Aston Villa Women closed the season with a home fixture against local rivals Birmingham City, who had been relegated the previous week by Manchester City.
The occasion attracted over 8000 fans to Villa Park, a record for the club and the highest of the WSL for the weekend. The novelty of a derby, the use of the men’s stadium, and the successful promotion of the event made it an atmosphere to remember. It was a wonderful way to close our second WSL season and provided Anita Asante with the send off she deserved after her final professional match.
The event also saw the official launch of Villa Bellas, the new women’s network for Aston Villa. The group will promote connection, representation, and safety for female and non-binary fans who support the club.
VILLA BELLAS
Villa Bellas is the Official AVFC Women’s Network. In an unequal and often unrelenting world we work to break down barriers for equality.
Our network aims to raise the voice of women and non-binary people at @AVFCOfficial We support inclusion & diversity and with our allies, we can challenge sexism and misogyny, creating a safe and welcoming environment for the fans in the stands and the women on the pitch.
Let’s celebrate ourselves and champion each other while having fun doing it!
Twitter: @villabellas Instagram: @villa.bellas
Unfortunately, the match result did not reflect the rest of the day. Villa fell short to a looping cross from Veatriki Sarri, which somehow found the top of the net in the tenth minute. Despite the statistics favouring the home side, Villa could not quite manage to find the equaliser.
The best chance came in the second half, when a shot from Petzelberger quickly turned into chaos. The blocked shot fell to Rachel Corsie, whose follow up hit the bar. Eventually, Birmingham were able to clear.
Hannah Hampton was also tested late on, but was able to stop Jade Pennock from close range and keep the deficit at one.
The game encapsulated the main difficulty of the season: a struggle to score goals. Much the better side, Villa dominated possession and had plenty of half-chances, but it was Birmingham City that came away with the 3 points. The league table remained the same, and Villa ended the season in ninth place.
GEORGIA HOMER | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive Georgia Homer – Head of WSL content
ANITA ASANTE
THE BOSS
LIVE LEAGUE TABLE
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV PODCAST HQ.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
SUBSCRIBE
Enjoying this article – then please subscribe to UTVPODCAST | An Aston Villa Blog to help us grow and support the site; you’ll receive instant email notifications of all released article.
Plus, it’s completely free.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In Support of #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
