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UEFA Women’s Nations League: Iceland – Wales |
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Venue: Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Date: Friday 22 September Kick-off: 7pm BST |
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Coverage: Live on ` Two Wales, ` Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, ` Sounds, the ` Sport website and app and live text commentary on the ` Sport website and app. |
In her column for ` Sport, Manchester United and Wales defender Hayley Ladd takes a look at the start of the new Women’s Nations League as Wales prepare for their season opener against Iceland, but not without a look back at the World Cup and the struggles of the Luis Rubiales incident and her passion for change.
We are all very excited about the opportunity to start a new tournament.
But I have to say I was grateful when Gemma Grainger had a quick meeting with us on Monday morning to help us understand how it works.
I’m not sure I could explain it properly if someone asked me to, but there’s definitely a lot of excitement surrounding the camp as it’s something new for us and a different type of competition.
It feels pretty fresh, we’ll be playing against some top teams in League A and – most importantly – it’s linked to qualification for the next European Championships.
And as I’ve said before and I think everyone knows, we’re all so determined to get to a grand final.
World Cup jealousy blows
Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous while watching the World Cup this summer.
I really enjoyed it as a fan and the spectacle that was created in Australia and New Zealand and some of my Manchester United teammates like Mary Earps and Ella Toone were out there with England.
We have a really supportive environment on the United team, so we sent everyone messages in the group chat wishing them nothing but the best and enjoy the experience.
But it was always going to be difficult not to think about what could have been after the playoff loss.
image source, Christian Kaspar Bartke
image description,
Wales’ hopes of appearing in a major tournament for the first time came to an agonizing end as Switzerland won a dramatic World Cup play-off final in the final seconds of extra time
I think I was most impressed by the Irish team’s elimination, probably because they are on a similar ranking to us.
When I saw them reach their first grand final I felt a little jealous, but in the end it was great what they achieved.
Hopefully we can do something similar, get to the first major tournament and really live out the experience.
Obviously a lot of people are still talking about it and it’s just sad that it overshadows their victory.
They had a great tournament and it was great that the players did what they did even though there were so many distractions for them.
Even now, what they are trying to do, what they are trying to achieve and change, is truly significant. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy for them by any means, but they’re incredibly good at what they set out to do.
As a football colleague, I fully support her – as do all of us in the squad.
When we met on Sunday it was definitely a topic of discussion because there are certain things that could affect us – in the players’ unions – in other ways.
So it’s very poignant to talk about it together and be aware of things, especially the climate in women’s football.
Amazing success stories of women
There are a lot of amazing things happening now in terms of reach, but also behind the scenes there are now so many things that need to be addressed and improved to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the game.
On the surface there is a large fan base and an increase in viewership, but it is important for us as fellow footballers to be aware of what they are going through.
In June I traveled to Amsterdam for the women’s football summit of Fifpro, the Global Players Union.
You hear and talk to people from all areas of football and it’s so nice to be able to learn from experiences and just see what’s possible.
There have been some amazing success stories where people have really pushed for change, managed to get there and seen the game really flourish in their part of the world. All because of this personal resilience that started with maybe a handful of people, maybe just one person.
It’s quite inspiring and who knows, maybe I could get into football administration or governance. I would never have thought about it before last year, but these issues, women’s football and the future of the game are so important to me that I have become more and more committed to them.
Maybe it’s a way for me after football, but it’s nice that as a player I have a voice that I can use, be it at Fifpro or on other stages.
Not that I’ve started to think about retirement, especially when we’re all hoping to achieve something with Wales. I had a good pre-season and feel ready for these two games – and then we go straight into the WSL.
It will be a busy time, especially in October when we have our second two Nations League games and lots of games for club and country.
Believe in what we do
However, this week is all about the country and we’re all happy with where we are. We have a lot of tough games with Denmark and Germany in the group, but we are up for the challenge of keeping up and ensuring we stay in League A.
Gemma’s meeting reminded us that your performance in the Nations League is linked to qualification for Euro 2025, which starts next year, but good performances and good results would still be the perfect basis.
We know that no matter where we end up in this league, it’s important that we focus on ourselves. We believe in what we do and remember that qualification is in our hands.
image source, Maciek Gudrymowicz/ISI Photos
image description,
Wales were beaten 2-0 by then world champions USA in a friendly in July
It won’t be easy playing against top seeds, but coming back to the World Cup, I don’t want us to feel overwhelmed in a grand final.
These are the type of games, the type of opponents we face. It could give us the perfect opportunity to watch games where we might not see much ball. So what else can we bring?
Can we counter attacks, threaten in different ways and at the same time remain truly resilient in defense? It’s a great opportunity for us.
It may come as a shock to some of the girls, but I heard that the equipment man has the gloves and scarves ready so we are well prepared.
It might mean our summer is definitely over, but we’re ready for the new season – and the new competition.
Hayley Ladd spoke to ` Sport Wales’ Chris Wathan.
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