Latest news with #womeninSports
Irish Times
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
‘I can't sit down': Julie-Ann Russell divides time between basketball, GAA and family after hanging up soccer boots
Julie-Ann Russell has a match tonight. With the basketball season over, the local Gaelic football team has her full attention – once her work for Microsoft is done, her daughter Rosie is fed and her husband Kieran is home. Home being a house they built in Moycullen, a serene part of the world on the way out of Galway city towards Connemara. Soccer did not build this life for Julie-Ann, Kieran and Rosie, because professionalism is still not a possibility for female players living in Ireland. Not when Russell won the first of her 66 caps in 2009, nor when she won the last against Wales in the Euro 2025 playoff defeat at the Aviva Stadium. So much was on the line that December day, including Russell's entire career. READ MORE 'If we won that game, Eileen Gleeson would be running for president,' she said. 'We would all have really good sponsors. It is mad how a result changes everything. What Eileen did was unbelievable. We lose a game and she is gone.' How does a mother, following a four-year hiatus, play such a vital role for the Republic of Ireland? Four months after Rosie was born, Russell ran the 2023 New York marathon in 3 hours, 48 minutes. In Barcelona last March, she clocked 3:25. This suggests that the Russell household was athletics-mad? 'I still have a laugh with my dad (Wally Russell): 'I can't believe you didn't let me do running'. 'There was no time!' he says. 'Every evening I was being brought somewhere. I also did Irish dancing, horse riding, tin whistle. Not just sport. I won cross-country in school and was asked to join the club. But I wasn't let!' John Russell, her big brother, is the Sligo Rovers manager, having made over 300 appearances in the League of Ireland despite being an 'injury-riddled' midfielder. Julie-Ann Russell announced her retirement from football following Ireland's defeat to Wales in a Euro 2025 qualifier playoff. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho 'I always played soccer with John and I loved it. I could see you could get on an Ireland team and travel. I didn't even know there was an Ireland team in basketball.' The loss to Wales meant that her career ambition to feature at a major tournament in Switzerland this summer fell agonisingly short. But goals against England at Carrow Road last year and victory over France in Páirc Uí Chaoimh made her return an enormous success, despite the lingering pain from how it all ended. 'Oh it was our own fault,' said Russell of Wales' 3-2 victory over two legs. 'We should have put it to bed in the first half at the Aviva. I had a chance - 'keeper made a good save. I probably could have done better. Denise (O'Sullivan) hit the crossbar. If one went in, in the first half, we would have cruised it. 'Going in at half-time I was thinking, 'we are going to do this'. And then, stupid f**king VAR. It wasn't in any other game. It was a handball (by Anna Patten) but nobody saw it.' Wales scored the ensuing penalty. Russell's return to the Ireland squad, all the while furthering her actual career in Microsoft and raising Rosie, borders on the impossible. It was made possible by her outstanding form for Galway United and the 'safe' environment created by Gleeson. Julie-Ann Russell takes a shot during the first leg of Ireland's Euro 2025 qualifier playoff against Wales in Cardiff last November. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'Eileen rang to check if I was still interested in playing for Ireland, because obviously my whole life had changed,' she recalls. 'I said I would, but in the back of my head I was thinking, 'will Rosie be able to come with me?'. I'd never been away from her for longer than a day, so I asked if there would be time for Rosie and Kieran to call up. 'Eileen said 'Rosie is coming into camp, no ifs or buts'. I was still sh***ing it going in after four years, but the moment I walked into the hotel, I felt so safe. I just feel that it was handled very poorly — Julie-Ann Russell 'Rosie and Kieran were allowed to bop around the hotel, in for meals, just not at training or team meetings. We had a room to ourselves.' The FAI tend to bring criticism on themselves but that was a progressive move. 'You couldn't ask for more. It brought so much good energy.' In one sense, Russell has paved the way for mothers to play international football but in reality it is unsustainable. 'How did I do it? If I didn't have a full-time job and I was professional while being a mum, that would be totally fine. But I had just started a new role in Microsoft as well.' Two days after returning from maternity leave on July 1st, she sought a two-week break to play international football. 'I was mortified. But they were so supportive. And then I was plastered all over Microsoft!' That's what happens when you score a brilliant goal to beat France in the Páirc. Julie-Ann Russell scored in the victory over France at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last July. