Latest news with #KerstinCasparij
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
📸 Casparij delivers heartfelt tribute to injured Man City teammate
Kerstin Casparij and her Manchester City teammates celebrated their opening goal against Everton in the most fitting way possible. Nick Cushing's side powered ahead inside the opening 15 minutes of Sunday's Women's Super League clash at the Joie Stadium, with Casparij starting the move before bundling the ball over the line. Advertisement The goal itself won't steal the headlines, but the defender immediately ran to the sidelines to collect the shirt of her injured teammate, Mary Fowler, and held it up to the crowd. Fowler was forced off in the first half of City's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester United last weekend, with the club later confirming she had sustained an ACL injury The forward joins a growing injury list at City, including Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood and Khadija Shaw, which has taken its toll on their league form in recent weeks. Everton found an equaliser through Karen Holmgaard before the break, meaning City have work to do in the second half. 📸 Jan Kruger - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'More Kerstin Casparij and less JK Rowling,' soccer fans react to this trans ally moment
The UK Supreme Court ruling against trans rights last week may have allowed bigots like J.K. Rowling to celebrate, but it also gave an opportunity for allies like Manchester City player Kerstin Casparij to make a stand. For those unfamiliar, the court declared that the legal definition of 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act refers strictly to biological sex, not gender identity. This allowed yet another wave of anti-trans hatred, including Rowling, who posted a photo of herself smoking a cigar and drinking an Old Fashioned, captioned, 'I love it when a plan comes together.' Casparij, who is in a relationship with a woman named Ruth Brown, took a moment to address the ruling and her stance on trans rights at the end of a game against Everton. After scoring a goal, she kissed her trans flag-colored wristband and then explained why on her Instagram afterward. 'Sometimes there are bigger, more important things than football,' she captioned her post. 'My goal today was dedicated to all my trans siblings, who've had an incredibly tough & heartbreaking week. You have all been on my mind and in my heart, you deserve so much more than what this government & society is giving you.' See on Instagram She continued, 'I'm so incredibly proud of the trans existence within the queer community, and I'm proud of all trans women — you are women no matter what anyone says.' Her message was well-received online, with a fan named Jade even recounting a personal conversation between the two, thanking Casparij for doing what she did in front of so many people, to which she responded, 'Thank you so much for your kind message. Big hug from me, my gf & our boys! We're with you all the way.' — (@) Even though our trans friends have certainly seen an uptick in hatred recently (largely due to the Trump administration), there's one part of Casparij's message we also want to reiterate: We're with you all the way. Keep scrolling for some other reactions to Casparij's brave stance against the UK Supreme Court's ruling. — (@) "first him supporting the drag community and kerstin casparij being an ally for the trans community" — (@) "UK Supreme court-"Trans women are no longer legally women" Kerstin Casparij-"How's fuck off sound"" — (@) "Thank you, Kerstin Casparij for showing what real solidarity looks like. It means even more coming from a lesbian, when gen critters pretend they're supporting us with their hate. You speak for lesbians like us & you speak for love. I wish you & Ruth all the joy in the world." — (@) "More Kerstin Casparij (a)nd less JK Rowling" — (@) "Kerstin casparij is a fucking legend." — (@) "kerstin casparij. a person with a big following and is a much liked player, making a big gesture with her goal celebration in light of the supreme court rulings. transgender women matter and will ALWAYS matter" — (@) "Kerstin Casparij the woman that you are. Consistent allyship in the face of tough times is so so so important, wish we had more like her" — (@) "A goal for City, a statement for equality. Kerstin Casparij celebrates with pride, dedicating her goal to Mary Fowler and standing strong with the trans community." — (@) "If kerstin casparij has no fans I am dead" — (@) "Kerstin Casparij is another ally to add to my "Awesome people" list." — (@) "Principles ain't something you pick and choose… appreciate you, Kerstin Casparij" — (@) "This is what leadership looks like, bravo Kerstin Casparij" — (@) "disclaimer not a city fan but kerstin casparij you will always be famous. queer athletes putting their support behind the trans community esp when sport is a space where there's been a line of attack recently is so important. lots of love"
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans erupt as teammate spotted in staggering on-field act after Mary Fowler injury
