LONDON — Katie Zelem had to leave Manchester United to chase her dream, just to get a chance of making a career out of playing the game she loves. Zelem’s journey — from the return to United to becoming captain and a face of Adidas marketing — captures the rapid advances in women’s football in England. “Everyone is seeing it,” Zelem told The Associated Press, “and even my own friends are saying, ‘Oh I have seen you on this billboard’ and ‘I have seen you doing this and I've seen you doing that.’“That's my own friends that maybe previously haven’t seen it.”With attendances rising since the Women’s World Cup, England is staging a first Women’s Football Weekend while the men’s Premier League is on hiatus for international games. Sitting in fourth place in its maiden Women’s Super League campaign, United plays on Sunday at unbeaten leader Chelsea.

Source: International New York Times November 15, 2019 22:30 UTC