Sporting Digest: Football

England open their qualifying campaign for the women's World Cup with a game against their old rivals Germany in Dessau on 25 September. It will be a revenge quest for England, who were beaten 3-0 by the Germans in the quarter-finals of the 1995 World Cup. Norway are also in England's World Cup group along with the Netherlands.

Neil Webb, the former Nottingham Forest and Manchester United midfielder, has resigned as player-coach of the Dr Martens League side Weymouth just two months after being appointed. The 34-year-old, capped 26 times by England, blamed "personal reasons" for his decision.

Birmingham's Welsh international winger Jason Bowen is set to join Southampton for pounds 550,000 this week.