Mary Fowler and Sam Kerr both copped another unwanted setback amid their stint on the sidelines on Sunday, with Fowler's Manchester City side now next-to-no chance of playing Champions League next season. And Kerr's hopes of helping Chelsea win four titles this season suffered a huge blow after they went down to Barcelona 4-1 in their first leg of their Champions League semi-final. The worst fears for Fowler were confirmed last week, with the Matildas superstar suffering an ACL injury. She's now in a race against time to be fit for the Asian Cup on home soil next year, and it continued a season from hell for Man City. The prospect of having Champions League football to inspire her on the long road to recovery was virtually extinguished on Sunday after City were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Everton in the Women's Super League. The draw left City on 36 points in the league - seven behind Manchester United in third place. With only the top three qualifying for next season's Champions League, it means fourth-placed City are little chance to make it with only three games remaining. The Australian star was clearly in her teammates' thoughts on Sunday, with Kerstin Casparij holding up a Fowler shirt after scoring. Kerolin Nicoli then picked up the jersey off the ground and kissed it. The injury-hit team were unable to hold on to their 13th-minute lead, with Everton equalising through Karen Holmgaard 20 minutes later. The Dane headed in a cross from her identical twin sister Sara, and Aussie Clare Wheeler helped Everton hold onto a 1-1 draw. Kerstin Casparij holding up Mary Fowler's shirt after her goal 🩵 Kerolin picks it up and kisses itAlways with you Mary 🩵 — 💃 (@insidemcwfc) April 20, 2025 Here's some frames from @ManCityWomen vs @EvertonWomen, this afternoon - with a lovely tribute to Mary Fowler from team-mates Kerstin Casparij & Kerolin Nicoli! 📸 Full album 📱👇🏼 #mcfc #fawsl #everton #football — Deborah Eastham (@DEasthamphoto) April 20, 2025 After Kerstin Casparij scored for City, her teammates lifted Mary Fowler's jersey in a powerful show of love and support - a touching tribute to their teammate after the heartbreak of her ACL injury. — Ally Flan (@AllyFlan) April 20, 2025 Kerstin casparij dedicating her goal to Mary Fowler makes me want to cry 🥺🩵 — Lily (@LilyxMeadema) April 20, 2025 In Spain, the Kerr-less Chelsea were thrashed by Barcelona and now need a minimum of four goals in the second leg of their semi-final to make the Champions League decider. Kerr is still considered a few weeks away from returning, and would seemingly be little chance to play in the second leg. The wait for her return has rarely seemed longer to Chelsea fans than it did in Catalonia on Sunday as the Blues were blown away. Already missing Kerr and American striker Mia Fishel, the London club lost England international Lauren James on the eve of the match, leaving them light in attack against the defending champs. While Barcelona were able to bring the competition's leading scorer (Claudia Pina) off the bench, Chelsea had fewer attacking options. Pina scored twice as Barca struck three times in the closing 20 minutes to secure an imposing first-leg lead. Ellie Carpenter's Lyon side beat Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday in the other semi-final, with a repeat of last year's final seeming likely. But Chelsea's former Barca player Lucy Bronze insisted her team can overturn the odds at home next Sunday. "I think we can do it," the England defender told TNT Sports. "Never say never. Nothing is impossible." Chelsea are hoping to have Kerr back by the end of the domestic season, and the Australian will be keen to help the Blues win as many titles as possible. They already beat Fowler and City in the League Cup final, and are favourites to win the WSL and FA Cup trophies as well. Champions League glory might be out of the equation, but Kerr might be back to help the Blues lift at least one trophy in coming weeks. with AAP
Reuters
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Man City's European hopes dented by 1-1 WSL draw with Everton
MANCHESTER, England, April 20 (Reuters) - Manchester City's hopes of European football next season were all but extinguished on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Everton in the Women's Super League to leave them seven points adrift of third-placed Manchester United with three games left. With the top two of Chelsea and Arsenal both involved in Champions League semi-finals this weekend, City's slip-up left them fourth on 36 points, meaning they will have to win all of their remaining games and hope that United lose all theirs if they are to overtake them. Chelsea, who take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final later on Sunday, top the standings on 48 points, three ahead of Arsenal with a game in hand, with Manchester United two points further back. Full back Kerstin Casparij got City off to a perfect start with a goal in the 13th minute, but Everton equalised through Karen Holmgaard 20 minutes later, and a combination of dogged defending and wasteful finishing from their hosts led to a frustrating stalemate. In Sunday's late kick-off, Aston Villa threw a way a two-goal lead at Tottenham Hotspur but still managed to emerge with a 3-2 victory thanks to a stoppage-time winner from substitute Kirsty Hanson. On Saturday, Oliva Smith and Leanne Kiernan stuck first-half goals for Liverpool as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 to climb into fifth place, while Manchester United were held to a scoreless draw by West Ham United.
