Football

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says women's football is "middle class" and girls are not getting the same opportunities as boys to play the sport.

"I don't know, why is that? ["every young girl"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62412348) can play football at school. [between 10-15%](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56124688) - compared with about 33% in the Premier League. [A lack of diversity and opportunity have been long-term](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63127960) issues in English women's football. [announced plans](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64568315) to ensure every girl with talent has access to high-quality training. [announced a major national review ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61199983)of domestic women's football.

Manchester United have appointed David Harrison as their new director of football operations. Harrison has joined from Everton and will succeed Alan Dawson, ...

Murtough added: “David is known as one of the most able and respected operators in football and we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United. He will start at Carrington next month. Harrison said: “I’m excited to be taking this role at time of such opportunity and promise for Manchester United.

David Harrison has been Everton's club secretary but has now moved to Manchester United where he will report to football director John Murtough and have the ...

Harrison succeeds Alan Dawson, who is leaving United after 11 years at the end of July. Harrison said: “I’m excited to be taking this role at time of such opportunity and promise for Manchester United. He will report to John Murtough, United’s Football Director, and be based at the club’s Carrington Training Centre.

The Red Devils have made a number of appointments at Carrington recently, including Andy O'Boyle as deputy football director. O'Boyle's role sees him focused on ...

Both report to football director John Murtough. “I will always cherish my memories of 27 years at Everton and wish everyone at Goodison and Finch Farm all the best for the future. [Manchester United](/topic/manchester-united) from [Everton](/topic/everton) as director of football operations.

'It is a fabulous team, but where's its diversity?' asked the Chelsea manager about the England side as she expressed concern that inner-city players are ...

“We have to drive the direction of the professional game or our brands into the cities across the country, and I’m not just talking about London,” Hayes said. It’s going to have to be parent-led and kids coming from the city, often their parents are working and might not have the same [opportunity]. [Karen Carney’s government-commissioned inquiry](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/14/karen-carney-says-review-of-womens-football-will-leave-no-stone-unturned) into the future of women’s football offers a chance to think differently. Emma Hayes believes professional women’s football is a “middle-class sport” which has allowed a generation of inner-city talent to be lost to the game. [east London-born Lauren James](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/16/england-women-south-korea-arnold-clark-cup-match-report), but says she was astonished at the lack of diversity in last year’s victorious England side. They’re the most talented kids in Surrey.

Manchester United have appointed David Harrison as their director of football operations. Harrison joins from fellow Premier League side Everton, where he has ...

We can confirm Director of Football Operations, David Harrison, will leave at the end of this month to take up a new role at Manchester United. "He will bring deep experience and knowledge to this important role, and add further strength to the support structure we are building around our football teams, to give our players and staff the best chance of success." "David is known as one of the most able and respected operators in football and we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United," Murtough said.

Manchester United have appointed a new director of football operations as David Harrison will join from Everton in March, taking over from Alan Dawson, ...

"I'm excited to be taking this role at time of such opportunity and promise for Manchester United," he said. "He will bring deep experience and knowledge to this important role and add further strength to our structure to give our players and staff the best chance of success." Football director John Murtough said: "Daivd is known as one of the most able and respected operators in football and we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United.

Manchester United appoint former Everton executive David Harrison as their new director of football operations to oversee the men's, women's and academy teams..

Murtough said: ‘David is known as one of the most able and respected operators in football and we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United. [Manchester United](/sport/teampages/manchester-united.html) have appointed David Harrison as director of football operations, the club have announced. Manchester United appoint former Everton executive David Harrison as their new director of football operations to oversee the men's, women's and academy teams...

Sunderland legend Niall Quinn says that, in his experience at least, there is not another part of the country where the passion for football can compare to ...

(From L) France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, president of Paris Saint-Germain Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin attend the ...

Six Premier League titles have followed, with the club labelled the “noisy neighbours” by legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, changing the balance of football power in the city and indeed England as a whole. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi now values the club at €4 billion. Manchester City: Since 2008, the club has been owned by Sheikh Mansour, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family.

Manchester United have confirmed the appointment of David Harrison as their new director of football operations.

Murtough added: “David is known as one of the most able and respected operators in football and we are delighted that he has chosen to join Manchester United. Now, my focus is on helping Manchester United create the best possible operating environment to support success on the pitch.” He will be reunited with United director of football John Murtough and will report to him on the running of all men’s, women’s and academy teams.

Before becoming Club Secretary, David was manager of the Ticket Office for seven years. During his time at Everton, David has also served as a non-executive ...