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho 'It was definitely the best game I've ever played. [My dad] is from Cork so we had lots of family there. All my Galway United team came down. So it was extra special. I remember the roar of the crowd when the goal went in.' Failure to qualify for Euro 2025 ended the international careers of Louise Quinn, Niamh Fahey, Diane Caldwell and Russell. In one fell swoop, 404 caps' worth of experience was gone. Gleeson and her assistant coach Colin Healy were subsequently replaced by Carla Ward and Alan Mahon. Marc Canham, the FAI's outgoing chief football officer, acted swiftly and the views of senior players, such Russell and Katie McCabe, were not sought. [ Recruiting talent from Ireland's diaspora the key to progress Opens in new window ] [ After the glory and the after-party Tottenham face Postecoglou crunch time Opens in new window ] 'It is a very good idea to ask older, experienced players to know what can be improved or done differently,' said Russell. Asked about how she viewed the decision to replace Gleeson and Healy, she said: 'If I step back, I probably think it was a bit unfair but sport can be cruel and it is a results game. If I was the FAI, I would have kept them because I thought the environment they built was so good.' Russell remains unimpressed by the association's subsequent treatment of Healy and Gleeson. 'Personally, I think it is a mess. It is sad what has happened. They are two great human beings who are very good at their jobs. I just feel that it was handled very poorly.' Julie-Ann Russell is congratulated by Jessica Ziu after scoring for the Republic of Ireland against France in last year's home Euro 2025 qualifier. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Ward tried to convince her to come back for a tilt at reaching the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. 'No, I am done. I want to have more children. I have just turned 34. That was a massive factor in it. I'd be 36, 37 so it isn't realistic as the talent coming through is class.' Ellen is phenomenal. She should be in the Ireland team — Julie-Ann Russell By farming out this talent to foreign clubs, without a central academy system in place, the FAI may risk making the same short-sighted mistakes with the women's game in the 2020s that it made with the men's game in the 1990s. 'If I was 18 or in my early 20s now, I'd go professional because they can train full-time,' said Russell. 'Realistically, that is only abroad. Back in UL, I focused on my career as number one with football second. You had to do that. Long-term it was not sustainable to go football, football, football. One bad injury at 24 and you have no education.' The solution remains the same. 'It is sad but I do think it comes down to money. The standard in Ireland is definitely improving but the standard abroad is as well.' Could the FAI have done more for women's football since the 2023 World Cup? 'I do think that the home-based training sessions should have cracked on. Some girls at under-19s to about 22 have not developed properly and they are in limboland – not yet ready for senior football, but they will be. Those sessions were perfect for them.' The FAI discontinued the sessions, with chief executive David Courell citing costs. Limboland has become the norm; Izzy Atkinson (23) and Abbie Larkin (20) have not kicked on since the World Cup, despite moves to Crystal Place, while the rare talent that is Ellen Molloy returned home from Sheffield United. 'Ellen is phenomenal,' said Russell. 'She should be in the Ireland team. There is a star quality about her. That [knee] injury put her back. If she got really, really fit she'd be unstoppable. I'd have her in any team. 100 per cent.' Ward disagrees. Julie-Ann Russell with her daughter Rosie and Galway United teammates Jenna Slattery and Rola Olusola after victory against Shamrock Rovers in the 2024 All-Island Cup final at Tallaght Stadium. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Anyway, Russell has a match tonight. Quietly, during her second coming with Ireland, she returned to the hardwood for Moycullen. 'I love basketball. It is such a class sport. I took a little break before the Wales game. Told them I couldn't make training. But I played the whole time. Basketball is finished but I am still playing Gaelic. I went back a few weeks ago.' It appears that she is not even remotely retired. 'I can't sit down. I compartmentalised [retirement from soccer] and moved on. Life is so busy. I haven't thought about it. Maybe I will in the future if Rosie plays football. I won't push her – I see kids hating sport when their parents push them.' Did Wally push her and John? 'Not a bit,' she said. 'My mum was like, 'you are doing too much, you'll burn out, look at all the bruises!'.' Soccer had its time with Julie-Ann Russell but her sporting life has many miles to run.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Liberty's hot shooting leads to 100-52 rout of Sun for 2nd-biggest margin of victory in WNBA history
NEW YORK — The New York Liberty's offense has been clicking during the early part of this season and that's led to the team's best start since the league debuted in 1997. New York improved to 7-0 to start the season with a 100-52 rout of the Connecticut Sun , which was the second-biggest margin of victory in WNBA history. The Liberty have scored 82 or more points in all seven games, eclipsing the 90-point mark five times.
