England's Barclays Women's Super League will become the first football league to use sensor-equipped Sportable match balls when it launches Connected Ball technology in 2026/27.
The Nike-backed partnership brings heightened performance data to women's football, combining sensor-embedded match balls with player-worn GPS devices and sideline beacons to create real-time 3D mapping of every match.
The technology tracks ball speed, spin, flight trajectories, high-intensity efforts, tactical patterns, and off-ball movements. Players, coaches, and training staff subsequently gain access to comprehensive data previously unavailable in domestic competition.
"It is a privilege to work with Nike and support WSL Football on a project that will meaningfully impact the progression of the women's game," said Sportable CEO Dugald Macdonald.
"The opportunity to create a consistent, data-rich view of performance, from training pitches to stadiums, is truly groundbreaking and we are excited to help unlock the next level of insight for teams across the league."
FIFA introduced sensor technology at the 2022 Men's World Cup, but the WSL will become the first domestic league to adopt it via a multi-year deal with Nike. The Connected Ball technology has earned FIFA certification under the Electronic Performance & Tracking Systems Quality Programme.
While several WSL clubs already tested the system during training sessions and match preparation, the league plans deployment across all teams when the 2026/27 season kicks off.
"[Nike's] desire to elevate the role of the ball through Sportable’s technology will enable us to provide enhanced performance data to our clubs as well as tell richer stories to our fans," said WSL Football Chief Revenue Officer Zarah Al-Kudcy. "We are excited to be the first football league in the world to use this technology.”
Arsenal captain Kim Little signed a one-year contract extension on Thursday that takes her into her 16th season with the club, with the 35-year-old midfielder set to remain with the Gunners through 2027.
Manager Renee Slegers praised the club legend after the announcement.
"I just feel very privileged to work with Kim," she said. "We are creating something and Kim is a big part of it."
Little has made 405 appearances for Arsenal and scored 177 goals, winning every available trophy during her time with the London club. Last season, she led the team to the 2024/25 Champions League title.
The now-retired Scotland international remains a crucial part of the squad, making 19 starts across all competitions this season. As such, Slegers emphasized her ongoing importance to Arsenal's future.
"I think what we do at the moment is a lot of collaboration with the captain's group, with Kim, our captain, and get as much input as possible on things," explained the second-year manager. "She's such an important part of what we're building."
Arsenal is coming off last week's commanding 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the UWCL quarterfinal's first leg. The win puts them in strong position to advance to the semifinals.
The midfielder joined Arsenal initially in 2008 before departing for the NWSL's Seattle Reign in 2013. She returned to the WSL in 2017, and has anchored the team ever since.
Little's contract extension ensures continuity in the Arsenal midfield as the team chases domestic and European silverware.
How to Watch Kim Little Captain Arsenal in Champions League
Little will next take the pitch on Wednesday, as Arsenal takes on Chelsea for the second leg of the UWCL quarterfinals at 3 PM ET, live on Paramount+.
Arsenal strengthened its position in the Champions League qualification race with a 2-0 victory over London City Lionesses on March 16th.
The Gunners moved within striking distance of the WSL's top three allotted spots as Manchester City drew with Aston Villa while Chelsea and Manchester United competed in the Subway Cup final. The result leaves Arsenal fourth in the WSL standings with crucial games in hand.
City holds an 11-point advantage over Arsenal, while Manchester United sits two points ahead and Chelsea leads by a single point. Arsenal has one game in hand over Chelsea and United, plus two over City.
On Sunday, Arsenal manager Renee Slegers selected Anneke Borbe in goal ahead of Daphne van Domselaar despite the Dutch keeper not playing for the Netherlands during the international break.
"Anneke's been doing really well and it was about readiness, who was most ready to perform," Slegers told reporters.
Olivia Smith opened scoring for the Gunners in the 15th minute. 2024/25 Champions League hero Stina Blackstenius subsequently sealed the deal with a second-half strike.
Arsenal avoided injuries during the international window, despite dealing with long-term absences and three Australian players competing at the Asian Cup.
Slegers went on to acknowledge defensive concerns, after London City created dangerous three-on-three and four-on-four situations on the pitch.
"We want to have a look at to defend those moments better when teams go vertical against us," she said.
What's Next for 2024/25 Champions League Winner Arsenal
Arsenal now faces four straight London derbies, with West Ham visiting in league play before twin Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea and a North London Derby against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea FC launched a celebration for March 8th's International Women's Day under the slogan "Every woman. Every girl. Every season." this week, announcing multiple initiatives focused on gender equity and women's empowerment.
The Chelsea Foundation kicked off the festivities with the #GiveToGain campaign at Cobham Training Centre. The event brought together 25 women and girls from the Foundation's Inspire Her program and Adapted Sports walking football team, alongside students from St Mary's University Twickenham.
