The NWSL Is Coming To Twitch

The NWSL have recently announced that International fans (like us) will be able to watch all the NWSL games for the upcoming season through the popular streaming site Twitch. 


Twitch is widely known for its video game streams with some big names using the app to play live games to a wider audience, it is easy to get hooked on watching once you get started. There is plenty of content on the site and the site is definitely trying to branch into different genres, they have had the NWHL (hockey) broadcast on the site so now it is the turn of the NWSL.


This is a brilliant move from the league as last season it was getting increasingly difficult to watch games if you were based internationally. In the UK BT Sport was the only place you could watch and that is if they wanted to add a game that week which wasn't always the case and us fans were missing out. At least now with Twitch, each game will be broadcast live and the games are also going to be archived, meaning access just got even easier. 


Say you can't stay up really late to watch the game due to commitments the next day at least all you have to do when you get the time is head to their Twitch channel & head to the archives to catch up on everything you missed. The league have also said there will be extra content added so you can keep up with the league a lot better than in the past.


So here is how to get started on the site so you can get access to all the NWSL goodness at no cost...




Step 1 : Nice and simple just head to www.twitch.tv where you will be shown a home screen a little like this. It will probably be showing one of their featured streamer but take no notice of that, unless it is something you may be interested in. 




Step 2 : On the right of the screen you will see a couple of buttons, you want to be heading over to the sign up one, don't worry this isn't going to cost you anything.



Step 3 : Once you have clicked that sign up button a box like the above will appear, all you need to do is pick a username & password, enter your date of birth (some things on the site can be age restricted) and enter your email it is as simple as that. You will need to enter a verification code once you have done this to move onto the next step but don't worry that comes through basically instant. 




Step 4 : Once you are all signed up head back to the top of the page and go to the search bar. Type in nwslofficial or just click the link which will take you direct to the NWSL channel.



Step 5 : Once you are on the channel simply hit follow in the top right, this will make sure you are following the account and it will show them on the left hand side of the page when you log in, so you can just click there and watch the videos. As you can see they already have a few videos on there to get you going ready for the start of the season.


You are going to want to make sure that next to the follow/unfollow button the little bell button is switch to notifications on, that way the app will let you know when they have gone live  or you will receive an email saying they are live so you never miss a game.

So signing up is literally as simple as that and doesn't cost a penny yet you get access to so much great football and get to see some of the worlds best playing week in week out. There is now even more reason for me to be glued to my PC. 


Whilst you are on the site why not give a couple of other streams a try? There are plenty of great streamers for FIFA, Pro Evolution & Football Manager on this platform so just type in the game and see who you come across... you wont be disappointed. I have come across random streamers in the past and ended up watching far too many streams so you never know what you will come across.


If you need anymore help with Twitch feel free to get in touch with us and we will try help you as much as we can. If possible we will hopefully be hosting some of the games on our channel & some other football related streams so don't forget to give us a follow too at www.twitch.tv/edgeofthearea.

She Believes Cup Predictions



Photo Credit US Soccer WNT Twitter

The 2020 She Believes Cup kicks off tonight with newcomers Spain taking on Japan before England take on the USA in the early hours of tomorrow morning. England are going into the competition as last year's winners where as Spain are bringing a whole new challenge to the competition. So here is a bit of a breakdown of the teams:

England
England won the competition last year and who knows maybe Dawn Scott's addition to the backroom staff may work in England's favour, as after all she was an integral part to the USWNT's back to back World Cup wins. The Lionesses are without Lucy Bronze for this tournament so this could really be a chance for others to shine in that right back (or midfield, who knows with Phil Neville) position, I have my fingers crossed that Rachel Daly really gets to show her worth in a starting line up as a right back as she can very easily play in defence or upfront. I just hope he doesn't try experiment too much and ruin the tournament for some players (those who are way too out of their depth in a right back position) as some just aren't made to be defenders and it could end up making the team look a laughing stock. Plus it is time we started getting that ranking back up and the team are back where they should be. It is a chance to show what we are made of after last year's World Cup and how we will be back fighting showing what we are made of. 

