Women’s Super League

JULIAN DICKS, the Bundesliga and Brits swerving Coronation Street to watch her have all made Ellen White into the goal machine she is today.The Manchester City strike sensadtion, 31, is in a tug of war with Arsenal ace Vivianne Miedema at the top of  Women’s Super League’s all-time scoring list.
Ellen White describes herself an ’emotional West Ham fan’Credit: Reuters
White idolised Julian Dicks when she was growing up with her Hammers supporting familyCredit: Rex
Buckinghamshire-born White wrestled her rival from the No 1 spot with her 55th WSL goal in a 2-1 win at the Gunners last month.
She celebrated that day like she did as a kid playing in her local park.
Holland star Miedema, 24, had nudged back in front — but the pair are now deadlocked on 56.
And life-long West Ham fan White reckons the many trips to Upton Park as a kid — especially when  Dicks was Hammers skipper — helped fuel her obsession with football.
The striker said: “I used to love Upton Park.
“The atmosphere was incredible, chanting all the songs, we were pretty much hooligans at those West Ham games.
“My dad took me to watch them train when I was a kid and I got Dicks’ and Frank Lampard’s signature. I don’t know why but I loved Julian Dicks.  
“I thought he was amazing, left-footer, the way he took penalties was insane. He was a bit off his head but he was so passionate and loved the game.
“Being a West Ham fan you have to be a very passionate supporter.
“I feel like in my household, me, my mum, dad, brother and sister we’re very emotional West Ham fans. We love the club so it was kind of ingrained in us.”
White hopes to compete at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Women’s EurosCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
White says her trademark goal celebration is a tribute to French striker Anthony ModesteCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

White is very patriotic and it was no surprise she became England’s poster girl of the 2019 World Cup in France.
Her goals, her trademark goggles celebration and teary interview — when the Lionesses crashed out of the semi-finals 2-1 to the USA — left the nation bursting with pride.
White, who also boasts 39 international goals, said: “One of my main driving forces is thinking about this year’s Tokyo Olympics and the home Euros in 2022.
“As a kid I never envisaged playing for England. Having fun and the love for football was my inspiration.
“I came off social media during the World Cup so I could solely focus on being present and working hard for my country.
“When I came back it was crazy seeing how many people were doing my celebration, from kids to older people.
“I had quite a few people saying they turned over Coronation Street to watch and I was like, ‘There you go, we won then’.
“People were clicking on their TV and it was so accessible.”
One picture sums up White, it is hands cupped around her eyes in the shape of binoculars, for her signature celebration.
It is a nod to French striker Anthony Modeste — who she began following thanks to weekend breaks in Cologne with her husband Callum Convery.
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White has vowed to let her feet do the talking when Man City take on Barcelona in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty
She added: “We absolutely fell in love with Cologne.
­“They’re just really lovely people but super passionate about the Bundesliga.
“We’ve been to numerous games now and become big fans of the club.
“I don’t drink but I think one of the main reasons my husband likes it is that you get like a massive pint glass!
“We saw them playing Dortmund and the atmosphere is incredible over there.
“Cologne won 3-2,  Modeste scored and a Dortmund fan high-fived me, it was brilliant.”
White hopes to let her feet do the talking as City take on Barcelona in today’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The striker is very humble when it comes to her rival Miedema — who became the first player to hit a half-century of WSL goals in November.
White said: “Miedema is  a phenomenal player in what she’s achieved for Holland and Arsenal.
“But it’s been a good battle and people are excited about it.
“For me, I just love playing for City. One of the reasons I signed for them in 2019 was to be involved in the Champions League.
“We’ve really started to come into our own now and understand boss Gareth Taylor’s philosophy.
“Everything is really starting to come into fruition now.”
Hammers fan White is now living and breathing life in the blue half of Manchester.
City icon and boss Taylor, has helped inspire the women to a title race and glory on the European Stage this term.
When asked about Taylor, who took over from Nick Cushing in May last year, White said: “I would go back to the word passionate, he is very passionate.
“He loves football. He lives and breathes football.
“I think when he first came in it took us a little while to kind of understand the philosophy that he wanted us to play, but we really pushed each other.
“We worked in training on the way he wanted to play and I think we’re really starting to develop, come into form and understand one another.”
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ENI ALUKO has criticised the lack of diversity in the WSL and England Women’s side and labelled it as concerning.The former Chelsea ace questioned the current cultural landscape of the women’s game with only one non-white player featured in the Lionesses 6-0 thumping of Northern Ireland.
Aluko has questioned the lack of diversity within the WSL and the LionessesCredit: PA
The Aston Villa Women’s football director feels progress with diverse representation has hit the skids since Hope Powell’s departure from the Lionesses’ dug-out in 2013.
And Aluko believes a loose links between talent in urban areas and youth set-ups at top clubs could be one of the causes.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Aluko said: “I’m not sure progress has been made.
“I think when you look at the representation across the England women’s team, it is concerning.
“I’m not one to say that anybody should be picked just because of their race.
“But I certainly think that in a country like England you have to ask the question of why there isn’t as much representation as certainly there was before, under managers like Hope Powell.
“I think there’s a variety of reasons for that, maybe there’s a disconnect between academies now.
“Where the game is professionalising, there’s a little bit of a disconnect between inner-city talent and academies that are training in the suburbs of cities.”
However, Aluko stressed players should be picked for club or country based on merit and ability rather than skin colour.
Aluko believes a disconnect between top women’s football clubs and inner-city academies is a potential cause of a lack of diversityCredit: PA:Press Association
And she believes Bristol City’s Ebony Salmon should walk into the Lionesses team based on her current performances.
The former Man United striker, 20, has been in fine form for Bristol this term netting six goals in 16 league games.
Aluko added: “I think at the top level there has to be an appreciation of making sure that every player is given the best opportunity to be judged on their performance.
“Somebody like Ebony Salmon for example absolutely deserves to get into the team, based on her goals and based on her performance, not anything else.
“And I think that we need to make sure that we are assessing everybody objectively whichever background they come from, whichever experience they’ve had.”
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Aluko believes Ebony Salmon deserves a place in the England squad based on her current performancesCredit: Rex

