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Nahomi Kawasumi prepares to throw out the first pitch at the Seattle Mariners game [x]

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Nadeshiko Leagues Results

The 2017 season of the Nadeshiko League, the oldest semi-professional women's football league in the world, began last week. Here are the results from Matchday 1.

League 1

JEF United 1 - 2 Vegalta Sendai

52' Kamogawa 62' Ichise 88' Hamada

NTV Beleza 2 - 1 Elfen Saitama

6' Nakamura 13' Tanaka 47' Sakaguchi

Albirex Niigata 0 - 0 Iga Kunoichi

Parceiro Nagano 1 - 0 Urawa Reds

86' Yokoyama

INAC Kobe Leonessa 3 - 0 Nojima Stella

52' Kyokawa 72' Nakajima 87' Ohno

League 2

Speranza 0 - 1 Kamogawa Setagaya Sfida 0 - 3 Nittaidai Ehime 3 - 0 Harima Cerezo Osaka 3 - 0 Yokohama Yunogo Belle 2 - 1 Kibi Univ. Takahashi

Matchday 2 begins on April 2. You can follow the new Nadeshiko League Twitter for more news (tweets in Japanese).

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Jessica Ngunga of England vs Germany in the UEFA WU17 EURO elite round

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Nicole Anyomi of the Germany U-17 WNT

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Steffi Jones at the Integration Prize Awarding Ceremony on March 17

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Algarve Cup 2017

2017-3-3    vs  Iceland  

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When It Comes to Diversity, Is Women's Soccer Making Progress? | VICE Sports

U.S. soccer has long been criticized for its lack of diversity. Half the first-round picks in the NWSL draft this year were women of color, but that doesn't appear to be the result of larger structural changes.

Women's soccer [in the U.S.], especially at the highest levels, has long been a predominantly white, suburban sport. ... That lack of diversity is built into the system, starting from the ground up. ... To even get to [the highest levels] a player normally has to be scouted through high school, which usually entails having access to elite club programs that cost thousands of dollars a year in fees, equipment, travel, and other expenses. This "pay-to-play" system means that Black and Hispanic households, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau have lower median incomes compared to non-Hispanic White households, are more likely to get priced out of high-level soccer early on.

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