Professional Development

Arsenal take the advantage in their Champions League tie against Chelsea - but there were some huge refereeing controversies. Lianne reacts to Sonia Bompastor's suggestion that perhaps referees should be brought in from the men's game and discusses what we should be doing to improve the standards of officiating across the board. Plus, ex-Arsenal star Rachel Yankey joins the show to chat about what it was like becoming England's first female professional footballer and to talk about Alessia Russo's fantastic season. Deborah Dilworth, the head of women's football at the football supporters association tells us all about Free Lionesses - an organisation that helps Lionesses travelling fans! And Luke Swindlehurst breaks down the Asia Cup results. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sean McGee has spent his life hustling to make it in the business of sports. His journey has taken him from minor league baseball, to NPSL soccer with Kingston Stockade, to coaching College basketball, to business development with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally, to the Sarasota Paradise in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. For those keeping track at home, Sarasota Paradise will be moving up to USL League One for the 2026 season and is busy gearing up for USL League Two play this Summer. We talk to Sean about what it will take to build the project up to the professional level for next Summer.

Gary is joined by Brighton and Hove Albion manager Hope Powell. She was the coach of the England women's national football team and the Great Britain women's Olympic football team until August 2013. In this interview, she shares her thoughts about the advances in the women's game at the professional level and how this has impacted staffing and creating an elite environment. We are excited to team up with Duktig Brand for this interview. Duktig Brand offers a variety of soccer-specific waterproof notebooks, planners and accessories for coaches and players. Started by two professional players and coaches, Duktig Brand strives to create tools that are simple and well-designed. Head over to https://www.duktigbrand.com/ and use the discount code MSC for 10% off your order.

Former Colombian International Chelsea Cabarcas calls in from Colombia to let us know how her extended pre-season with Junior De Barranquilla Femenino. Coronavirus has stopped soccer all over the world, but women's soccer might have a much longer lasting impact. We talk to to Chelsea about her future as a professional player, modeling, and working with La Liga. Sponsors: On The Volley Apparel: Get all your Cooligans merch at onthevolleyapparel.com/cooligans Gully Squad: If you'd like to support the show, you can do that by joining Gully Squad at soccercooligans.com and click on the menu to join. Get access to the Gully Squad slack channel and get the official Cooligans pin! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices