#semi pro football

[truthundressing]

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[alpha-mag-media]

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ | In Trend Today

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[ur-mag]

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ | In Trend Today

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[wileys-russo]

are requests open? if so could you do a comfort blurb the prompt “i could really use a hug right now” with alessia? thanks!

need a hug II a.russo

"oh for fuck sakes!" you swore as you knocked over a pot plant, dirt and rocks spilling out everywhere, groaning as you flicked off the vacuum.

the house falling you silent you gingerly moved the vacuum out of the way, sighing as you hunted around in the cupboard beneath the sink to try and find the dustpan and broom.

"where has she put it?" you huffed, your girlfriend having an infuriating habit of using something and never placing it back where she found it, eventually fishing it out from the bottom of the pantry.

squatting down you began to sweep up the mess, only you'd barely begun before the brush promply snapped in half. "are you joking?" you had to laugh in disbelief, now only holding the handle.

"how does that even happen?" you grunted, grabbing the jagged brush and trying to sweep up as best you could, dropping it into the garbage and vacuuming up the rest before trying to repot the poor plant as best you could and setting it aside.

you were interrupted by a few short sharp knocks at the door, grateful you hadn't started the vacuum yet and hurrying over, well aware you currently looked an absolute state.

thankfully it was only the post man and with a smile you collected the few packages addressed to your girlfriend, closing the front door and leaving them on the corner of the bed for her to deal with once she got home.

you knew alessia had been stressed lately, she was so close to finally finishing her studies but juggling that, the podcast, brand deals, appearances and football, she did well to hide it but you knew her well enough to see how thin she was wearing.

the blonde was already gone before you'd woke up, having a photo shoot and interview before training and you knew she had a rather large assignment looming over her which she'd spend hours doing once she got home.

so you'd elected to work from home today which consisted of two meetings you'd moved to the morning and an hour of admin, and freed up your entire afternoon to try and make the house as lovely and tidy as possible.

your girlfriend proudly half italian had taught you how to make pasta many times only you'd never attempted it by yourself, but you'd ducked out to the grocery store to make some for the pair of you for dinner, determined for her not to lift a single finger tonight.

only your grand plan of this large self care evening in which you'd oh so keenly do whatever your girlfriend needed to unwind was being apprehended by one thing, the fact that someone, somewhere, with some unknown grudge against you seemed to have cursed you the most rotten luck in which nothing was going to plan at all.

the tipped over plant wasn't even the start of it, accidentally near blinding yourself with a bottle of toilet bleach as you'd wrestled to get the cap off and slipped on your freshly mopped floor, almost tipping it all over your face as you'd just capped it.

then there was your coffee, a slight lapse in your concentration meaning you'd burnt your milk and then had no more left to remake it, struggling through a very unwelcome long black instead.

thankfully the next hour passed incident free, a satsified click of your tongue as you arranged the lilies you'd gotten for your favourite blonde in the crystal vase which was a present from her mum on your first christmas with the russo's.

but now perhaps the biggest mission of all, dinner.

a brief glance at your phone and you smiled seeing a few messages from your girlfriend, fingers flying as you shot back a reply and tucked your phone into your pocket.

for some extra support you'd found a video online to run you through making the dough, which you knew would be the hardest part of it all as you'd watched even your semi pro pasta making girlfriend mess it up before.

your first attempt, was an absolute dud and the only thing it would be feeding was the garbage bin.

you were beginning to get the hang of kneading while also being acutely aware that any minute now alessia would be home, and you wanted as much of this done as possible because you knew your girlfriend well enough that her first instinct would be to takeover.

sure enough not even a moment later you heard the keys in the door, almost done with putting the dough through the pasta roller and withholding a laugh as you heard a thump and a curse ring out.

"welcome home clumsy!" you called out, the blonde appearing with a playful glare and blowing you a kiss, holding up her gym bag which you knew no doubt was full of dirty laundry she'd want to put on soon as possible.

it all seemed to be going well, dough rolled and ready to be shaped, but alas, your rotten luck struck again.

you rounded the counter to grab something, but having just washed your hands and not drying them they'd clearly dripped onto the floor and before you could even blink you'd slipped and your back hit the floor.

but no, of course that wasn't it, your hand collecting the half full bag of flour and sending it toppling down on top of you, a squeal leaving your lips and footsteps thundering toward you as your girlfriend skidded into the kitchen, concern clearly plastered all over her face.

"what happened?" alessia breathed out, eyes wide at the sight before her and you buried beneath a small mountain of flour, hand smacking over her mouth as you exhaled sending a puff of white up into the air.

"i could really use a hug right now." you mumbled, grateful somewhat for the flour smeared across your cheeks covering how red they'd flushed with embarassment.

"oh baby." alessia bit her lip clearly trying to conceal a grin, gingerly treading her way across the kitchen toward you. "c'mere." the striker stood over you and offered her hands, taking yours within them and very carefully pulling you up to your feet.

you exhaled tiredly into her chest as without a second thought the taller girl wrapped you in a hug, holding tightly as her hand rubbed up and down your back soothingly.

"i was just about to say everything is so clean." the blondes body vibrated with laughter against yours as you let out a pitiful whine. "i was trying to give you a lovely clean home and hot dinner to come home to." you sighed, words a little muffled against her jumper which was now covered in flour. "hey." you looked up as hands cupped your cheeks.

"i'm coming home to you, and that's always more than enough." your girlfriend spoke firmly, bright blue eyes locked with your own as you could only nod. "i love you." you leaned up to kiss her, frowning when the blonde craned her chin away.

"hey! kiss me." you scowled, a grin curling into her lips which again dodged yours. "you are covered in flour." alessia laughed as you rolled your eyes. "so you don't love me, noted." you sighed dramatically, pulling away from her.

"oh no no no, don't you be like that." your girlfriend was quick to capture you back in her arms, spinning you around so your back was pressed against the counter.

"kiss me then." you challenged with a sly smile, the footballer sighing dramatically as if you'd just asked her to build you a house, a scoff leaving your lips before they were promptly pressed against her own.

"i love you too pretty girl."

[swizzlemynizzle]

Underneath the Noise - George Clarke

———————————————

Masterlist

Chapter Nine: Just a Little Closer

———————————————

The late afternoon sun cast long shadows over the pitch as Y/N laced up her boots, nerves fluttering in her stomach. She glanced around at the assembled group—familiar faces from the Chaos Goblins, and a few she’d only ever seen through a screen.

Harry was already messing about with Chris, smacking a football into Bach’s back and pretending it was an accident. Ethan was mid-laugh, his booming voice carrying across the field, while Tobi warmed up with effortless precision. Theo Baker jogged past, offering her a friendly smile that she tried not to over-analyse.

She swallowed. These guys were massive. Millions of followers. Viral content. A whole other level. And here she was, adjusting her shin pads and trying not to freak out.

“Don’t overthink it,” George said, appearing at her side like he always did at the right time. “You’ll be better than half of us anyway.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t even seen me play.”

“I’ve seen your Rocket League streams. Football’s the same thing, just... legs.”

She snorted. “You’re an idiot.”

“An observant idiot.”

The teams were split to mix them up, keeping things fair but competitive. Y/N found herself alongside Harry, Tobi, and Bach. Chris shouted commentary while ATV tried—and failed—to keep track of the score. The cameras rolled from every angle, but soon the nerves melted into adrenaline.

Turns out, she was holding her own. Maybe better than that.

She slipped through defenders with surprising control, knocked a clean assist to Tobi, and even scored a scrappy goal that made everyone cheer. It was messy, chaotic, but she wasn’t invisible. She wasn’t just the guest tagging along. She belonged.

During a water break, Harry flopped beside her on the grass. “Alright, be honest,” he said between gulps. “Were you secretly semi-pro or is this just beginner’s luck?”

She laughed, wiping sweat from her forehead. “Trust me, I peaked in Year 9 PE.”

“Well,” he said, pushing his hair back in that signature flustered way, “you’ve definitely got me trying harder. Can’t have you outshining me.”

She looked at him, caught off guard by the low-key flirtation. “Was that... a compliment?”

“Dunno. Might’ve been.” He winked, just slightly crooked. “You’ll have to replay it later and find out.”

Her cheeks burned despite herself.

From the sidelines, George’s gaze flicked over. He hadn’t missed the interaction.

“Alright, lovebirds,” Chris yelled. “Get back on the pitch!”

Y/N stood, brushing grass from her shorts. As she ran to rejoin the game, George jogged up beside her.

“You and Harry seem to be getting along,” he said lightly, not quite looking at her.

She glanced at him. “He’s nice. Bit crazy.”

George made a noncommittal sound, then sprinted off ahead. She wasn’t sure what to make of it.

After the match—filmed, loud, brilliant—they all sprawled on the grass eating snacks and making plans.

“We’re doing dinner, right?” Chris asked, already texting a group chat.

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Ethan replied.

Y/N hesitated. George caught the look. “Come. You earned it.”

“Okay,” she said. “As long as no one records me trying to cut a steak.”

“I make no promises,” Theo grinned.

They ended up at a nearby pub with a back garden, everyone crowded around two picnic tables pushed together. The energy was still buzzing—inside jokes forming, food passed around, and the occasional Harry one-liner that made the entire table wheeze.

Y/N found herself seated between George and Tobi. George didn’t say much, but when her drink ran low, he replaced it without a word. When she laughed too hard at something Theo said and bumped his arm, he didn’t move away.

Later, when the group started splintering off—some heading home, others to film extra bits—George caught her outside by the railings, hoodie tugged over his head.

“Want me to walk you back?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, warmth blooming in her chest.

They walked in the cool evening, trainers thudding gently on pavement. The city was quieter now. Just the low hum of traffic and the occasional dog barking in the distance.

“Thanks for convincing me to play,” she said.

“Told you you’d be great.”

“I forgot how much I liked it.” She paused. “And the whole thing with Harry—”

George glanced over.

“—he’s funny. I like him. But…”

“But?”

“He’s not why I had fun today.”

That stopped him in his tracks.

She turned to face him, their steps slowing to a halt. “It was being part of it. Being with you guys. With you.”

His eyes held hers, a little more open than usual. “You’re part of it now. Whether you believe it or not.”

Something about the way he said it made her heart knock against her ribs.

She stepped a bit closer.

And then—

“Y/N! George!” Bach’s voice came from up the road. “Come on, the Uber’s leaving!”

They both jumped, stepping apart instinctively.

Y/N laughed, flustered. “Saved by the bell.”

George ran a hand through his hair, smiling despite himself. “One day we’ll get a quiet moment.”

“I’m not betting on it.”

He reached out, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Still. Worth waiting for.”

She didn’t reply. Just smiled, soft and warm.

As they turned to rejoin the group, his hand brushed hers. And for the first time, she didn’t pull away.

—-

Taglist

@madforgeorge

@wherethezoes-at

@sundarksposts

@clarkey4life

@edgyficuselastica

——

If this gets enough traction I’ll post the next one too xx

[scoatneyhall]

Ted Lasso season 4... thoughts...

LOL so it sounds like they're definitely going to have Ted come back to coach the women's team himself as opposed to just being around a bit for whatever reason... while I know plenty of women's teams do have male managers IRL, do they like... have to? Like do they have to make that narrative choice instead of having a female coach?

And they've said the first episode is apparently going to be set and filmed in Kansas, so I assume it will be Rebecca going over there to ask him to come back?

If this is where we are going with it, I now really hope there's a significant time jump, skipping the amount of time we've missed IRL, like 3 football seasons - and that it will be set in the 25/26 football season. He left summer of 2022 and is coming back summer of 2025. I mean, for starters, they can't explain the kids aging any other way if Henry or Phoebe is a part of it. And in terms of the aim of the initial 3 season arc, it would be insane for Ted to just come back a few months after he left. Like. Okay it's fine to leave his son again? I assume in this situation Henry (and possibly Michelle) will move WITH him, because otherwise what was the point??? So we really have to be on top of the kid's age, and it has been 4 years since filming s3!

I used to really dread the idea of a time jump as I didn't want to miss Roy's journey as manager (AND THERAPY), but now it feels like it's the only way it'll work, in particular if the focus is Ted returning to handle the women. A Tedless continuation that focused on Roy should have had no time jump, but this version definitely should.

I have written before about how it is completely and utterly unreal that they don't already have a women's team, even if they were only semi pro, so I feel like if they wanted to explain the whole "starting" the women's team with some level of football realism, you could do it like, okay, they did already have the women's team and they've been playing in lower leagues, way way down, with no funding, Rupert didn't care, Rebecca didn't initially care, and Keeley's plan was about building them up now they had the resources, not starting them from scratch. And after a few seasons of serious investments and promotions they are ready for the WSL, and they need a more high profile manager? I guess???? Like the last few years have been a Welcome to Wrexham situation with 3 seasons of promotion in a row under another coach, and now that coach is leaving and Ted comes in to take them to the highest level? I GUESS.

But also like. Sorry but Ted Lasso in its former form was such a man centric show. Which I wasn't mad at! But what i mean is like Ted as a coach really seems like his most powerful quality is helping boys become non toxic men. Men's support, men accessing their emotions, men's mental health. Ted help guys to Man Good. I just don't think those same vibes will come across well when it's about him mentoring women? I don't want to see him trying to mentor women?? They deserve better?Ted works as a coach when he's helping men be good men. The women don't need his methods.Like yeah he helped Rebecca but I think that was very different. I don't need to see him being Coach Dad to a bunch of lesbians. I just don't.

But honestly I don't really care what Ted does with himself, I need that time jump to happen regarding other characters, to keep their stories something I feel good about. At this point, I really don't think Phil Dunster is doing it - Jamie may show up as a guest in one or two eps... and if it was a direct continuation, I cannot stand the idea that he left Richmond the same reason Roy became manager and Richmond entered the Champions League. I really, really don't think it would be in character for him to do that even though there would have been interest to buy him. But I could believe it if it has been a few seasons and he had a really great offer - especially if it was back to City. I could accept him being transferred after a decent time jump, but I hate the idea of making OOC choices about him to fit their availability or plot ideas. He Would Not Do That.

But if the focus is mainly Ted and the women's team, it's possible that Jamie is still there and we just don't really follow the men's team action? Brett Goldstein IS doing the show but also has many other commitments, so I am kind of assuming we won't be in the men's team dressing room or filming men's matches or doing heavy Roy plot, and Roy will only pop up for Rebecca admin scenes/Keeley personal scenes.

Because possibly the football action won't follow the men at all, as in, they won't even rebuild that old set and stuff, and mainly be in Ted's new office in the girls changing room (sigh, how many jokes about him not looking will there be) so it is possible Jamie is still very much at Richmond, and we see him a couple of times in a social capacity with Roy or Keeley, but if there is no more scenes in the men's team dressing room etc, and the plot won't in any way focus on the results of the men's season, he won't be in the background of basically every office or training scene like he was before.

The more I think about it, the more I actually think this "no men's team scenes" is probably likely regardless of who is still on the men's team - because they want to do all the work they need to do for filming matches and training and stuff, which is big and expensive, I think they'll do just the women's games - they would actually probably get roasted if they focused too much on the men after all this talk about promoting the women's game. Like we had 3 seasons of just men - even splitting season 4 into 50% men's team focus and 50% women feels kind of bad in terms of their aims about platforming women's football. So I am now betting men's team will be almost invisible, with some players popping up in incidental/social scenes.

So. It is possible that Roy pops up in a club admin way/Keeley relationship way - though I do NOT want them to get back together - and that Jamie still is there and around those characters socially but we don't do everyday team scenes. It is also possible Jamie will no longer play for Richmond.

Either way I really need that time jump. I cannot stand the idea of Ted regretting his choice and moving back immediately after all that. I cannot stand the idea of Jamie moving clubs in the same transfer window Roy is hired. I cannot stand the idea of pretending the Henry actor hasn't aged 4 years or the idea of recasting Phoebe. I am furious that they feel JSuds was integral to the show as an actor and that it still needs to focus on him cominh back and coaching. He could have just written it and popped up as a Diamond Dogs Zoom friend a couple of times.

But if this is the way it is, they NEED a time jump. Furious to miss Roy's managerial/therapy journey, it will be insane for all the growth to happen off screen and will probably sit very weird with viewers if he comes back on screen acting significantly different, but you'd HOPE he has changed in that time and at least it would leave us a really good fanfic gap to play with, between the summer of 2022 and whenever this will be set - particularly if Jamie is gone.

All in all I feel like I'd rather they just ended with season 3 and did not do this extension of the show, especially as they seem to have lost a lot of goodwill with the audience since season 3. I personally am very wary of what kind of football realism they're going to destroy in order to "start" the women's team and am going to be on edge until it comes out in terms of "how bad they've fucked it up." That wariness also extends to off screen character choices they will make in order to explain who's no longer around. Cool sentiment to be anticipating about a show I'm meant to like!

[fitsofgloom]

The great tough guy actor William Smith, whose biography is akin to a come-to-life series of covers from Men's Adventure-style magazines. He was a pilot and an interrogator during the Korean War, fluent in five languages (holding a master's degree in Russian). At various turns, he was a downhill skier, a boxer, a biker, a champion bodybuilder, and played semi-pro football in Germany. He's purported to have once performed over five thousand sit-ups during a five-hour period. He amassed over three hundred credits in a career that began in 1942 with a role as a child extra in Universal's "The Ghost of Frankenstein" and extended well into the Twenty-First Century.

[moonlight-alexia]

What if Tiny was an AFLW player instead of football?

i wish wish aflw was more supported with the push to be fully professional within the next decade and they got to play more than 10 games a year :') hopes and dreams though

-- Tiny would have started her semi-pro career with St Kilda, the joy of playing for the club she supported as a kid. But she'd probably end up at a top aflw club like North Melbourne, or if she wanted to make a move interstate maybe Brisbane

-- Steph would love seeing Tiny play for St Kilda, obviously. Tiny would also have the number 7 and they would give each other one of their jersey's so even when they're far from each other they would still have each other

-- Tiny would be a small forward, pocket forward and every season she'd be right at the top of the goal scorers, very consistent performances, one of the best in her positions

-- She'd win the leagues best and fairest a few times, and if not she'd definitely be up there in the top 3 most years

-- I had an ask once someone saying Tiny being the Alexia of aflw and that would very much be true. Growing up supporting the mens league she just has that passion for the game that gives her that edge when playing. Always trying her best, helping her teammates and others etc

-- Tiny would be one of the players with the most years selected for the womens all-australian team (one year vice captain, two years as captain)

-- Kyra and Tiny's relationship would look different though:

-- Kyra and Tiny would still meet through Steph, not much before the world cup and Kyra would still be going to Arsenal after the world cup.

-- They still become really good friends, but their relationship takes a lot longer to develop (if it develops into anything more with Tiny living in Aus and Kyra in England)

-- Even if just friends they'd be super supportive of each other and, despite time differences, always try to watch each other's matches whenever they could, just like trying to call and talk to each other

-- Kyra wishes they'd met, that she knew Steph, when she was still playing in Aus, but then maybe she might not have taken her career overseas

-- Whenever Kyra would come back to Aus, she'd always make sure to see Tiny. They'd always kick around either kinds of footballs and if Kyra was visiting during Tiny's preseason she would do as much as she could with Tiny (mainly just all the preseason running) and then claim Tiny was torturing her, all dramatic

-- Tiny constantly trying to convince Kyra to come back to Aus and play aflw with her, mostly half joking, or just trying to get Kyra to come back and play a league again (always complaining about each other being far away)

[ruggiezz]

imagine nrc during the world cup era OMG 😟 rook after france loses to argentina, heartslabyul watching england losing

— REACTING TO THEIR COUNTRY LOSING IN THE WORLD CUP : twisted wonderland

[synopsis] twst characters and their reactions to their country getting disqualified

[characters] ace, deuce, cater, trey, riddle, ruggie, floyd, jade, azul, rook

[extra] this is just for the funsies, me spreading my octavinelle + ruggie latinos agenda. i'm a firm believer in the cater is american headcanon (AMERICA RAHHH🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅💥)

ACE TRAPPOLA and DEUCE SPADE got together with you to watch the World Cup. Oh? You're not interested in football? Too bad, you're watching it with them anyways. Pros: They buy snacks for all of you to eat while watching. Cons: Ace screams at the television and gets extremely frustrated. The silence was loud when the match with France ended. At least the food was good...

CATER DIAMOND was not #LiveLaughLove-ing that month. Imagine being the only american in your friend group full of british people while the US had a match against England. Don't get him wrong; he doesn't really care about football, but it's hard to ignore it when the whole school is talking about it. At the end of the day, Magicam material is still Magicam material. He got lucky though; the match ended in a draw; it could have been worse. Needless to say, he did not care about the US losing, #WorldCup #Disqualified.

TREY CLOVER felt like he was in a nightmare—a 29-day-long nightmare. The Heartslabyul students were either having a blast or screaming when they won, or they were having heated fights about whose country would win. Trey was stressed; maybe other housewardens were enjoying the World Cup (like Kalim, who was throwing parties every opportunity he had), but RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS was certainly not happy. The students were so focused on, in his words, "guys running after a ball", that they weren't studying for their final exams. Yes, he had become less strict after his overblot, but a few students still got collared. Both of them were relieved when the World Cup ended; they could not care less about their country losing.

RUGGIE BUCCHI listened to the brazilian matches while working, like it was a podcast. He was a busy guy, you know? He had to work, but he still wanted to listen to the match. To be honest, Ruggie was pretty confident that they would make it to the semi-finals. We are talking about Brazil here; their team is good. "There's no way the europeans are winning this one" he thought. Imagine his face when they lost by a penalty goal, a penalty goal... Ruggie bought himself a doughnut at Sam's to cope and not have a mental breakdown.

Peru didn't even qualify; they lost against Australia. FLOYD AND JADE LEECH were in a bad mood during the whole World Cup.

Yes, Chile didn't qualify either, but a business opportunity is a business opportunity. Did you hear? You can watch the football matches while eating in the Mostro Lounge, and if you spread the word and bring your friends, you get a special discount. AZUL ASHENGROTTO got showered in money during those 29 days it lasted; the restaurant made three times the amount they usually make. He was very happy, to say the least.

ROOK HUNT was delighted to see all the students celebrating. The passionate cheers of the students, the way they all rooted for their country, how they got together to watch, how sad they got over their team losing, how beautiful. Yes, maybe the students were screaming at each other; maybe one even threw a chair across the room, but still. There was something captivating in seeing how a game could bring students that had nothing in common together, all with the same goal: to see their country win and crush the others. He was more sad about the World Cup ending than France losing, even if they were so close to first place.

[stupidlittlespirit]

To add a little more meat to the polio anon ask-

My father was born in the late 40s and subsequently got polio when he was a little kid. He tells stories everyonce in a while how he had to have metal leg braces (like Forrest did in Forrest Gump.) And, honestly, being a little shit-starter (kinda like Stan was designed to be,) he hated his braces and would try to get out of wearing them often. Often conniving with his brother to distract my grandma so he could hide the braces before school.

He had to re-teach imself how to walk as a pre-teen because he loved sports and eventually became a semi pro football player in the 60s after high school, but once he turned 50, his legs stopped being so responsive. Apparently 'post-polio syndrome' is a thing and he slowly over the last 15-20 years needed a cane, a walker, and now he's in a wheelchair.

Imagine-- STAN was the one who got polio as a kiddo and secretly uses his 8-ball cane for more than just a prop.

You don't have to answer this, but it's a mini HC of mine that Stan may have had polio!

Oh that's so interesting! The human body is insane, man.

I'm a big fan of both Stan and Ford using canes. I have a hc that Stan suffers bad back pain from his time sleeping rough. He uses the cane to make himself to look more mYSteRiOUs but also he does actually need it.

I have a hc that Ford has chronic pain from Bill's abuse and from old injuries in the portal, so he might use aids and stuff on his really bad (physical) days. He carves Stan a special custom cane and he invents one for himself that folds up super small so he can take it with him in case of emergencies. It does other special shit a la go-go gadget but that's just because I think it's funny lol.

[alpha-mag-media]

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ | In Trend Today

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[ur-mag]

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ | In Trend Today

England legend, 62, tipped for sensational return to semi-pro football with world’s second oldest club to ‘send him SOS’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[bsaka7]

watching the CL final and remembering

the oldest active pro women's football league (including semi pro) dates back to 1988 (Sweden)

England didn't have a fully pro women's league until 2018

fcbf didn't become pro until 2015.

Liga f wasn't fully pro til 2022

[jeanniecrush]

LITG Lewie Moodboard ⚽

Lewie，24，Semi-Pro Football Captain

Faceclaim：Kevin Pabel

[scoatneyhall]

This news has people saying they'd like to see more from AFC Richmond (obviously) including the creation of the women's team. This is kind of a nightmare idea for me, because one thing I, as a football nerd, need people to understand about the concept of an AFC Richmond Women's Team is that they absolutely definitely already should have had one during seasons 1-3 of the show? Which made the pitch from Keeley in the s3 finale montage land SUPER badly for me. Like, a nice idea, easily conveyed, but nope.

Because the "football canon" of the situation is that every established Premier League club now has an affiliated women's team. And like yeah, Richmond aren't very good. But most other clubs going down the ladder into the Championship, League One, etc, also have women's teams. Richmond, when the show started, had been in the Prem without relegation for a long time. They would not be the only Prem club without a womens team!!! They would have been constantly called out for it, it would have been a huge criticism and pressure point.

(Side note: same goes for a youth academy - clubs are required to have one. So you can imagine that off-screen, AFC Richmond is operating an academy, a Development/ Reserve men's team, and a women's team, it just has nothing to do with the squad Ted coaches and their training may well be housed elsewhere.)

The WSL (womens top tier in the UK) doesn't have as many teams in it as the Prem due to structure (12 vs the Prem's 20), so the levels the men's and women's teams play at can vary drastically within the same club. Not all Prem clubs have the womens team in the WSL. But any club you (or the TL writers) may have compared to Richmond, or based them on? They do have a women's team, whether they play at the top level or not.

So for me, the moment with Keeley works okay as a "don't question it" thing in the context of a harmless series finale montage, but it doesn't work as something to build new stories off, at least not in the simplistic way it was presented. Because any extension of the Ted Lasso Universe, or a Ted Lasso season 4, that would possibly incorporate the "starting of a women's team" would be the show going SO far outside the realm of football realism that it feel like a major contrast to how the show has approached the football element before - including like, what division or tier a newly launched team would even be allowed to start in, and all that. You're not meant to dig into the moment in the finale, just process it as a nice, fuzzy concept. But if there is more show to come, with a plot line that tackles the idea pitched in the finale, it could never match the level of football realism that was applied to the show before, because they've invented a totally fake situation that just doesn't work like that. They would be lowering their own bar. I know that many elements of TL, like Ted coaching, are already extremely fake, but their dedication to most of what counts is very good and very specific. Following through on what the finale implied about the women's team would be a drop in football realism from their existing standards and I am suuuuper not interested in that happening. It would be a quality drop for sure.

