Karen Bardsley: Sky Sports' WSL coverage will accelerate the progress of the women's game, says Manchester City goalkeeper
"It's come a long way and it's something that is just going to accelerate the game again"; the Barclays FA Women's Super League will be shown live from this season with Sky Sports announcing a three-year deal to become the primary broadcaster of the WSL back in March.
Thursday 12 August 2021 06:48, UK
Manchester City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley is in no doubt Sky Sports' deal to broadcast the WSL will see the women’s game accelerate to another level.
The Barclays FA Women's Super League will be shown live from this season with Sky Sports announcing a three-year deal to become the primary broadcaster of the WSL back in March.
The deal will see Sky Sports show at least 35 games exclusively live per season with Bardsley believing the partnership is a huge deal for the women's game going forward.
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Bardsley, who has been in the game for the last 15 years, said: "When I first came over here as a player for Lincoln Ladies there were empty promises all over the place with no follow through.
"But the acceleration we have seen, particularly in the last five-to-ten years has been incredible. Now you see what it is today with Sky on board - it's unbelievable.
"And that's not even mentioning the talent and the technical ability of some of these girls.
"To see the coverage and the girls becoming more household names is something I didn't think I would see in my career.
"It's come a long way and it's something that is just going to accelerate the game again."
'Chelsea and Manchester City rivalry good for the game'
Bardsley heads into the new WSL campaign hoping Manchester City can finally go one step further and claim their first title since 2016.
City have been runners-up for the last four seasons, behind Emma Hayes' Chelsea for the last two.
But, despite the intense rivalry between the two sides, Bardsley admits the healthy competition can only benefit the WSL in the long run.
"The thing that irks me is that we [Man City] keep just missing out on the title - particularly to Chelsea," Bardsley said, speaking at a Premier League Kicks event to inspire young people.
"It's pretty frustrating but at the same time we're doing exactly what we want to do by challenging each other and continually pushing each other to improve.
"Ultimately it only goes to improve the women's game as a whole and how the league is growing it isn't just about the top two now.
"It's the three, four and five teams that are going to start breaking into that and on any given day anyone can beat anyone.
"I'm really excited about the start of the season and I'd like to think this year we will win [the title] but either way I can guarantee there will be exciting football games."
WSL on Sky: Big names, derby days and inspiring girls
The Women's Super League will have a new home from next season on Sky Sports. From world-class stars like Lucy Bronze and Vivianne Miedema to the potential end of the 'big three' - Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - there are plenty of reasons to be excited.
Here, we look at why you should watch the WSL on Sky Sports this September...