Participants engaged in an intergenerational mentorship workshop, writing two pledges — one offering advice and another reflecting on how someone helped them succeed. Surprise guests Sam Kerr and Kadeisha Buchanan then joined to offer their own insights.
The day concluded on the pitch, where walking footballers taught younger players the game before everyone, including Kerr and Buchanan, competed together.
The Foundation plans to expand #GiveToGain across its additional programming, aiming to reach more participants while celebrating women's football.
Chelsea also marked the first anniversary of its Women's Empowerment Network this week. The club launched the event for International Women's Day 2025 as a space for women to connect and discuss workplace issues.
Later this week, Chelsea will host a panel exploring other football issues, hoping to create a more inclusive working environment through increased discussions surrounding women's health.
"The path of womanhood holds different cycles, phases, seasons. Empowering women through the different stages of womanhood and enabling them to shape this game is what we are about," Chelsea wrote in this week's statement.
"March is a time to celebrate the women who shape our game, our communities and our future — and to recognise that progress towards gender equality requires action from us all."
The 2026 Women's FA Cup competition has reached its last eight contenders, and even perennial winners needed a little bit of late-match magic to advance out of last weekend's fifth round — with Chelsea FC's Naomi Girma leading the heroics on Sunday.
Locked up 1-1 with Manchester United, the six-time FA Cup victors were hunting a game-winner when USWNT center back Naomi Girma broke through, scoring in the 99th minute of extra time to send Chelsea into next month's quarterfinals.
"I'm just very happy and very excited to have scored my first goal [with Chelsea]," Girma said after the game. "It was such an important match for us to win going into the international break as well."
The Blues will next face fellow WSL side Tottenham in their April 5th quarterfinal, with the Spurs advancing on a dramatic fifth-round win of their own on Monday.
After a second-half stoppage-time penalty drew Tottenham even with the London City Lionesses 2-2, a scoreless extra time saw the match end in a marathon shootout in which players converted the first 17 shots — before a save from Spurs goalkeeper Lize Kop ended the barrage 9-8.
As for the other 2026 FA Cup quarterfinals, more than a little US flair will be on display.
Joining Girma and Chelsea teammate Alyssa Thompson in the competition's next stage will be midfielder Sam Coffey, whose new club Manchester City advanced to face WSL2 club Birmingham City, as well as USWNT defender Emily Fox, who will take on Brighton & Hove Albion with her club, Arsenal.
Meanwhile, despite battling relegation in 11th place in WSL play, Liverpool will face WSL2 side Charlton Athletic — who are currently on track for WSL promotion next season — in the April 5th quarterfinals.
Arsenal secured a 3-0 victory over Bristol City in Sunday's Women's FA Cup action, but the win came with concern after forward Olivia Smith left the match on a stretcher.
Smith suffered a clash of heads early in the second half, with the incident causing a lengthy stoppage plus 14 minutes of added time. Medical staff fitted the 21-year-old with a neck brace before carrying her off the pitch, as fans gave Smith a standing ovation.
The Canada international has been crucial for the Gunners this season, ranking as the team's second-joint top scorer across all competitions with eight goals. She made history in July 2025, transferring in from Liverpool for £1 million and becoming women's football's first seven-figure player.
Arsenal controlled the match despite the injury scare. Longtime captain Kim Little opened the scoring in the 25th minute, before Victoria Pelova doubled Arsenal's advantage in the 61st minute. Frida Maanum later sealed the win with a 69th-minute strike.
The victory sends Arsenal into the FA Cup quarterfinals as one of the tournament favorites. The club has won the Women's FA Cup 14 times in its history — more than any other WSL team.
Head coach Renée Slegers will await updates on Smith's condition before the team's next match. The injury comes at a critical time as Arsenal competes across multiple competitions, including the Women's Super League and Champions League.
Fans will hope Smith recovers quickly, as her absence would be a significant blow to the Gunners' attacking options.
The club provided no immediate update on the severity of Smith's injury following the match.
England's Football Association wants to overhaul the Women's FA Cup — and the proposals are drawing sharp criticism from across the women's football pyramid.
Three main changes headline the FA's 2024-28 growth strategy. First, the top four clubs from the previous WSL season would receive seeding. Secondly, the traditional draw would give way to a World Cup-style bracket starting from the final 32 — the round where WSL clubs enter the FA Cup. Lastly, tier seven clubs would lose the right to compete entirely.
The FA argues the bracket format creates clearer narratives, helps broadcast planning, and builds fan anticipation en route to Wembley. They also claim the seeding system produces higher-quality late-round FA Cup matches.
Supporters groups have subsequently pushed back, saying the reforms erode sporting merit in favor of elite clubs.
