Matildas star Caitlin Foord has credited Arsenal with restoring her love for football after a period of “going through the motions” as a professional player.
Foord is one of three Matildas along with Steph Catley and Kyra Cooney-Cross in the Gunners squad that will take on the women’s A-League All-Stars at Marvel Stadium on Friday night,
“To represent Arsenal, and to do that on home soil, I never would have imagined that,” Foord said on Wednesday at the Women in Football business brunch.
“It’s never been done before. Selfishly I’m really excited to be home, to be here with Arsenal to play the (A-League) girls.”
However, before 29-year-old Foord joined the English Women’s Super League club from Sydney FC in 2020, she was showing a distinct lack of excitement about her football career.
Caitlin Foord (left) is one of three Matildas in Arsenal’s squad. Picture: Adrian DENNIS / AFPSource: AFP
“I felt like I lost my love for the game,” she said.
“I was going through the motions, and when I got to Arsenal, that sparked me again.
“I enjoyed playing again. I love the way that we play, the style, the league, the competition in the league – it was really exciting.
“It really brought that back for me, and it’s been like that ever since. We just need to win more trophies now.”
The Gunners finished the WSL season in third place, five points behind champions Chelsea.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall was confident his side could win the title next season.
“This team has everything it takes in order to win the league as well, but we just need to be prepared to do the work for that next season,” Eidevall said.
“This trip here is a great opportunity for us to really blend with first-team and full-time professionals … together with some of our best academy players.
“To see them on the pitch together, that’s going to be a really nice opportunity for me.”
The All-Stars team will be coached by former Arsenal manager Joe Montemurro, much to the delight of Gunners star Katie McCabe.
“It was a real pinnacle point in my career at Arsenal when I thought I was out the door, and Joe came in and kept a hold of me and I’ve been here ever since,” McCabe said.
“He’s always like family. He’s always welcome back to the club with open arms.
“I’m sure he’ll be putting on a good show with the All-Stars.”
That was the overwhelming response to basketball fans realising Caitlin Clark would earn just A$119,000 in her first season as a professional player.
Clark, 22, was selected first in the WNBA Draft on Tuesday (AEST) amid expectations she will have a transformative effect on women’s professional basketball.
The Indiana Fever made it official, taking the Iowa Hawkeyes star with the first pick.
Don’t miss the best of the first round NBA Playoffs LIVE on ESPN available on Kayo New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
Clark fell just short of winning an NCAA title with Iowa but has already taken women’s basketball to another stratosphere, breaking the record for the most career points by a college player, male or female.
Her long range sharpshooting ability has attracted a growing legion of fans and earned comparisons to the NBA’s all-time three-point leader Steph Curry.
Clark will earn A$527,000 over four years, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
In comparison, Australia’s Liz Cambage is reportedly earning more than A$1 million for a season in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association.
The WNBA’s salaries mean Clark will make significantly more money from endorsements, which already include Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and Panini.
Clark recently declined a A$7.8 million offer from rapper Ice Cube to play in his BIG 3 league.
Caitlin Clark was taken with the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesClark made the WNBA Draft a must watch event. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ESPN journalist and current contributor to The Atlantic Jemele Hill took to X on Tuesday in a lengthy post about the situation that the WNBA faces and responded to critics who bashed what the league was paying its newest star, Clark.
“I’m already annoyed by this conversation because for years, WNBA players have fought for more money,” Hill wrote.
“And when they were outspoken, so many of y’all told them to shut up or reminded them how they had no value The NBA has had 50+ years of investment, media coverage, etc. After 27 years, the WNBA will not be the current NBA. So stop comparing them.”
Hill went on to point out that WNBA players compete for four months and are given free housing and cars as part of their deals before suggesting that the lower salaries were “why so many women’s players play overseas to boost/supplement their income.”
“Weaponising this information against WNBA players is another form of misogyny,” Hill said.
“These women have been dreaming of playing professionally in front of American audiences their whole lives,” Hill continued. “Instead of clowning and reminding them of what they’re not — buy the merchandise, go to the games, and watch the games on television.
“Very easy to criticise when most of y’all couldn’t get paid to compete at anything.”
Hill had been complimentary of Clark’s play and said she believed it would translate to the WNBA, but she also criticised the way that Clark has been held up by the media.
She shoots like Steph Curry but will make a pittance in the WNBA. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images/AFP.Source: AFPClark will make more money from endorsements. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Still, Clark’s impact on women’s basketball has been hard to deny after a record 2.4 million people tuned in to ESPN on Monday to watch the WNBA draft.
That number was higher than last year’s MLB draft on ESPN/MLB Network and the NHL draft, which also aired on ESPN.
Michael Rubin, CEO of merchandise seller Fanatics, said Clark had the highest selling jersey on draft night of any athlete in any sport in the company’s history.
US sports commentator Bill Simmons on his podcast said Clark has already had an effect similar to “sports shifters” Tiger Woods, Conor McGregor and the Williams sisters in elevating their respective sports to the mainstream.
The WNBA’s relatively paltry salaries have been criticised by commentators and even US President Joe Biden weighed in.
“Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,” President Biden wrote on X.
“But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share.
“It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson wrote on X: “These ladies deserve so much more … Praying for the day.”
Today show host Hoda Kotb said on Tuesday: “They’ve already sold out games. She had the highest ratings, her teams and the Final Four had the highest ratings — higher than the World Series, higher than the NBA. So, I was like, what is she going to get paid? Because finally, you can get a real paycheck. Then I saw it and was like, this can’t be right.”
