Brighton & Hove Albion Women vs West Ham United Women – All You Need To Know [AYNTK]
Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United
Barclays FA Women’s Super League
The Amex Stadium
Sunday 5 September 2021, 2pm
West Ham United Women kick off their Barclays FA Women’s Super League campaign away at Brighton & Hove Albion, as they travel to the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the match kicking off at 2pm.
After a lot of hard work during the pre-season campaign, the Hammers are raring to go on the opening day of the season.
How to Watch
For the first time since February 2020, Hammers fans are to travel to watch their team away from home. Tickets are still available to purchase ahead of the match with prices listed below:
Adult: £5
65+: £2.50
Under 18: £2.50
Family Ticket (2 Adult & 2 U18): £10
Click here to grab your ticket from the Brighton & Hove Albion website. *Please note that there is no segregation in place for this fixture.
Alternatively, if you can’t make it to the game, you will be able to watch all of the action over on the FA Player.
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Team News
Olli Harder has two long-term absentees that will be unavailable for the clash down on the South Coast.
Kateřina Svitková is recovering from a long-term ankle injury that she sustained against Aston Villa at home back in April. The Czech Republic international has been working hard and is progressing well.
Maisy Barker will also be unavailable for selection tomorrow afternoon. The 19-year-old defender sustained a foot injury during the early stages of pre-season and is working well with our medical staff.
Further team news will be available to read when our line-up is named at 1pm tomorrow afternoon.
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The Opposition
Brighton & Hove Albion finished the 2020/21 campaign strongly, eventually finishing in 6th place in the table. This included picking up unfancied victories against Chelsea at Kingsmeadow and at home to Manchester United on the final day of the season.
Albion are managed by former England boss, Hope Powell, who made the move down to the South Coast in 2017 taking on her first club management role.
The Seagulls usually play their fixtures at Crawley’s The Peoples Pension Stadium but will play at the Amex Stadium for their opening fixture this weekend.
This summer hasn’t exactly been frantic for Powell and her team, with the only permanent incomings being experienced forward Danielle Carter and Korean international Lee Geum-min, with the latter making her loan move permanent after spending the previous campaign on loan in Sussex.
Rinsola Babajide and Fran Stenson have arrived from Liverpool and Arsenal respectively on loan until the end of the season to add more depth to a side that saw 10 players depart over the summer. Previous Meetings
The Hammers have a pretty mixed record against tomorrow afternoon’s opponents. The two sides have met six times in competitive fixtures since the Hammers turned professional – with each side winning three apiece
In the 2019/20 season, West Ham won both of their league fixtures over the Seagulls – firstly beating Powell’s side 3-1 away from home before securing a 2-1 win at Rush Green just before the season was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last season, the two sides met on three occasions, twice in the WSL and once in the Conti Cup. The Hammers lost both fixtures in the league by a 1-0 score-line, but were victorious courtesy of a penalty shootout in the cup, which would take them out of the group-stage and set-up their run to the semi-finals.
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From the Manager
West Ham United Women’s manager Olli Harder: “It’s a great treat to be starting the season at the Amex Stadium. We know that Brighton are a strong, physical team and have a good programme, but it’s a good opportunity for us go out and play with no fear and look to pick up a victory on the opening day.
“This season is about continually improving what we’re doing here at West Ham United. It’s about creating an elite environment for our athletes and as a football club to continue to grow what is a young programme.
“We’re a young team – this is only our fourth professional season as a club – so it’s about continuing to grow and hopefully become a force in the future.
“Success for us this season comes in many different forms. It’s about growing and improving our programme, growing our community, engaging women’s football within our fanbase and looking to win every game that we play.”
Final Reminder
Brighton & Hove Albion v West Ham United gets underway from 2pm on Sunday 5 September.
Tickets are still available to purchase by clicking here, or if you can’t make it then watch along live on the FA Player.
We will also be bringing you live twitter updates as well as the usual array of post-match reaction and highlights pieces on whufc.com.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Olympic gold medalist Adriana Leon excited to wear West Ham United jersey again
It’s been a summer that would have been beyond Adriana Leon’s wildest dreams. The Canadian forward arrived in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games thankful to even be a part of it all, having sustained an injury back in February that required surgery – subsequently throwing her chances of being selected for the competition into jeopardy.
But that didn’t deter the 28-year-old, with Leon working hard with the medical staff here at West Ham United Women to get herself fit and in contention to be selected for an event that she would eventually help her country to go on and win.
[Adriana Leon]It was a tough ride for the Canadians, with Bev Priestman’s side only claiming two victories in normal time in their Olympic campaign, but they remained unbeaten throughout and were victorious against their near neighbours, the USA before beating Sweden in a shootout to clinch gold.
