Sports

Being a women’s football fan: What’s working and what’s missing?

Published

24 hours ago

July 24, 2026

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The biggest complaint from fans is scheduling.

In 2025-26, the WSL replaced the Sunday 18:45 kick-off time with more noon matches, but this also proved unpopular.

“For an away day it’s horrible,” explains Arsenal fan Major. “You’ve got fans leaving at three o’clock in the morning or you’re going the night before and having to pay for a hotel.”

The revised time also clashes with grassroots football, played widely on a Sunday morning. It is a barrier for the younger generation to attend games.

Regular breaks throughout the season are an issue too. Earlier this year, former England defender Anita Asante suggested extended gaps between league games hampers momentum and rhythm for fans.

Another complaint from supporters is accessibility.

While Premier League-level grounds like Emirates Stadium and Everton’s Goodison Park are well equipped, smaller venues are less accommodating.

Jones, a wheelchair user, was frustrated by the lack of Blue Badge parking information when trying to attend London City’s away trip to Tottenham Hotspur.

“A lot of the issues I experience are with communication,” she says. “Every club has an accessibility section on their website but for Tottenham it is only for the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, not Brisbane Road [where Tottenham women play].”

Jones told BBC Sport the onus was on her to seek further information via email, to which she received a reply stating Blue Badge parking had sold out. Only after she spoke to Tottenham’s disability co-ordinator did she learn the venue did not have Blue Badge parking as it was in a residential area.

To compound matters, the wheelchair accessible allocation was on the opposite side of the ground to the away section, leaving Jones isolated.

Tottenham Hotspur told BBC Sport information for the venue is available on the website via the ‘Ask Spurs’ chatbot. However, after an internal investigation, they are making improvements.

Brisbane Road-specific guidance has since been added to their event day accessible parking section on ‘Ask Spurs’, while a matchday-specific guide is in the works.

A spokesperson for the club confirmed: “We’re working on a full Brisbane Road matchday guide for the website for next season to give parity with our Tottenham Hotspur Stadium information.”

Sports

West Ham transfer news: Crysencio Summerville joins Al-Hilal

Published

3 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

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West Ham have confirmed the sale of winger Crysencio Summerville to Saudi club Al-Hilal.

Earlier this week, BBC Sport reported the two clubs had agreed a deal worth £60m – an initial £55m plus a further £5m in add-ons – for the Netherlands international.

Former Leeds player Summerville, 24, spent two seasons with the Hammers, scoring eight goals in 56 appearances.

He scored in five successive outings for West Ham in January and February, but he was part of the team that was relegated from the Premier League in May.

Summerville featured in four of the Netherlands’ matches at the recent World Cup, scoring in group games against Japan and Sweden.

The sale of Summerville brings in additional funds following midfielder Mateus Fernandes’ move to Tottenham Hotspur for £85m earlier this summer.

Sports

Commonwealth Games: Sean McCann, brother of Madeleine, to swim in Glasgow on Saturday

Published

11 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

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Sean McCann – the younger brother of Madeleine McCann – will swim for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Saturday.

The 21-year-old – a Loughborough University student – is entered in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events as he makes his debut at a major championships.

The 400m heats begin on Saturday morning at the Tollcross Swimming Centre.

“I’m very excited. It’s my first senior Games so I’m just looking forward to representing Scotland and doing my absolute best,” McCann told Loughborough University earlier this week, external.

“It’s the pinnacle really of representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, especially at a home Games.

“I’ve got lots of family up in Glasgow so that makes it even more special. I was there in 2014 [at the Commonwealth Games], watching as a kid, so to make it now, 12 years later, is really a full-circle moment.”

McCann grew up in England but qualifies to compete for Scotland through his father, Gerry.

He and his twin sister were two years old when Madeleine, then aged three, went missing during a family holiday in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

It became one of the world’s most high-profile missing-person cases and remains an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation.

Sports

Connections: Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 25, 2026, puzzle No. 670

Published

18 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

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Need help with today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle? You’ve come to the right place.

Welcome to Connections: Sports Edition Coach — a spot to gather clues and discuss (and share) scores.

A quick public service announcement before we continue: The bottom of this article includes the answers — and hints — for the four categories. So if you want to solve the board hint-free, we recommend you play before continuing.

You can access today’s game here. And when you’re done, try out our limited-edition Connections: Soccer Edition — special for this summer’s World Cup — for an extra challenge.

Today’s difficulty

Game No. 670’s difficulty: 4 out of 5

Connections: Sports Edition hints for July 25, 2026

Scroll below for one answer in each of the four categories.

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Yellow: RED BULL

Green: PAIGE

Blue: MARINA

Purple: WAVE

Connections: Sports Edition answers for July 25, 2026

Scroll below for the full answers to each of the four categories.

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Yellow

F1 teams: FERRARI, MCLAREN, MERCEDES, RED BULL

Green

Hall of Fame pitchers: FORD, PAIGE, PERRY, SPAHN

Blue

2026 WNBA All-Stars, familiarly: A’JA, ANGEL, KIKI, MARINA

Purple

Green _____: BAY, FEE, MONSTER, WAVE

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

Connections: Sports Edition is The Athletic’s first-ever game, a daily puzzle designed for players to find connections between 16 words on the game board.

The game’s objective is to group words or objects into four groups of four based on commonalities within each group as quickly as possible. Find the groups without making four mistakes. Each puzzle has exactly one solution, so watch out for words or items that seem to belong to multiple categories!

Category examples:
Sports ____ : Fan, Car, Bar, Radio
U.S. Summer Olympians: Biles, Phelps, Ledecky, Lyles

Each category group is assigned a color, revealed as you solve, ranging from straightforward (yellow) to medium (green) to challenging (blue) to tricky (purple).

Who creates the puzzles for Connections: Sports Edition?

That’s me! My name is Mark Cooper, and I create Connections: Sports Edition and work as a managing editor for college sports here at The Athletic. I was previously The Athletic’s managing editor for breaking news.

The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone. Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!