Women's soccer no longer needs to 'prove' itself, reporters insist

Girls on the Ball reporters Sophie Downey, 36,and Rachel O'Sullivan, 34, who launched an online platform for women's football in the UK and Ireland. The pair are reporting on the latest Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand Picture:  PA

Two self-starting women's football reporters covering the World Cup have said the women's game no longer needs to "prove" itself.

Rachel O'Sullivan, 34, from Dublin, and Sophie Downey, 36, from London, launched Girls on the Ball — an online platform for women's football in Ireland and Britain — in 2012 having been inspired by a trip to watch Britain against Brazil at Wembley during the 2012 London Olympics.