For Leon, who now has 76 caps for her country, the experience is one that she will never forget.
“It’s been a crazy journey,” Leon told West Ham TV. “Having surgery back in March and doing my rehab here – it was a really tough and long journey to even make it to the Olympic Games, so being there was just amazing for me.
“To get the gold was incredible and very surreal – it almost doesn’t feel real even now with it around my neck.”
Leon certainly played her part in Canada’s success, having scored in the group stages against Team GB, as well as scoring in the shootout win against Brazil. But it’s the journey that the forward is most proud of, having worked incredibly hard with the medical team behind the scenes to be ready to help her country.
“It definitely makes it all worth it, all the blood, sweat and tears that a lot of people didn’t see behind the scenes – I’m just really pleased with how the summer went.
“I just love winning and scoring, it’s just such a great feeling and I’m hoping that I can continue to do that here at West Ham United this season and do well for the Hammers.”
The Hammers take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon in their WSL season opener, and the Ontario native is looking forward to playing in front of the West Ham United faithful once again.
“I’m excited to see our fans again. I can remember back to when I first arrived here in England and having the fans behind us. You can hear them chanting for you out there and you can feel that support.
“I’m looking forward to playing at the Amex, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to put on a West Ham shirt in a competitive fixture due to injuries and being away with Canada – so I’m really excited about being back out there and wearing the jersey again.”
You can watch all the action from down on the South Coast live on the FA Player.
Want to watch our Olympic gold medalist in action yourself? Grab a ticket for our opening home fixture against Aston Villa, which is taking place on Saturday 11 September – 11:30am kick-off.
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(Super) trooper Abba lands new role · By Richard Johnson
KUMB.com
Saturday, 4th September 2021
West Ham have appointed their first Academy Link Mentor. Rashid Abba, who has great experience of working with the local community as West Ham United Foundation’s Employability Manager.
And with a huge South Asian community living in West Ham’s local area, there is a great deal of interest among Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi fans who are passionate about the game.
Yet these communities have been traditionally under represented within football in the UK and Abba will use his vast experience to find pathways for coaches, from South Asian backgrounds to work with the club.
[https://www.connectsport.co.uk/sites/default/files/rashid726.jpg] Academy Link Mentor Rashid Abba
“I am honoured and proud to be taking on this important unique role as the Academy’s first Link Mentor,” said Abba, who was presented with the FA’s Special Recognition award at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards in 2017.
“I know from my work with the Foundation that there are thousands of Asians and British Asians who are very passionate about the game and love football, with many of them playing in affiliated county FA leagues and qualified coaches coaching grassroots teams at different ages and also taking part in Foundation coaching schemes.
“However, despite this keen interest, we have not seen enough Asian players and coaches recruited by Academies and go on to forge careers in the professional game.
“So my primary role will be to develop initiatives that create pathways for those players, coaches and scouts, male and female, to increase their representation at both the Academy and the Foundation, while also helping their own grassroots clubs continue to grow.”
Ricky Martin, West Ham United’s Academy Manager said: “The Academy’s Link Mentor will provide a link between the Academy and grassroots clubs.
“This is to ensure talented players who live or play football within the West Ham United catchment area are provided with opportunities to fulfil their potential and continue the Club’s rich history of producing homegrown players and develop a range of initiatives that create pathways for players, coaches and scouts from different backgrounds, demographics and cultures.”
Inclusive Irons’ Apu Vyas, who is also a member of the Independent Supporters’ Committee, said: “West Ham has had strong support from the local Asian population for many decades now and Asian faces in the crowds at Upton Park and now at the London Stadium has always seen healthy numbers.
“One of the aims of the Inclusive Irons when it was set up (initially as the BAME Hammers) was to increase those numbers to be even more reflective of the local population and aid the Hammers and the Foundation to continue their work within the community and perhaps publicise it more.
“We’ve been proud of the efforts of the club to be not just inclusive but proactive as demonstrated by the recent launch of The London Charter.
“We are also immensely proud of characters like Rashid Abba who had been at West Ham for about twenty years and has trained many local coaches and given large swathes of the local population access to the skills and knowledge of a Premier League football club.
“We’ve seen several players with South Asian Heritage represent the women’s team which has been fabulous. Now we’re desperate to see South Asians break into the men’s team.
“West Ham have a history of pioneering minorities as they did in the 1970s when they became the first professional team to field three black players. We’d love it if we can do something similar with South Asians!”
