please log in to view this image Jill Scott profile Jill Scott on media coverage of women's football By Jill Scott Everton and England midfielder There is no doubting that the FA Women's Super League, which starts again this Sunday, has made a big difference to women's football in England. As it embarks on its second season, it all feels so much more professional, but there is still a frustration with the amount of coverage in the mainstream media. This season I will be one of eight WSL players who will have their Twitter names on their shirt sleeves aiming to help fans connect with us while boosting the league's profile. I'd like to think I'm already pretty well connected but I have to admit people sometimes praise me on my new album because they confuse me with the soul singer Jill Scott! I just say "thanks, I worked hard on that one", but Twitter has become massive for the women's game. At the World Cup in Germany last summer, we played France in the quarter-finals and it was shown on BBC Two. We were on a lot of newspaper back pages too and we saw a boost in crowds when the Super League resumed after the tournament. Niall Quinn saved my life I used to be a Sunderland season ticket holder and after one match I spotted Kevin Phillips across the road. So I ran out to get his autograph and just as I did I felt someone grab me by my collar. I turned around and it was Niall Quinn. He saved me as I was within an inch of being hit by a car In contrast, we played a European Championship qualifier recently and I think there were two lines on the 15th page of the sports pages in the newspaper. So that's something we have to focus on this season, a way of continuing that support, and the Olympics could play a similar part to the World Cup. It is frustrating because people will only ever come and talk to you about the World Cup and the European Championship. It's great, don't get me wrong, but you think "well, we've played 200 games since then". All the girls work so hard. They train every day of the week, they play every week and are on international duty every month and a lot of that goes unnoticed. The England players get a lot of messages through Twitter all the time asking "where can I watch the game, is it on telly?" And it's disappointing that you have to continuously reply saying "no it's not". Two days later you are getting messages saying "what was the score?" People are asking about it, so why can't we put it out there? I'd like to see the media coverage change. I recognise that we are not going to be on BBC One every time we play, but even if we got an internet stream to the game so that people can watch it and access it, then that would be an improvement. The girls enjoy interacting with fans and Twitter has a been a massive thing for us. It gives supporters instant access to the players and we often respond. We don't want to bypass traditional media, we do want to be in the newspapers along with all sports people and especially women in sport. But if people can't get that information from the newspapers or the TV, then why not through Twitter? Our biggest aim is to get more people to the games, and the Olympics will be a massive part of generating that interest. I think that 191 potential Great Britain players were contacted to ask if they would play and I know 191 people said yes! It would be a dream to be involved in such a massive event like that, especially it being in London. I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind, but at the same time we have focuses for Everton and England and they come first. We are looking at the Olympics as a bonus and whoever is selected I'm sure will give it their all.
It's not too surprising she is a Sunderland supporter since she signed for Everton from Sunderland Ladies in 2006.
I'd knock her back doors in....then again I'd do the littl'n in the red anarl........ or a warm scarf on the terraces. Alreet, I'd shag a warm scarf. Lol
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Never noticed mate, i was going for the photographers artistic expertise in capturing light and movement.....honest.
Got some coursework for art school i might send you the brief for if that's what you manage to create.
Just a taster of what this forum used to be like in the good old days when Comm was in charge Jill Scott - good to see her promoting Sunderland on this podcast Ricky has gone up in my estimation of him