Allows monitoring of the effectiveness of the ads and make the ads more relevant to the user. Collects anonymous data and monitors how users navigate and interact with the Site and Services of real-time information networking platform Twitter, Inc.. Facilitates the display of TripAdvisor "widgets", payment of referral fees and the tracking of users who view their "widgets" and use their site. Contains a unique code to determine which advertisements have been shown on a device, on behalf of Google Inc.

Are games too long? Is the Super League actually a good idea? Do young fans support teams not players? We asked Gen Z about football…

“The passion from this generation compared to the older generation is not the same,” says Thierry. After that, I got in love with the way Barcelona play football, especially Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and then I saw [Lionel Messi](https://theathletic.com/football/player/lionel-messi-HlEFpLdbHt68CnvJ/).” After that, I was like, ‘This is the team I want to support: the best team in the world’. “I like going to the big stadiums and it’s a lot cheaper if you go to the women’s team(’s game). “You can change your wife, your politics, your religion, but never, never can you change your favourite football team,” is a quote attributed to Eric Cantona. The traditional football fan is what is known to economists as a “sticky consumer” — someone who repeatedly purchases a product over several years due to loyalty/convenience/value for money, and does not consider alternatives. Sometimes I miss the [Bundesliga](https://theathletic.com/football/bundesliga/) and don’t watch that much.” “I like the fire of those kinds of games.” I grew up going to men’s games, and it was only in 2017 I started going to women’s games. “If I ran FIFA, I would want the referee system to be so much better. So if you finish in the top four, you get the equal opportunity to join the Super League.” “I normally try and get to two in person,” adds Polly, 18, from Birmingham.

Erik ten Hag's Manchester United are third in the Premier League table and can boost their slim title chances by beating Leicester at Old Trafford on Sunday ...

And it feels like there will be more of those situations at Old Trafford if they are going to play that way. "I don’t think they [Barcelona] controlled the game," Hargreaves told BT Sport at full-time. [Click here to read the full story!](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manutd-barcelona-tenhag-garnacho-hargreaves-29239119) [FA Cup](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/fa-cup) and Carabao Cup - sparking talk of an unlikely quadruple. They are third in the table - just five points behind leaders and champions [Manchester City](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/manchester-city-fc). Maybe Garnacho plays, I think he will be perfect in that." [Click here to read the full story!](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/cristiano-ronaldo-transfer-alnassr-uturn-29240435) He will report to the club's football director John Murtough and be based at their Carrington training ground. I told him no, that I will leave for family reasons. And he told me it's better, if your family is really far away, it's more complicated. Harrison added: "I’m excited to be taking this role at time of such opportunity and promise for Manchester United. [Click here to read the full story!](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/man-utd-appoint-new-director-29240343)

At least 600 businesses describing themselves as a 'football academy' have been launched since 2010, government figures show.

“I think it’s the people who set them up that have got a moral obligation to tell people what it is and what it isn’t. “The reason why it will do that is the people – they are the lifeblood and guardians of the game.” “Anyone who is interested in signing up to a club can use the “What we need to do is regulate the use of that word within football so that it’s based on facts. “In grassroots the ability to care is sometimes more important.” Mr Kirton added: “It would be helpful for the word academy to be regulated and defined so parents and players have the facts to make informed choices. “A lot are starting to see through it and move it away.” Another coach at a grassroots teams in Cheshire, who asked not to be named, claimed a lot of junior players have been lured to a local private academy in recent years, but are now starting to “see through it.” “For me, grassroots is all about the the opportunity for kids to be able to enjoy themselves and make some friends. “I’ve got a spreadsheet of former players that have made it pro – there’s about 150 on there and we didn’t need to be a private academy to get those players in the shop window. “If that kids gets the opportunity and has the attributes to take it to the next level, if he becomes good enough to step into the elite system then fantastic. “You might have a pro coach there, you might have a UEFA B licence, you might have Alex Ferguson on the touchline, but if you play in a grassroots league you’re a grassroots team – and there’s no shame in that.

Harrison will report to Murtough and ensure that all football operations for United's men's, women's and academy teams run as smoothly and effectively as ...

Speaking about the news, Harrison — whom Everton say will leave at the end of the month — said: “I’m excited to be taking this role at time of such opportunity and promise for Manchester United. Harrison will join United at the end of the month, where he will be reunited with current director of football, John Murtough, who was previously a sports scientist and director of development at Everton. Everton’s David Harrison is leaving the club to join Manchester United as their new director of football operations.

Luxembourg's Eva Fernandes (L) vies with Malta's Maria Farrugia during an international friendly women's football match between Malta and Luxembourg at the ...

(Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua) Malta's Emma Lipman (L) vies with Luxembourg's Marisa Soares (C) and Andreia Machado during an international friendly women's football match between Malta and Luxembourg at the Centenary Stadium, Attard, Malta, Feb. Luxembourg's Laura Miller (L) vies with Malta's Brenda Borg during an international friendly women's football match between Malta and Luxembourg at the Centenary Stadium, Attard, Malta, Feb.

Sunday 19 February will mark a major milestone for GOTB; England vs Italy in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup will be their 1,000th live game. To celebrate hitting ...

"This was Ellen White walking up to the stage before the team collected the European trophy for the first time. This was the moment that breathed life back into the hopes and dreams of a nation. The forward's first goal was a particularly spectacular solo effort, and Rachel's iconic photo of her celebrating received a shoutout in Mead's autobiography Lioness: My Journey to Glory. The Conti Cup final!" "Another photo I just like because of the composition. I love the way the light and rain hit Maya."

Live football news including the latest on the situation at Manchester United and all the latest Premier League news and action ahead of Saturday's action, ...

Current owner the Glazer family is looking to sell the Premier League giants after a turbulent 18 years in control of the club. The teenager made his senior debut last August and has racked up a further 12 appearances for the Reds, The deadline for interested parties is 10pm on Friday night as the Raine Group, who are acting on behalf of the Premier League club, look to finalise their options. Success on the pitch has been scarce whilst a lack of investment in their infrastructure at Old Trafford and Carrington has been widely criticised. Klopp has admitted the youngster is unlikely to be "in a happy place" due to his lack of minutes. Christophe Galtier, who was hired in the summer, has been unable to get the desired results and is coming under increased pressure. Fans have long had an issue with those at the top of the club, who managed to secure their ownership due to a leveraged buyout. His departure in 2013 has seen many of the issues highlighted however. It has led to calls for the Gabon marksman, 33, to be brought back in from the cold after being frozen out by Potter. The Asia Cup runners-up did keep the hosts at bay for much of the first half in Milton Keynes, but once Georgia Stanway broke the deadlock with a 40th-minute penalty, there was only going to be one winner. "You think of the Arsenal game when he wasn’t there, I always talk about having a coach on the football pitch, and for Ten Hag, he’s that man. That's because he will become the club's new owner if his bid to take charge of the 13-time Premier League winners is successful.

OK, this is late so no words, let's just go. Here's your Saturday football open thread. Saturday match schedule. Aston Villa vs. Arsenal

ET / 5:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. UK

Shakhtar Donetsk and their fans tell of their pride in the club that keeps on playing at its adopted home and in Europe.

And we are like a family here – in the same situation: my wife and son are in Spain, all my relatives are in Ukraine.” We play to win, for club and colours, but now we also play for everyone in our country.” Milenk learned English in Liverpool – “I used to write ‘Donetsk’ in the sand by the seaside” – before settling in Warsaw. Shakhtar is, proudly, a team from and of the mostly Russian-speaking east, and that remains its identity in exile. “We lived right by the Donbass Arena, and I knew the players on the street, waving and saying, ‘hi’.” It’s a weight on my shoulders – but I have to cope with it, and go with it.” Croatia was a champion in some sports, but after the war, it proved mentally strong to have suffered, to know suffering, and a belief to win.” Before Shakhtar’s last match here, against Leipzig in the Champions League, “we’d played a game a few days earlier which lasted four and a half hours, between kick-off and final whistle, because of air raid sirens; we had to keep interrupting the game to go to the shelter. I met a trio of lads from Kyiv, one on crutches, injured during the war – Dynamo fans, “but just for tonight, we’re for Shakhtar, for Ukraine. Now, in conversation before this week’s match, Jovićević ponders: “At Barcelona, it says in the stands: “Més que un club” – more than a club. But Celtic fans know the world, and last September was different: home supporters lined the approach to the stadium, to greet and applaud the visitors’ coach as it arrived for a big night in the Champions League. At the pre-match press conference, Jovićević namechecked the lads, with a smile: “We’re going to play extra hard for those two boys we met today.”

A funding boost for a Manx football team is to go towards building a clubhouse for the community of Onchan. Onchan AFC has received £50,000 to complete its ...

A club spokeswoman added the facilities were "needed in order for the club to continue to maintain and grow to even higher standards of grassroots football coaching, training and development for both men and women". A funding boost for a Manx football team is to go towards building a clubhouse for the community of Onchan. The site is set to become a multi-purpose space for the community, rather than exclusively for club members.