Co-host Jenna Bush Hager added: “Honestly the gap is so jarring … We’re talking about equal pay. That ain’t even close.”
The father of NBA superstar Jayson Tatum believes the Illawarra Hawks can “win the whole thing” after taking over the NBL club’s coaching reins mid-season and leading a stunning revival.
The Hawks sacked coach Jacob Jackomas after a dismal 2-7 start to the season but have looked like a different team since Justin Tatum was appointed interim coach in November, winning seven games and losing just three times under Tatum.
It’s a tough task coaching an NBL team not in a major market like Sydney, Melbourne or Perth — the last championship winner not from those three cities came back in 2015.
But Tatum, 44, is confident the Hawks can go all the way and win the title after rising to sixth on the ladder, which would be enough to qualify for the NBL finals.
“When I took over, for sure I wanted to win the whole thing,” Tatum told news.com.au.
“When I got here as an assistant coach I wanted to win the whole thing. My goals haven’t changed. It’s just been enhanced since we started to get some wins and build our confidence.
“It’s definitely to be one of the top six teams to make it to the playoffs — that’s one goal. The other is to win the whole thing.
Justin Tatum has masterminded a mid-season revival of the Illawarra Hawks. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I feel personally I have the pieces. We have experience as far as the type of players that we have — former NBA players, guys who’ve won championships and been in the NBL before, guys who’ve had a lot of success and are just starting to put that continuity together.
“My goal is to win the whole thing, but we’re going to take it game by game.”
Expectations were low for the Hawks at the start of the season after the departure of legendary coach Brian Goorjian and centre Duop Reath, who has since made his NBA debut and cemented his place on the Portland Trail Blazers’ roster.
But the Hawks have pulled off some statement victories including a Christmas Day upset over defending champions the Sydney Kings and a thrilling one-point win over the Tasmania JackJumpers.
There’s no doubt Tatum, a successful high school coach in the US, is connecting with his playing group.
“Team moral and where we’re sitting in a headspace right now is pretty good,” he said.
“They’re confident. We’re starting to really gel together at practice and on the court, which has been helping us get some wins. I’m in a good spot. The guys are coming to work every day with smiles.
“I feed off their energy. I’m an energetic coach. I’m very vocal, I’m demanding but I’m respectful. I’m a players’ coach. They’ve given me everything.
“You’re a professional player, you’re here for a reason and this is the reason why I need you to play like this. And the guys have accepted it so it’s been great to coach.”
Tatum barks orders from the sideline. (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Sharpshooter Tyler Harvey is Illawarra’s most prolific scorer, but a couple of other players have caught Tatum’s eye.
“I really love Mason Peatling,” he said.
“He’s very high level, vocal, physical, great teammate — which they all are — but he is really noticeable in those areas.
“Todd Blanchfield is another one of those guys who is a team player first, very vocal. Without knowing too much about those guys until I got here, I really fell in love with how they approach the game and how they want their teammates to be successful. Those guys are two that stand out.”
Illawarra’s sudden rise under Tatum has even placed pressure on the club to lock the American in as the team’s long-term coach.
“My focus is to do what they asked me to do — take this team over and finish the season out the best way we can and then we’ll go searching from there,” he said.
“But I know success has put a lot of pressure on them (the Hawks) to start those talks, which will happen and I have no problem with it. I’m definitely going to be very open to seeing what they can do for the future.
“But as for now, day by day, game by game, I just worry about how many games can we win. And we can have those talks before I go back home.
“It’s a blessing to be in that situation but my focus is on winning games. All those double headers coming up, where we started from and where we have the opportunity to get to. I don’t want us to be sidetracked.”
The American coach wants his Hawks to win the NBL title. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The success of LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey has shown the NBL can be the perfect pathway to the NBA for young players, and Tatum said the same can be true for coaches.
Trevor Gleeson won five NBL titles with the Perth Wildcats and is now an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, while Chase Buford is chasing an NBA coaching gig after leading the Sydney Kings to the last two NBL championships.
“I’ve had a lot of success in high school over the years and I wanted to see where else I could take myself as a coach,” Tatum said.
“That’s why I came out here in the NBL to learn the professional game. I see other coaches in the NBA in the NBL — maybe the same age or the same coaching experience — have an opportunity to expand their coaching. I felt like I could do the same thing.
“NBA for sure is in my sights, but if I can come in and be a high level successful NBL coach living out in Australia, you can’t beat that.”
Tatum is following the NBA closely this season, given his son Jayson is the best player on the Boston Celtics, who boast the league’s best record approaching the halfway mark of the marathon season.
Jayson congratulated his dad on his appointment at the Hawks, and Justin is hopeful the Celtics can claim the NBA championship this year after falling short in several deep playoff runs in recent campaigns.
“He knew right away when I had the opportunity to take over that I was going to find some way to figure it out,” Justin said.
“That’s just how I’ve been with him, in high school and my life. My passion is in coaching basketball.
Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesJayson and Justin Tatum on NBA Draft day,Source: Supplied
“Our relationship is really tight. We talk every day. We’re big supporters of one another man.
“To be supportive of his goals and his journey and now him seeing me have the opportunity to do something I love at a high level is just reciprocated the same way.
So can Tatum’s Celtics go all the way?
“I feel like every year with the chances they had, they could have been a championship team by now,” Tatum said.
“It’s an 82-game season and they’ve got to prepare for a long playoff run. I think they have all the key pieces. They’re very experienced. I’m rooting for them to win the whole thing.
“I think that’s something he’s driving himself to do. I think they can go all the way to the ‘chip. They just got to stay focused and healthy.”
