In today's news: Emily Defroand to miss Tokyo Olympics due to a back injury, Shelley Kerr joins England technical team and A'ja Wilson stars in new rap music video.

 Emily Defroand to miss Tokyo Olympics

GB Hockey has confirmed that Emily Defroand will not be available for selection ahead of the 2020 Olympics due to an injury sustained in her back. The midfielder first noticed discomfort back in January, and after what she has described as a "rollercoaster of emotions" over the last four months, she will not be passed fit enough to partake in this year's Games.

Defroand is struggling with the pain in her back and she will undergo continued treatment from GB Hockey as she works towards her recovery.

The 26-year-old is yet to represent her country at the Olympics but has won two bronze medals for her efforts in the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the European Championships in 2017.

Shelley Kerr joins England technical team

Former defender and Scotland national team manager Shelley Kerr MBE has taken on a new role with the England Lionesses. The 51-year-old makes the switch by joining the technical team as England's new 'How We Play' technical lead, reporting directly to Kay Cossington.

Shelley Kerr

The ex-Doncaster Belles star will manage and implement the 'How We Play' strategy across all women's teams within the England umbrella. Kerr will help evolve technical practice and develop coaching playbooks to deliver the new philosophy.

A'ja Wilson stars in new music video

Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson has taken on a new project off the court – filming music videos. The power forward is part of rap artist Saweetie's newest video for her song 'Fast Motion'.

The running theme of the video is heavily around female empowerment, particularly in sports. Saweetie can be seen dribbling past male football players, winning a boxing bout and racing past the finish line in first place behind the wheel of a sports car. As she flicks between each sport, she features alongside Wilson – who is sporting her Aces uniform – before dribbling past her with the ball and delivering a slam dunk.

Wilson tweeted to thank Saweetie for her involvement in the video, which has already racked up more than 500,000 views on YouTube.

England confirm FIFA World Cup qualifying schedule

The Lionesses have their qualifying schedule ahead of the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup. England will play out two fixtures in September, one on home soil and one away.

The first match will take place on September 17th against North Macedonia and will be new head coach Sarina Wiegman's first game in charge of her new side. Just four days later, England will take on Luxembourg.

Sarina Wiegman

The English FA have revealed more dates and fixtures ahead of the World Cup, starting in September 2021 and being spread across 12 months:

September 17th 2021 – North Macedonia (H)
September 21st 2021 - Luxembourg (A)
October 23rd 2021 - Northern Ireland (H)
October 26th 2021 - Latvia (A)
November 27th 2021 - Austria (A)
November 30th 2021 - Latvia (H)
April 8th 2022 - North Macedonia (A)
April 12th 2022 - Northern Ireland (A)
September 3rd 2022 - Austria (H)
September 6th 2022 - Luxembourg (H)

Chelsea look ahead to WSL title – Bristol and Villa battle it out

The 2020/21 Women's Super League season is almost at an end. Just one round of fixtures remains and there's still a lot to be decided. With a two-point lead at the top of the table, all Chelsea need to do is beat Reading on Sunday to be crowned champions for the second consecutive year.

Arsenal look comfortable in their pursuit of Champions League football – a win against Aston Villa will confirm their qualification for next season. However, on the flip side, the Villains must equally fight for a win if they want to stay in the division. 

Aston Villa vs Bristol City

There's just two points between them and bottom of the pile Bristol City, who will face Brighton & Hove Albion in their final game. Both sides must bank three points to secure their safety, with Birmingham and West Ham already safe due to goal difference.

If Arsenal snub Aston Villa and Bristol beat Brighton, Matt Beard's 'never say die' team will pull off the comeback of the season, However, if they fail to get a win, it will send them down to the Championship, no matter Villa's result.