News Desk

Chris & Nancy are back with a round-up of news which includes the Solheim Cup, which, once again favored Europe, the Berlin Marathon where Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa smashed women's marathon world record, a review of the Tennis Grand Slams which featured new and different champions: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarusia) Australian Open, Iga Swiatek (POL) French Open, Markéta Vondroušová (Czech) Wimbledon and Coco Gauff (USA) US Open, and Rugby England 50-24 win over Canada and a TV rights issue which meant it was not shown on network television, the World Athletics Championship which is an indication of what to expect next year at the Paris Olympic Games. Plus a review of the top stories in football which includes the USWNT winning both of its Friendlies against South Africa, the retirement of Julie Ertz and Megan Rapinoe, and the potential candidates to fill the coaching vacancy, which includes the names of Laura Harvery, Emma Hays, Sarina Wiegman, Bev Priestman and Tony Gustavsson; the Lionesses 2-1 win over Scotland in the first of their UEFA Women’s National League games. And finally our thoughts on the events surrounding the Spanish team which have somewhat overshadowed their magnificent World Cup victory.

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Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
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Chris & Nancy are back with a recap of the FIFA Women’s World Cup—a round up of the highs and lows of a tournament that broke records for number of nations competing and global audience. It was a festival of football, a feast for footie fans and a boost for women’s sport around the world. There were plenty of surprises with some of the giants of the sport among them favorites to lift the trophy who fell by the wayside in the group stages. Ultimately our predictions did not hold up and a new champion was crowned in Stadium Australia when Spain deservedly lifted the trophy after conquering England 1-0 in the final. Nancy was there to watch it all unfold and Chris endured some very early morning starts to watch the games from the US. So what were their takeaways and tournament favorites. Take a listen and relive some of the highlights of the tournament.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Email: [email protected]
@WiSPSports

After four years of weekly shows it’s time to close the curtain and retire the WiSP News Desk, the show that has brought you the top stories from around the world fo women’s sports. And it’s been a fun ride watching different sports grow and champions made. On this final episode we begin with a true champion of her sport counting 19 times as the LPGA Champion, New Zealander, Lydia Ko wins the final title of the season and $2 million check at the CME Tour Championship. In Alpine Skiing, the World Cup got underway in Levi, Finland and American Mikaela Shiffrin came out the gate as she means to continue with back to back wins in the two slalom races ahead of Anna Svenn Larsson (SWE) and Petra Vlhova (SVK) on day one and beating Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener and Petra again on the second day. The Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw against Norway in the last of their friendly games of the year. And in the WSL, Manchester United ended Arsenal’s winning streak by beating them 3-2, thanks to a last minute goal by Alessia Russo. The Rugby League World Cup came to a conclusion with an exciting win again for Australia against New Zealand. Exciting news in motor racing as Formula One launches a women's academy. British Darts star Fallon Sherrock gets a place in the 2023 World Championships. And in Nordic Combined Skiing women protest in a very visual way at being denied Olympic entry when they already have a World Cup season and World Championship.
Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: November 21, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

This week’s news stories begin with the Rugby World Cup Final which saw the New Zealand Black Ferns beat England’s Red Roses 34-31 in a nail-biting battle between rugby’s giants. Meanwhile the Rugby League World Cup Semi-Finals are taking place this week between Australia v Papua New Guinea and England v New Zealand. The Final will be held at Old Trafford in Manchester on November 19. In cycling Hannah Roberts wins her fourth world title in the 2022 BMX World Championships. In football, the USWNT rounded off the year with a win and loss against Germany in their two friendly games going 1-2 down and 2-1 up. In Spain, the European Champions England beat Japan 4-0 and face Norway on November 15 for their last friendly game of the year. England footballer Toni Duggan discusses challenges of being a pregnant footballer, which is becoming more common now in the professional game. We hear how British Athletics will be hosting a busy winter schedule of meets in Birmingham. And in tennis Switzerland broke their runner-up streak by winning the Billie Jean King Cup. And finally the Skiing World Cup season promises to get underway this week in Levi, Finland with a slalom race.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: November 14, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

We begin this week’s news with a round up of the World Gymnastics Championships, which were held in Liverpool where national star Jessica Gadirova’s gold crowns Britain's best-ever World Championships. Kenyan Sharon Lokedi triumphed in the New York Marathon with a winning time of 2:23:23. Nancy has a round-up of the WSL matches this past weekend and has news of a new national team competition system. The Lionesses roster for friendlies against Japan on November 11 and Norway on November 15 has been named, and there are some late changes to the squad. And the USWNT has also announced its squad to face Germany in two friendlies; Nov 10 & 13. We discuss the WTA Finals, which take place today in Fort Worth, TX between Aryna Sabalenka and Caroline Garcia after somewhat surprising semi-finals results. The Rugby World Cup reaches its climax next weekend when the favorites England face off against the hosts New Zealand. Nancy tells us about a new route for the Tour de France Femmes next year, and Chris has an update of the start to the Skiing World Cup season, which is suffering from lack of snow.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: November 7, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

We kick off this week’s news round-up with the NWSL Championship Final, which took place at the weekend in Washington, DC. The Portland Thorns beat Kansas City Current 2-0 thanks to Sophia Smith scoring in the 4th minute and it would be an own goal by the Current’s goalie Addisyn Merrick in the 56th minute that clinched the title again for the Thorns. To wrap up the season the NWSL Coach of the Year is San Diego’s Casey Stoney, Rookie of the Year is Naomi Girma, defender for San Diego, and
the MVP of the Year is Portland Thorns 22 year old forward Sophia Smith. Smith is also on the roster for the USWNT, which has just been announced for the two friendly matches against Germany this month, which sees the return of Alex Morgan, Malory Pugh and Adrianna Franch. Meanwhile in Europe, tickets have just gone on sale for the first-ever edition of the UEFA-CONMEBOL Women’s Finalissima, which will be played between the winners of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, England, and the 2022 CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina champions, Brazil on Thursday 6 April 2023 at Wembley Stadium. Nancy has a round-up of the WSL games this past weekend and that Manchester City will be changing their kit to include white shorts. In boxing Ireland’s Katie Taylor beat Argentinian Karen Elizabeth Carabajal to remain undisputed lightweight world champion. The WTA Finals get underway today in Fort Worth, Texas with the top eight players in the world. And we take a look at the top 15 highest paid female athletes across five sports.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: October 31, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