"The FA has repeatedly committed to expanding the women's football pyramid and ensuring ‘football is for all,’" a source told The Athletic. "Removing tier seven clubs from the FA Cup feels like a step backwards from this mission."
Lower clubs also list grievances. The FA Cup entry fee tripled from £25 to £75, a significant financial burden for grassroots clubs. Four lowest-tier sides reached the FA Cup's first-round this season: Leyton Orient, South London Women FC, Maidstone United, and Millbrook. One source went so far as to describe the proposed ban as pulling up a drawbridge on the women's game.
According to the Greater London Women's Football League chairman, just one of the region's 50 tier-seven clubs was consulted before the proposal circulated. The FA declined to comment on this claim.
The Women's FA Cup final is set for May 31st at London's Wembley Stadium.
NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo is buying into the women's soccer game, with the Milwaukee Bucks forward purchasing a stake in reigning six-time WSL champion Chelsea FC over the weekend.
The 2021 NBA champion and two-time MVP joins an investment group that includes Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — husband of tennis legend Serena Williams — after Ohanian purchased a 10% stake in the top-flight UK club last year.
Calling Chelsea FC "a historic club built on passion, excellence, and a winning culture," Antetokounmpo wrote on social media that the team's "history speaks for itself."
"I'm excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women's sport," the 31-year-old said in his Saturday announcement. "This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!"
Blues double down on Bompastor
While Antetokounmpo was buying into Chelsea, the WSL powerhouse made an investment of their own, extending manager Sonia Bompastor's contract until 2030.
Bompastor had an "immediate and significant" impact on Blues, leading Chelsea to a domestic treble in her debut WSL season, with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley saying in last week's club statement that "renewing her contract reflects our belief in her leadership, her vision, and the stability she brings to the club."
Given that Paul Green exited the club after 13 years as the head of women's football on Monday, the front office will hope that Bompastor's "stability" can lead the third-place Blues up the 2025/26 WSL table, where Chelsea currently sits nine points behind league leaders Manchester City.
How to watch Chelsea FC in 2025/26 WSL play
Now entering the final third of the 2025/26 WSL season, the Blues will look to make up ground with a win over No. 11 Liverpool on Sunday.
The clash kicks off at 7 AM ET, airing live on ESPN+.
Women's soccer clubs are shelling it out, as the 2025 Global Transfer Report from FIFA showed that women's pro team spending reached record highs last year.
Clubs spent a total of $28.6 million on a total of 2,440 international women's soccer transfers, marking a 6.3% year-over-year increase in the number of athletes, but a massive 83.6% bump in spending over 2024 — even without accounting for intra-league deals.
England led the pack on the 2025 FIFA Global Transfer Report, dropping $11 million in fees while taking in $2.1 million in sales, followed by the NWSL's $7.9 million spent.
Notably, US players were in the highest demand at 240 transfers — more than double the 108 British athletes comprising the nationality coming in second.
Reigning WSL champions Chelsea FC sit atop the spending list, racking up high-profile signings like USWNT stars Naomi Girma and Alyssa Thompson.
US billionaire Michele Kang's London City Lionesses trail the Blues at No. 2 in just their first WSL season following last spring's promotion, with the also-Kang-owned French side OL Lyonnes clocking in at No. 3 on the transfer fee list.
Six NWSL teams made the Top 10, led by the Orlando Pride at No. 4, Utah Royals at No. 5, and Washington Spirit at No. 6 — with the Spirit also falling into Kang's portfolio.
Chelsea FC and USWNT star Alyssa Thompson is letting fans in on her pregame vibes, linking up with EA Sports and Spotify to drop a playlist as part of her GEN / EA SPORTS partnership with the video game giant.
Initially named to the first GEN / EA SPORTS athlete class in September 2024, Thompson released the 49-song "Good Vibes" Spotify playlist on Tuesday in the latest move in her collaboration with the gaming brand.
"This playlist is great music that fits a lot of moments for me," the 21-year-old said on Instagram, with her playlist packed with songs by SZA, Frank Ocean, Adele, Childish Gambino, Beyoncé, and Erykah Badu, as well as classic artists like Al Green and Marvin Gaye.
According to EA Sports, the collab spotlights "the personal soundtracks of the next generation of sports icons through a series of official playlist drops curated by GEN / EA SPORTS athletes."
Originally launched with four athletes "who are carving their own paths and influencing sport, in, and out of, the game," the GEN / EA SPORTS partnerships aim to "co-create content," as well as "partner on initiatives personal to each of [the athletes], and engage sports fans where they are."
How to listen to the playlist by Alyssa Thompson
Stream Alyssa Thompson's GEN / EA SPORTS playlist on Spotify.