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Supporters group announce new anti-board protest · By Staff Writer
KUMB.com
Saturday, 4th September 2021
Supporters group Hammers United have announced their latest “GSB protest” to be staged ahead of West Ham’s Premier League clash with Brentford next month. The “large-scale” protest has been scheduled for Sunday, 3 October and will take place at Marshgate Lane, on the perimeter of the London Olympic Stadium.
“West Ham supporters have waited patiently, following our last large demonstration in February 2020, for their opportunity to stand together and send a clear message to our owners,” read a statement on the group’s website. “This is your chance.
“We are performing so well on the pitch, we are building a strong squad and we are in Europe. If you protest now, people will take notice and your message will be heard. It is the perfect time to demonstrate.
“At our AGM you instructed the committee to organise another larger scale demonstration. You told us to consult the wider membership to ask how this should be done. Your call for a demonstration before the Brentford game will be answered. You have spoken and we must deliver.
“This protest will not affect the team or any match-going fans who do not wish to be involved,” continued the statement. “It will be conducted away from the those who don’t wish to attend, aimed at three individuals: Gold, Sullivan and Brady.
“This is about so much more than the football. We must stand together for what we believe in. We are the heart and soul of our football club. We must not fade and die.”
The most recent large-scale protest staged by Hammers United attracted in excess of 9,000 supporters 18 months ago – since when the group’s campaign has been halted by the onset of the pandemic.
Despite the inability to stage mass protests the group have continued to demonstrate their opposition to the club’s board via various small scale initiatives, often staged outside away grounds.
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A big move for me – I’m really excited · By Staff Writer
KUMB.com
Saturday, 4th September 2021
West Ham United’s latest signings Alex Kral says he is “really excited” at being granted the opportunity to represent West Ham in the Premier League. Although he admits the move was still uncertain until the final few hours of the transfer window, the 23-year-old says he is looking forward to what he admits will be “a big challenge”.
“It was a little bit stressful because until the last moment I didn’t know if I would transfer or not,” said Kral in an interview with West Ham’s website. “The clubs were still speaking on the last day, but I’m really happy they could find a away and I could join West Ham.
“I’m really excited because it’s a big move for me. If I make a move in my career I try to go step by step and this one is a big step, a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world.
“But it’s not just about playing in the Premier League, it’s about playing for West Ham which is a club with tradition and history. The club is in a good place, so it’s a big challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”
Speaking about what he can bring to the team, Kral revealed: ” I have good movement with or without the ball and try to be in the right places [at the right time].
“I’m the type of player who constantly has the desire to improve his game and I think I’m good in challenges and recovering balls, so this is what I want to show in the Premier League for West Ham.”
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It’s been a crazy journey · By Richard Johnson
· Saturday, 4th September 2021
A summer of success for striker Adriana Leon saw the popular Canadian forward return to east London with a unique addition to her luggage.
As an Olympic Gold medal winner, Leon has bought back what fans hope to be her first trophy of the new season. And all of this happened despite Leon missing the end of last season, having undergone extensive surgery.
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Leon: fully fit and ready to go
But with the help of medical staff at West Ham, she fought heroically to get herself fit and in contention to be selected for an event that she would eventually help her country to go on and win.
The Canadians didn’t have the smoothest of journeys to the final, managing just two victories within the 90 minutes. Yet a valiant win over near rivals the USA helped set Leon and her comrades on the path to the final and ultimate Olympic glory.
For Leon, who now has 76 caps for her country, the experience is very unlikely to forget. She spoke to the club website after returning to London.
“It’s been a crazy journey,” she said. “Having surgery back in March and doing my rehab here – it was a really tough and long journey to even make it to these Olympic Games, so being there was just amazing for me.
“To get the gold was incredible and very surreal – it almost doesn’t feel real even now with it around my neck.”
Scoring in the group stages against Team GB, Leon also netted in the penalty shoot out win against Brazil. But the forward is most proud of the journey and hard work she has put in to reach that final that makes her most proud.
“It definitely makes it all worth it, all the blood, sweat and tears that a lot of people didn’t see behind the scenes – I’m just really pleased with how the summer went.
“I just love winning and scoring, it’s just such a great feeling and I’m hoping that I can continue to do that here at West Ham United this season and do well for the Hammers.”
And with The Hammers set to face Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Sunday afternoon in their WSL season opener, the Ontario born Leon is looking forward to playing in front of the West Ham United fans once again.
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Pictured shortly before becoming an Olympic Gold medal winner
“I’m excited to see our fans again. I can remember back to when I first arrived here in England and having the fans behind us. You can hear them chanting for you out there and you can feel that support.
“I’m looking forward to playing at the Amex, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to put on a West Ham shirt in a competitive fixture due to injuries and being away with Canada – so I’m really excited about being back out there and wearing the jersey again.”
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