CBC
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
N.B hockey player celebrates PWHL championship
New Brunswick hockey player Marlene Bossoinnault is a reserve goalie for the Minnesota Frost, winners of the 2025 Professional Women's Hockey League championship. She says she's thrilled with the win and the global recognition the PWHL is getting.
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Red Bull Italy SailGP team acquired by Grazioli-Venier's Muse Sport consortium
A consortium partially led by Muse Capital founding partner Assia Grazioli-Venier has acquired the Red Bull Italy SailGP team. Known for backing consumer technology companies, women's health and women's sports, Grazioli-Venier is setting sail with a team valued at $45 million through her sports advisory arm, Muse Sport. Advertisement The acquisition marks a first for the global racing championship, establishing Red Bull Italy as the first SailGP team with a female-led ownership group. Grazioli-Venier has partnered with luxury brand entrepreneur Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, who will serve as chairman of the board, and two-time America's Cup winner Jimmy Spithill, who joins as co-owner and CEO to lead the consortium. The investor group features an impressive roster of sports industry leaders and seasoned professionals, including Alexander Gilkes, Heather Karatz, Peter Delgrosso and Dr Jennifer Ashton, as well as Hollywood's own Anne Hathaway. The team is valued at $45 million. 'I've made a career of being ahead of the curve of trends the last two decades, and have a knack for spotting talent and identifying things before most people — from streaming 20 years ago to women's healthcare nine years ago,' Grazioli-Venier told The Athletic. After establishing Muse Sport, Grazioli-Venier was an early investor in the emerging sports and women's sports boom, buying a stake in Washington Spirit in 2021 when Michele Kang was a minority investor. She also invested in Miami Pickleball, and Haley Rosen's media platform Just Women's Sports. More recently, she became chair of the board of the Women's Pro Baseball League (WPBL). Grazioli-Venier's father competed in the inaugural Whitbread Race in 1973 (now known as the Ocean Race) and first came across the United States SailGP team when it came up for sale two years ago. She was not immediately interested. 'But then, as soon as I looked under the hood, I realized it was completely the opposite. This is not our grandfather sailing, or even my own father's sailing. This is not even sailing. It's foiling. 'Commercially sustainable, global, all year round, exhilarating, digital and experiential and with core values that aligned with ours at Muse — men and women on the same team through the Women's Pathway programme, and climate sustainability as 'powered by nature'.' Advertisement After investing in November 2023, Grazioli-Venier hailed the sport's dedication to diversity and is now in the process of selling her minority stake in the U.S. team. Founded by Larry Ellison, a tech entrepreneur and one of the richest men in the world, SailGP features 12 identical F50 catamarans competing in high-speed, two-day events around the world. Across its first four seasons, SailGP grew from six teams and five events to 12 teams and 12 events. The league's co-founders, Ellison and five-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts, were the original majority owners of SailGP, but with Red Bull Italy team's acquisition, 10 of 12 teams on the start-line are now privately funded, with future boats joining the league all independently owned and financed. Two years ago, SailGP was selling teams between $5 million and $10 million. Last year, former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry led a group of investors and acquired the US team for $35 million, the largest sale at the time. In March, Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe bought a stake in the France SailGP team. The league is founded on a few core principles: a cost cap and shared technology across all teams. 'It's a commercially sound, sustainable business model, which is very rare in sports, especially in racing,' Grazioli-Venier says. 