Footballer Steph Houghton, England international and Arsenal star, is gearing up for what could be the biggest year of her career. It all kicks off this weekend when she lines up for her club in the opening game of The FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) against title rivals Everton. Sportsister’s Holly Patel caught up with Steph ahead of that first League game.
Arsenal are the current FA WSL champions, and as the League heads into its second season there’s a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air. The ESPN cameras will be broadcasting Arsenal’s first League game live as the opener for their season-long coverage of The FA WSL, which Steph admits has both a good and bad side.
“It will be good for women’s football because more people will be able to watch it,” she explains. “But it is more pressure on me to play well.”
Although a winning start is important to the 23-year-old, she understands it won’t be easy against an experienced Everton side.
“Arsenal and Everton have always been close rivals and this game will be no different,” she says.
“I’m really excited a and can’t wait for the season to start. I’m sure it will be a great game to watch.”
The two sides met recently in an FA Women’s Cup clash at Meadow Park and with the end result 2-1 in Arsenal’s favour it’s looking good for the Gunners of Arsenal.
That success was just one of many in recent months. Not only has Steph helped her club with their FA Women’s Cup campaign (Arsenal now face fellow FA WSL side Chelsea in the semi-finals) but she also assisted in sweeping aside Liverpool in the first round of the Continental Cup and helped to claim a semi-final Women’s Champions League spot, despite an eventual 1-0 loss to Gothenburg.
With a great start to the year in the bag, Steph hopes to extend that success from club to country at the Olympics and in the Euro qualifiers.
Having already been involved for England in the Cyprus Cup and the Euro qualifiers this year, Steph’s got a fresh taste for international competition and can’t wait to more opportunities to represent her country.
It all began for the versatile defender when she was just five-years-old. Her love for the game came from playing football in the garden with her dad at their family home in County Durham. When she was ten she joined Sunderland Ladies and there she stayed until 2007, helping them to promotion from the Northern division along the way.
A period with Leeds United Ladies followed, where she helped them to win the FA Women’s Premier League Cup in 2010, before moving to Arsenal Ladies in the summer.
Although Steph now lives in the south of the country, she remains an avid Sunderland supporter. “I love watching Sunderland,” she says. “I still try and get to as many games as possible when I’m not playing.”
And although her roots lie with The Black Cats of Sunderland, the successful player describes the best moment of her career as something that may never be achieved again. “Winning the treble with Arsenal will take some beating,” she says. “We proved a lot of doubters wrong that season and ended up winning all three national trophies and getting to the semi-final of the Champions League.”
And although no other team achievements have yet come close, on a personal note her proudest achievement came in the form of some surprise recognition.
“Winning the FA Young Player of the Year award in 2007 was a proud moment,” she says. “It was special to be noticed by coaches around the country and it was something that came as a surprise to me.”
And it’s not just the coaches she’s caught the attention of - Steph has developed a large following of fans and is an avid tweeter, constantly updating her profile with what she and the team is doing. For her, this is a way to connect with her fans, and proves just what a humble and modest player she is.
Her down-to-earth attitude could be partly attributed to the struggles she’s seen during her career. It’s not always been easy and two major injury setbacks in the form of a broken leg and a damaged cruciate ligament kept her out of both the England squad for the 2007 World Cup and the Euro Championships in 2009. But she recognises that those experiences have helped her in other ways.
“It was heartbreaking,” she admits. “As a player you want to be involved in such tournaments and to miss out with two serious injuries was devastating.
“However, I don’t think I would be the player I am today without those experiences. I am a lot stronger physically and mentally and that has helped with my development over the last few years.”
So putting the past behind her, Steph is ready, both physically and mentally, for what could be a very successful and important year for her. The GB women’s football team will be competing in the Olympics from July 25, and Steph needs to continue to prove her presence on the pitch in order to book her spot on the side.
“Every player would love to be part of the Olympic squad but it will be tough because the competition for places is fierce.
“The most important thing will be to enjoy the experience because the Olympics is an amazing event and this opportunity of a Great Britain team in the Olympics may not happen again.
“All I can do is focus on myself and give myself the best possible chance to be involved.”
Holly Patel and Jessica Whittington, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
Image credit: The FA via Getty Images
