About
I’m a writer and author specialising in women’s football, covering the game’s history, culture, and current stories. My work focuses on how women’s football has survived restriction, navigates growth, and continues to shape pathways for players and fans. I write books and articles on the women’s game and have contributed to podcasts, broadcast, and print media.
What I do
- Write history books on women’s football, exploring how the game developed, survived, and changed over time
- Research and write articles for general audiences, including youth football and participation
- Contribute to podcasts and broadcast discussions on the women’s game
- Cover women’s football from historical, cultural, and grassroots perspectives
- Create football-inspired books and printed resources for girls in football
- Work across writing, research, and storytelling to increase understanding and visibility of women and girls in football
Why women’s football?
I fell in love with football as a girl in the 1980s. Like many girls growing up, that love didn’t come with access or visibility – it came with sidelong glances and calls of “tomboy”. But women’s football existed, at least in pockets. It just wasn’t visible or acknowledged, certainly not in my corner of Cornwall.
When I found myself amongst a sea of fans watching the Lionesses at Wembley in 2019, I wanted to understand how the game had grown so big when, for most of my life, it had barely been shown. I wanted to know what I’d missed. I wanted to know the stories.
Media & Collaborations
Topics I can speak on:
- The history of women’s football as it developed around the world
- The FA ban and its long-term impact on the women’s game
- Growth, visibility, and what they do (and don’t) tell us about progress
- Women’s football culture and its overlooked history
- Girls’ pathways into football and participation beyond elite routes
- Grassroots football and access to the game
- The relationship between the past of women’s football and its present moment
Recent appearances
I’ve contributed to discussions on women’s football across podcasts, radio, and online platforms, including writing for The New Women’s Sport Magazine, with features ranging from an interview with Lucia Kendall to coverage of teams further down the pyramid, alongside appearances on the Women’s Football Hub podcast and BBC Radio Oxford.
For a list of all podcasts and broadcast media, go to the Media page
Press / contact
For media enquiries, podcast appearances, talks, or collaborations relating to women’s football, please contact: claremcewen@gmail.com
Books
I write books about the history of women’s football, exploring how the game developed, survived and changed over time.
She Can Kick It
She Can Kick It explores the history of women’s football in England and beyond, tracing how the game survived bans, neglect, and prejudice to reach its current moment. It looks at the social, cultural, and sporting forces that shaped the women’s game. And why that history still matters.
Available from:
For a list of press articles about She Can Kick It go to the Press page
Other titles
Further books on women’s football history are currently in development.
Writing
Alongside my book writing, I write articles, essays, and musings on women’s football – covering history, the modern game, issues around visibility, access and participation, and my own personal stories. My writing appears on Substack and in online publications.