Aluko enjoyed a glittering career with the Lionesses winning 102 caps, scoring 33 goals in the process.
And the ex- England striker won Women’s FA Cup medals with Birmingham City and Chelsea.
The former WSL ace played an influential role in the Blues’ Cup win in 2012 with Blues and in the triumph of Emma Hayes’ team in 2015.
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JI SO-YUN has been appointed the first female co-president of the Korean Pro-Footballer’s Association.So-yun, 30, will lead the organisation alongside veteran men’s national team player Lee Keun-Ho.
Chelsea star Ji So-yun has been named the first female co-president of the KPFACredit: Reuters
The decision by the KPFA makes them the first player union officially led by a male and female.
The Chelsea maestro said she hopes to use the role to “develop” Korean football.
She said: “The KPFA, as a member of FIFPRO, underlines that players should not be distinguished by gender.
“I hope to establish a platform where we can think of ways to develop Korean football and protect player rights for both men and women.”
So-yun was given the role to help promote gender equality in South Korean football.
Breaking barriers isn’t new to So-yun, who became the first foreign player to make 100 appearances in the WSL last December.
She has also won several accolades during her time with the Blues since joining in 2013.
In 2015, So-yun was named PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year, and made the PFA WSL team of the year.

Last year, she was nominated for the Fifa Best Women’s Player award but missed out to Manchester City’s Lucy Bronze.
But the Korean star wasn’t done yet, and was named in the Fifa Pro World’s Best XI, which she lauded on Instagram.
She has won several WSL titles with Chelsea, and the Blues are in pole position to add another to their tally this season.
So-yun said she hopes to use her role to push forward Korean footballCredit: Getty
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ROMAN ABRAMOVICH has hailed Chelsea Women team and revealed how important they are to the club.The Blues owner said he feels the women’s side are “critical” to his side and help to shape their identity.
Roman Abramovich invited Hayes and women’s side to Israel last summer, having not watched the men play in over a year
Chelsea owner Abramovich has trusted Hayes with the women’s side for NINE years
He also said he was baffled by why other clubs don’t feel the same way and give their women’s team maximum support.
In an interview with Forbes, he said: “Chelsea Women is a critical part of Chelsea and shapes who we are as a club.
“I see no reason why clubs wouldn’t want to support women’s football and provide the best possible opportunity for them to succeed.”
The women’s game has been on the rise exponentially around the globe in the last few years, which Abramovich is privy to.
Last month, Chair of Women in Football, Ebru Koksal claimed that women’s football will be worth the same as most men’s sport by 2030.
And Abramovich also agrees, stating that the if both sexes had the equal amount of exposure, there’s no doubt that the business opportunities will be the same.
He continued: “For me, this is both about the principle, but, also, women’s football has huge potential.
The Russian billionaire believes that the women’s game would receive the same business deals as men’s of given same exposureCredit: AFP

“If women’s football received the same level as support as men’s football, the sport would obviously be equally successful on the business side.”
The Blue’s women’s side were formed in the second year of Abramovich’s reign and he has seen them go from strength to strength.
Emma Haye’s side have won a slew of trophies since then and are en-route to potentially winning the Champions League this season, which has eluded them previously.
But unfortunately, Abramovich has had to miss out on witnessing their meteoric ascent in person due to visa issues.
Despite these difficulties, he claims he remains committed to the Blues and their future.
He added: “The ambitions are as true now as they were when I first became owner and I hope that can be seen through the work we have been doing on and off the pitch over the last 17 years.”
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