do so.”
The former Arsenal striker started a women’s football podcast with Manchester City legend Steph Houghton last year and regularly features on ITV’s coverage of the Lionesses.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL needs more people like Ian Wright.
In a world where the “nobody cares” narrative is still all too common, the Arsenal legend remains a huge advocate for the sport both on and off our TV screens.
So I was quite surprised to see that former England Lioness Eni Aluko had criticised him earlier this week for “dominating” punditry in women’s football.
When it comes to women in football, it would be difficult to find anyone more supportive than Ian Wright.
The much-loved former England star has invested both time and money in building up the game.
And he is not just doing the bare minimum.
From supporting a semi-pro player throughout her recovery from a severe ACL injury to helping hundreds of women earn their Level One coaching qualification, he cares.
The question is – why would someone who cares so much be “blocking” opportunities for others?
Having followed the game for so long, Wright clearly knows what he is talking about.
If you ask me, that’s surely the No1 priority when it comes to hiring a pundit.
What does it matter if he’s not a woman?
Last year, the ITV pundit started a new women’s football podcast called ‘Crossways’ with Manchester City legend Steph Houghton.
The insight that he and Houghton give is fascinating and fresh, a unique perspective on the WSL and international football.
Speaking of England’s top tier, it would be fair to say that coverage is dominated by women as it is.
The likes of Houghton, Ellen White, Anita Asante, Izzy Christiansen, Karen Carney, Jen Beattie and Courtney Sweetman-Kirk feature on coverage across the BBC and Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, Wright only covers England games as a pundit for ITV Sport.
His involvement is certainly not “blocking” opportunities for women.
It’s a great thing that one of the most universally beloved figures in English football is an advocate for the sport.
We’re lucky to have him.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
