Back in 2017, Liverpool F.C. announced that it would be expanding its academy training ground in Kirkby so that the men’s first team would train alongside the reserves. The men’s first team, who at the time trained at Melwood, would be welcomed to the AXA Training Centre after a £50 million 9,200 square metre building was added which included ultramodern facilities: full-size gyms, a swimming pool, sports rehabilitation suites for those recovering from injuries, a tennis court, press conference facilities, in-house television studios, and more.

Inside Liverpool's new AXA Training Centre ???? pic.twitter.com/RfdSQiZhN1

— Liverpool FC News (@LivEchoLFC) November 17, 2020

The original plan was to have the first team move to the new training ground before the start of the 2020/21 season, but the delays in construction due to the pandemic pushed back the move date to November.

Liverpool's new AXA Training Centre in Kirkby has been officially opened this morning.

Today is the first time #LFC will train as a squad at the £50m complex - 722 days after construction first began on the facility.https://t.co/EJ4IzrmL83

— Caoimhe O'Neill (@CaoimheSport) November 17, 2020

Thank you @LFCladiesfans. pic.twitter.com/GNcXUPbaKO

— Siobhan ⚽️???????? (@Sio_Chamberlain) May 18, 2018

Chamberlain was just the first of many players who felt a lack of support from the club. Once Casey Stoney, a former Liverpool player, became manager of Manchester United, she was able to attract Chamberlain, as well as six other Liverpool players to United: Alex Greenwood, Martha Harris, Naomi Hartley, Emily Ramsey, Lucy Roberts, and Amy Turner. For that many players to leave a club in the FAWSL for a club then in the FA Women’s Championship further confirmed that things were not going well for Liverpool.

Flash forward to 2020, and many players have left the club echoing the words of Chamberlain. Christie Murray stated that she wanted to work in an environment that challenges her and that she wanted to enjoy doing what she loved again.

1/2 As my two years at Liverpool come to an end, I just want to thank my team mates and the fans for their incredible support over both seasons. pic.twitter.com/QpmcNo26pb

— Christie Murray (@christiemurray7) May 30, 2020

Fran Kitching stated that she couldn’t wait to enjoy the game that she loved again and truly be happy.

Excited for my next chapter...???? pic.twitter.com/Li1khh1si8

— Fran Kitching (@FranKitching) June 2, 2020

Courtney Sweetman-Kirk wanted a new environment that challenged her as a person and a player, and a new club that would allow her to have a smile on her face.

pic.twitter.com/1vF6GjyYQI

— Courtz Sweetman-Kirk ???? (@_CSK9) May 23, 2020

Sweetman-Kirk expanded on this in an interview with Sky Sports, stating that “There has been a slow but definite decline in terms of maybe the investment that the club is getting [in comparison] from the men’s side,” and that she felt that “how you make people feel and what your place is within the club as a whole hasn’t been fantastic.”

Players are not the only ones speaking out. Neil Redfearn, who was hired in early June of 2018 to rebuild the team, quit in September of the same year, after just one game in charge. It’s also been heavily reported that Liverpool are understaffed when it comes to the women’s team. In 2019, only ten people were listed as full time workers, with the rest of the coaching staff and players only listed as part-time workers. Liverpool is one of the most successful clubs in England, and with success comes revenue and profit. Enough to pay everyone full-time salaries.

These problems have affected performances on the pitch; earlier this year, while the men’s team was celebrating their first Premier League title in 30 years, the women’s team, who won the league back to back in 2013 and 2014, was relegated to the FA Women’s Championship. They currently sit 4th in the table, and it is unlikely that they’ll be promoted back to the FAWSL for the 2021/2o22 season.

It further hurts to see Liverpool in this position when other clubs in both the FAWSL and the FA Women’s Championship are drastically upping their support of their women’s sides. Most of these teams either have their women’s teams train in the same facilities as the men’s team or they have an equally impressive training ground separate for them. These teams have put in the investment, and their progress has shown on the pitch.

Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City are now the ‘Big Three’ in the FAWSL, having alternated league titles since Liverpool last won in 2014. They have some of the best players and coaches in the world, all of whom are on full-time contracts. Everton and Manchester United have recently put more investment in their respective women’s teams as well, and this season, they’re giving the ‘Big Three’ their first real competition in years, with United currently sitting first in the table, and Everton in fourth, ahead of Manchester City.

LFC have maintained the ethos “Two teams, one club” when discussing the relationship between the men’s and women’s team, but their actions fail to show that is the case. It’s easy to preach the words “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” but in practice, that’s exactly what the Liverpool women have been forced to do.

Two teams. One club. ♥️

???? @LFC x #LFCWomen ???? pic.twitter.com/3mMZdYg9FR

— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) October 1, 2019

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.