U.S. boxing champ Claressa Shields, 27, from Flint, Michigan defeated British fighter Savannah Marshall, 31, by an unanimous decision in front of a capacity crowd at the O2 stadium in London on October 15 to become the undisputed world middleweight title holder. And the viewing audience showed up to break more records for women’s sport. Breaking news today was that a Russian court upheld Brittney Griner’s sentence on drug smuggling charges, clearing the way for her to serve nine years in a penal colony, unless the U.S. government can negotiate a deal for her release. Tragic news for the Brittney and her family which has rocked the sport’s world. In tennis, number 10 ranked player Romania's Simona Halep tested positive for a drug violation and is preparing her appeal. Meanwhile world number 1 Poland’s Iga Swiatek wins her eighth title of the year at the San Diego Open, American teenager has reached a career high ranking of No 4 and compatriot Jessica Pegula wins her first WTA 1000 title beating some strong opposition and rise to No 3 in the world. In football, a crowd of 22,035 was on hand at Providence Park in Portland — the second largest attendance count in NWSL playoff history — and behind only last week’s record of 26,215 set by San Diego as Portland Thorns advanced to the final of the NWSL Championship beating San Diego 2. They will meet Kansas City Current, who took down the No 1 seed OL Reign 2-0, at the Audi Field in Washington, DC on October 29. With Casey Stoney (San Diego) and Rhian Wilkinson (Portland) leading their respective teams, Sunday’s semifinal marked the first time in NWSL history that two female head coaches went head-to-head in a playoff game. The Football World Cup draw has been announced and we share our thoughts on some of the eight pool teams.  We have an update from the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand where the hosts our shower their fire power. While in England the Rugby League World Cup is advancing to its knockout round. Disappointing news for skiing fans as the unseasonal mild weather stalls the start of the season with the traditional opener at Solden in Austria cancelled followed by the new double-header of downhill races at Zermatt - Cervinia falling victim to a lack of snow. And finally, we report on the Russian Doping Agency RUSADA secrecy around the Kamila Valieva case which is coming under fire from skaters.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: October 25, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Our top story this week is how Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich achieved the second fastest time in women’s marathon history Chicago Marathon - 2 hrs 14 mins 18 seconds. And there is a round-up of the USWNT and England friendlies. The Rugby World Cup gets underway in New Zealand with group stages. The Red Roses score 14 tries in their first game beating Fiji 84-19. The tournament runs from October 8 - November 22. Very sad news about the W Series motor racing season which has ended abruptly due to lack of funding. In cycling, Ferrand-Prevot becomes Ineos first female rider. Skiing fans are anticipating the Skiing World Cup season which starts October 22 in Solden with Giant Slalom. And finally, WNBA star Brittney Griner will return to court on October 25 for an appeal hearing. Her wife Cherelle said that once the hearing is held and the order is finalized, Brittney could be moved to a labor camp. She added that president Biden is doing all he can but there’s another party in this situation. They are also dealing with the need for Russia to have mercy on Brittney.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: October 12, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

The USA won its fourth straight gold at FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup with a new look team, as veterans retire, with victory against China in Sydney. In motor racing’s W Series: Dutch driver Beitske Visser wins in Singapore as Britain’s Jamie Chadwick crashes out. Meanwhile, W Series CEO Muir is confident that the championship can continue despite its financial troubles. In tennis world number one Iga Swiatek criticizes scheduling conflict and will not play Billie Jean King Cup Finals to be held in Scotland at the end of October in favor of WTA Finals in Texas. And our football round-up this week includes the Continental Cup, Champions League draw, the NWSL Playoffs taking place later this month and of course Chris & Nancy preview the upcoming sold-out Wembley match-up between England and the USA. Who will win this much anticipated friendly between two of the best teams in the world: the World Cup Champions and European Champions?

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: October 3, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].

Dutch cyclist Annemiek van Vleuten won her second UCI World Road Championship in Wollongong, Australia two days after fracturing her elbow and then was subsequently fined for clothing infractions. In cricket, the 2023 Ashes schedule has been announced, which includes a five-day test match. And England Captain Heather Knight accuses India bowler Deepti Sharma of lying over warnings regarding Charlie Dean ‘Mankad’ dismissal. On the eve of the Rugby World Cup the English Rugby Football Union defends its decision to fly women's team to New Zealand in economy. In motor racing, Britain’s defending W-Series Champion, Jamie Chadwick, targets F1 in five years. In football, we have a round-up of the NWSL play-off stages and the second game of the WSL season which saw Arsenal overpower Tottenham 4-0 largely thanks for the power couple that is Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema. And there is controversy in Spain where the players have boycotted the national football team.

Hosts: Chris Stafford & Nancy Gillen
Recorded: September 26, 2022

WiSP Sports is the ONLY GLOBAL PODCAST NETWORK FOR WOMEN’S SPORT with more than 60 hosts, 1600+ episodes across 50 shows and over 7 million downloads.
Every episode is a WiSP SPORTS ORIGINAL PRODUCTION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We are ranked in the top 2% of more than 2.71 million podcasts worldwide. WiSP Sports is on all major podcast players. Follow WiSP Sports on social media @WiSPsports. Contact us at [email protected].