New book 'Kicking Off' examines how women in sport are changing the game

One week before the 2016 FA Women's Super League kicks off, a new book explores the battles some of the biggest names in women’s sport have fought and continue to face.

Written by Sport Magazine’s Sarah Shephard, Kicking Off examines issues such as salary and sponsorship levels, the body image conflict that many sportswomen suffer and the sexism that remains rife in some sporting realms.

The book features exclusive interviews with many of the leading lights in women’s sport, including Billie Jean King, Nicole Cooke, Clare Connor, England’s record goalscorer Kelly Smith and ITV Rugby’s World Cup-winning pundit, Maggie Alphonsi.

Arsenal ladies captain Smith recalls a childhood spent playing alongside boys because there were no girls’ teams around at the time. She was reluctantly let go by Garston Boys FC when opposition teams complained, out of jealousy and anger that Smith – the only girl – would not stop scoring.

Alphonsi looks back on the emotional journey to realising her dreaming of winning the World Cup, which started at school and involved raising enough money for a flight to Australia, where she represented Great Britain's Under 16 touch rugby squad at the World Cup in 1999.

In between profiling some of sports biggest female stars, Kicking Off asks why so few elite sportswomen have the recognition their talent deserves, why the most successful female athletes earn a fraction of their male counterparts and why girls are still growing up believing that sport is ‘for boys’.

Kicking Off by Sarah Shephard is available to buy on Amazon now. For all the latest news ahead of the 2016 FA Women's Super League, visit the official website.