New York Times
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Kerstin Casparij: Manchester City's cult hero of post-match puns on creating a community of ‘lovely people'
'I'm a legend, where's my Hall of Fame place?' Kerstin Casparij says laughing in response to a question about her outspokenness before quickly clarifying she is joking. There is something of the cult hero about the 24-year-old Netherlands right-back. Since joining Manchester City from FC Twente in 2022, the defender has established herself as a key part of Gareth Taylor's squad and recently signed a new deal that will keep her at the club until 2027. Advertisement December's contract extension announcement naturally came with some social media flair, as is often the case with Casparij. In one post, she conducted a choir of City fans singing a song about her, while in another post, she halted signing the contract and held the finger of her partner, Ruth, as the lyrics of Wicked's Defying Gravity played out, a reference to Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's viral interview during the press tour for the film. It summed up Casparij: silly, very online, and authentically herself. One of the most active players on social media in the Women's Super League, Casparij's Instagram presence centres on the puns in her post-match captions. 'DURing these 90 minutes, we went HAM,' she posted after a 4-0 win over Durham in the FA Cup last January. 'Caption game strong,' replied one user, while another posted three laughing emojis. Following a big win over Liverpool last March, she received over 10,000 likes for the caption: 'Wowsers, we really put four past the Scousers.' Casparij has nearly 70,000 Instagram followers and over 25,000 on TikTok, not an insignificant following for a player who described herself as being 'social media shy' before she started posting light-hearted comments at the beginning of 2023. 'I was always told with social media, you can do more harm than good when it comes to reputation, so I never really did anything,' she tells The Athletic at Manchester City's training ground. 'At the start of 2023, I was like, 'You know what? I think I've got quite a few funny captions, I'd like to do something about it'. So, that's where it started. 'Social media can be dangerous for younger people. The big thing for me is when I decided I was going to be more present in social media, I wanted to stay true to who I am and I wanted to be myself. Advertisement 'I find it really important to have interactions with people and learn from them and maybe they can learn something from me. That's a very beautiful thing and I've now been able to create a little community of a lot of lovely people from a lot of different backgrounds and create that type of inclusivity.' A post shared by Kerstin Casparij (@kerstin_casparij) While her matchday captions were the starting point, Casparij has increasingly used social media to also talk about issues that are personal to her: mental health, having ADHD and being a queer woman. Writing on International Coming Out Day in October, she described coming out as being a 'moment of freedom', of 'being able to finally breathe'. 'I want to use my voice to educate people, but also to create a safe environment and help people if they are struggling,' she says. Casparij regularly makes TikToks and Instagram posts with her partner, but the decision to share their private life on the internet was not taken lightly. 'I wanted to keep her private, especially when we first started seeing each other,' the defender says, adding that her growing profile contributed to her caution. 'You want to protect your partner and the person you love,' she adds. 'We had quite a few conversations about it and she started with opening up her Instagram profile, not being private anymore. Then we started posting TikToks and we got a lot of fun reactions. She does get some weird ones and she speaks to me about that. There are definitely a lot of conversations that we have. 'But also we think it's important for younger people to see it. When I grew up, I didn't have a lot of representation of queer women and queer relationships. I only got that when I started in senior football when I was 15 and my partner had that even later on. So to be that representation is important for us and we enjoy doing it. Advertisement 'You don't realise how impactful you are. I definitely don't. A lot of people have made me aware of my voice. That makes me want to do it more to help people. I would have loved some representation when I was young to understand what's happening in your brain with being queer. So to be able to be a safe space for people, and be someone people can relate to, is a beautiful thing.' Following a run of poor results at the end of last year, she captioned pictures from a December Champions League loss to Barcelona with a message that said she felt it was hypocritical to just post and 'be all things banter' when results went her way. 'I felt I needed to say something,' she explains of that post. 'People obviously love it when we win. 'Let's make fun of the opposition'. They think it's really fun. But when we lose, or if I don't perform well, and I still do a caption, all of a sudden I'm not thinking about football, I'm not being a good player, not being professional, which I think is silly because I'm not a hypocrite. 'If we don't do well, I'm going to be the exact same because we play every three or four days. There's a new game, a new opportunity and if something doesn't go well in life, you don't cry or sit down. You try and make it fun and you move on.' She emphasises the importance of having a support network to deal with the criticism she receives. 'It's part of the job,' she says. 'The big difference for people who work in an office job is if they make a mistake, it is not really noticed and there might be a few people who say, 'Oh, actually, you made a mistake here'. 'But if we make a mistake, there are thousands of people watching and a lot of them are like, 'You know what? I'm going to take it to social media'. 'I have a very good support system, with my family, with my partner, but I do also have a therapist. If I struggle, I definitely speak to my therapist and that's really helpful.' Advertisement Manchester City have had a lot of highs and lows over the past year. Last season, City were pipped to the WSL title on goal difference by Chelsea and this campaign they are 12 points off the big-spending reigning champions, having already lost four games in the league. Injuries to key players, such as captain Alex Greenwood and forward Lauren Hemp, have hindered them. While they took a lot of 'power' from last year's close finish, this season, she says, has been tough and cites 'mental fatigue' as a factor because of the injuries. GO DEEPER Chelsea are the WSL's big spenders. Why are other teams not doing the same? 'We knew in this league, you cannot make any mistakes, especially not with Chelsea being as strong as they are, which you have to give credit to them for. We were very close last year and we messed it up ourselves. That's hard, but you end up moving on,' Casparij says. Casparij has played every league minute this season, the only member of the squad to do so. She is hopeful this year that she could get her hands on some silverware with City for the first time — they are still in all three cup competitions. She is clearly a player who thrives on being engaged in life off the pitch. It is no surprise she was named Manchester City's Community Champion, alongside men's player Rico Lewis, last season. But no one could sum up Casparij's attitude better than herself: 'I'm just Kerstin. I'm just a random 24-year-old who is pretty decent at kicking a ball. But other than that, I'm just like anyone else.'