'The fact that you could break even by year two, and potentially pay dividends to investors, is almost unheard of. Most sports teams burn through cash and rely on capital injections. This model flips that script, it's sustainable and smart, and that's why it is very interesting to me.' SailGP is also the only professional sports league where women and men are fully integrated, competing together on teams. For Grazioli-Venier, it was also important that the league increased gender equity in sailing by accelerating the training and development of female athletes. Since the launch of the 'Women's Pathway' in 2021, female athletes have been on board all F50 boats in every SailGP race. Advertisement On the commercial side, with Red Bull as title partner, Red Bull Italy's ambition is to become one of the most innovative and brand-driven presences in the championship. Grazioli-Venier explains that their 'Made in Italy' consortium blends expertise and cutting-edge technology, but culturally resonant storytelling and top-class entertainment. 'Partnering with Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, who brings extensive experience in luxury brands, was an essential component for making this a successful endeavor,' she says. SailGP has grown its audience in the U.S. since its inaugural season in 2019. This season, CBS featured 54 hours of SailGP across its networks. The league said last season that 1.78 million tuned into November's Spain Sail GP on CBS, the largest linear TV audience in the U.S. for any race on water in 30 years, including the Olympics and America's Cup. This season, the 2025 KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix in Sydney delivered the league's largest global TV audience, reaching 21.1 million viewers worldwide: 'It's always been a digital-first product as well as a broadcast-first product as well as an experiential product,' Grazioli-Venier says. 'They've essentially mastered every aspect of fan engagement — wherever the audience is, they're there. And Larry's working on exciting innovations to elevate the experience even further.'
CBS News
27-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Concord-based girls basketball team sees Golden State Valkyries as an inspiration
It's an exciting time for a group of young basketball players in Concord as they get to cheer on the Golden State Valkyries, who will be on the road for their games against the New York Liberty. "I'm like very excited because I've been waiting for a WNBA team in the Bay for a long time," said Gabriella Gibson. Gibson, Chloe and Stella Franco, and Elliana Zeigler are all players for the Lady Legends, an AAU basketball program based in Concord. "I've always wanted to play basketball, but I never thought that I would be good at it, but I am good at it," said Zeigler. The girls, like so many their age, are obsessed with basketball. They watch all the games they can at all levels, both men's and women's. But they said there's something about seeing professional women out on the court that feels just that much more special. "I grew up watching the Warriors play at Oracle Arena, and I think it's really cool that there's like girls — This could be like us or like one of our friends out here on the court playing for our home team. I just think it's really cool," Chloe Franco said. KPIX caught up with the Lady Legends girls at their first-ever Valkyries game. It's a moment Stella Franco said she'll never forget. "This is very empowering for young girls like us because we get to look up and look at these girls and then like dream about being in the WNBA or being on the Valkyries," Stella Franco said. These girls are among the first generation of girls in the Bay who will be able to say they grew up watching their hometown WNBA team. It's something they know they're fortunate to have. "It's very exciting because even though we're still young, we still get this opportunity to come here. Not a lot of people got that at all," Gibson said. The girls are also lucky because their Lady Legends share similar colors to the Valkyries. They were repping their team at this game and can't wait to do so at many more Valkyries games this season and for years to come. "Let's go, Lady Legends!" Zeigler exclaimed.