This is a bit of a rant and I am possibly the only fan who cared about this, but that Keeley and Rebecca scene was honestly one of the worst finale moments for me just because it implies something soooo wroooong.

HOWEVER, there's a pretty easy fix, and it would be cool if they went in this direction: the only reasonable explanation is that Rupert ran the women's team into the ground/never funded it, just met the bare minimum requirements, and they were currently playing below FA level, like in the 5th tier with only semi-pro players who don't get a professional wage - basically hobby players, and Keeley’s pitch was about reviving them and getting promoted up the tiers ASAP, Welcome to Wrexham style, with new funding, recruiting etc. Sucks that they got no attention from Rebecca before now but they may not have had money to spare for it during season 2 or before Rebecca sold shares in the club... dealing with that, and the fact that Rebecca had to knowingly leave them on the back burner and neglect them... that could be interesting. There's a story to be had about the women's team, don't get me wrong, but it isn't as simple an idea as the finale implied and that the fans have since run with.

[moneeb0930]

‘Pimp’ and ‘Lyss’: The Immortal Young Brothers by Claude Johnson (Black Fives Foundation)

They were brothers on and off the court. William Pennington Young, sometimes known as “Pimp” to his friends, and his older brother Ulysses S. Young, known simply as “Lyss” to his pals, were an unstoppable sibling pair of African American basketball stars that played during the 1910s and early 1920s.

They also made significant pioneering contributions off the court, long after their playing days ended.

Ulysses was born in Virginia in 1894. A year later, after his hard working parents migrated tot he North in pursuit of a better life, younger brother William was born in Orange, New Jersey.

A few years later, in 1900, their parents rented a room of their home to a young couple from Virginia, the Ricks family, who had a newborn son named James. Over the years the Young brothers embraced little James as if he were their own kin, and as the older boys got involved in sports, so did their protégé.

Something in that combined household created serious athletic skills.

Lyss and William attended nearby Orange High School, where they starred in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1910, while still in high school, the pair began playing semi-pro basketball for the Imperial Athletic Club, a local squad that competed against such teams as the Newark Strollers, the Montclair Athletic Club, and the Jersey City Colored YMCA. The two immediately received attention in the black sports press, including the popular and nationally circulated New York Age.

Their attraction to basketball got young James hooked on the sport too, and he soon developed his own talent. One huge advantage was having the opportunity to learn from- and train with the Young brothers.

The little basketball apprentice, James Ricks, would grow up to become James “Pappy” Ricks, who would become a founding member of the New York Renaissance Big Five professional basketball team and eventually reach the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

After high school, the Young brothers attended Lincoln University in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which was not only America’s oldest historically black university but also was the closest to home for them. In college they both were once again three-sport stars. Though the brothers excelled in each sport, their first claim to fame was through football.

Playing quarterback, William was named as a Negro All-American during his senior year. Ulysses, playing end, was named to the Milton Roberts All Time Black College Football Squad for the 1910s Decade.

After graduating from Lincoln (“Pimp” was class valedictorian in 1917), the Youngs were recruited to play professional basketball in Pittsburgh by prominent African American sports promoter Cumberland Posey. Posey, historian Rob Ruck wrote in Sandlot Seasons, his landmark book that explores the city’s unique athletic heritage, “was,as much as any one man could be, the architect of sport in black Pittsburgh.”

The pioneering promoter had been cultivating Pittsburgh’s black basketball talent through his operation of several different squads in the city, most prominently the Monticello Athletic Association, since the early 1910s. But with America’s imminent entry into World War I and the resulting lack of resources, Posey decided to consolidate his best talent into one powerfully built team.

The result was the Loendi Big Five, a legendary combo that was sponsored and got its name from the Loendi Social & Literary Club, an exclusive African American social club in the the city’s predominantly black Hill District.

1921.

Adding the collegiate superstars from Lincoln not only helped Posey promote his new team but also sparked the Loendi Big Five’s domination of black basketball, with a dynasty that included four straight Colored Basketball World Championships from 1919 through 1923.