Spain
Spain have been one of those teams in recent years you can easily write them out of a game but they will happily prove you wrong. We saw that when they kept pushing the USWNT and only lost out due to two unfortunate penalties. They have a great roster of players but a stand out to watch is definitely Jennifer Hermoso she is an absolutely brilliant stand out player and can score some fantastic goals just like she did against the USWNT in the World Cup. I am glad to see them taking part in this years She Believes tournament as they can definitely create a new challenge for the other teams taking part and it can also help boost their profile a bit more.

Japan
I don't know what it is with Japan lately but they just don't seem to be impressing as much as they have in previous years. Yes they made it to the round of 16 in last years World Cup but their performances were nothing spectacular as apposed to previous years where they made the finals. Even in last years She Believes Cup they didn't really stand out for me especially in the game against England where they fell to a 3-0 defeat. Maybe though this year they will be a bit of a comeback for them though as these players will be fighting to represent their country in the 2020 Olympics, which is being held in Japan, you wouldn't want to lose your opportunity to represent the home nation surely.

USA
The USA are already showing what they can do without Alex Morgan and it really has become Christen Press who is stealing the show. Vlatko already seems to be showing a lot of faith in Christen and I think she could definitely be a stand out in this tournament. The team are linking up well and Vlakto is carrying out some pretty interesting experiments with his starting line up which seem to be really working in his favour. with the depth of the squad he has and the talent all those players hold everyone is giving 100% as they want to show what they are made of in the run up to the Olympics.

Here is how I think the She Believes Cup will go...
I think the USWNT will win, as their squad at the moment just has so much depth and talent even without Alex Morgan their attacking threat is sky high. Plus they seem to have connected well with Vlatko already. I think England will be 2nd in the competition as long as the correct & strongest team is picked on the day, no more silly player experiments and just get showing what we are capable of. It is a hard choice for who I think may come in 3rd but I am going to put it out there as I really do believe Spain are more than capable of getting results behind them and putting up a fight, just look at what they did in the World Cup against the USWNT last year. Then I think Japan will end up coming 4th, I just don't think in recent years they have been as good as you would expect from them, teams have really caught them up.

Some games are going to be on far too late for me with me having work the next day but thanks to the BBC I will be able to record these games and watch them the next day, so I won't be missing out. 
Will you be watching the She Believes Cup?

Football Kit Con 2020

I never thought that I would be heading all the way to Edinburgh to see some football shirts but now I am on countdown to March 29th all thanks to Twitter.


On March 29th Football Kit Con will be taking over the BT Murrayfield Stadium (ironically that is a rugby stadium) to show off over 600 shirts, guest speakers will be there, a film will be shown, but that isn't all as there is so much going. In fact there is that much going on the hours have had to be extended so the event will now run 1-7pm. There has also been that much of a demand for tickets the event has been sold out twice but luckily they have been able to expand to accommodate everyone, there will now be a shirt room, a talk room & an entertainment room.  Tickets are priced at just £12 (plus £1.25 booking fee) and include a free programme (you may see a nice little ad from us in there) and a bar will be open throughout the event, so you can have a drink and hopefully meet new people who enjoy the same things as you.

There might be over 600 shirts on display but there will be a lot more as attendees have been given a dress code of football shirts, nothing current but retro or their favourite shirts, it is going to be a hard task for me to narrow down which I want to wear. There will also be shirts for sale on the day with a swap shop also taking place.

It isn't just shirts though as there will be exclusive talks and guest speakers throughout the day, there will also be books at the event with Football Attic will be launching their new book 'A-Z of Football Shirts' book at the event. I can't wait to pick this up and give it a read, if I do get a copy keep an eye out for a review very soon. There will also be art at the event which no doubt I will end up purchasing even though space in the house it  At the event there will also be an auction for the charity Back On Side who support people with mental health issues & challenging life circumstances.

We are making a weekend of it by heading up on the Friday night, having a day exploring Edinburgh on Saturday and then heading to the event on Sunday. Whilst exploring on the Saturday I am hoping we can get to the 6 yard box shop to see what they have to offer, I guess I will be needing to take a fair bit of money with me. On the Sunday straight after the event we will be heading back home where luckily I have the day off as it is definitely going to be a long journey home, but keep an eye on the blog as I will be using this time to do a write up of the event.


If you want to attend be quick as tickets are selling fast, I can't wait to meet some absolutely fantastic people I have spoken to on Twitter since starting the blog.

Where : BT Murrayfield - Edinburgh

When : 29th March

Times : 1pm- 7pm

Find out more : www.footballkitcon.com