Women’s football is one of the most rapidly growing sports not only in the uk but in the world. The Women’s Super League (WSL) is now widely regarded as one of the best women’s football leagues in the world. For this reason many world class players have joined English clubs and this has repeatedly attracted the attention of the media and fans. But does this celebration of foreign talent lead home grown players being overshadowed?
One example of this is Ashleigh Neville. The spurs defender has been with the club for 5 years and is arguably one of their best players if not the best. In the 2021/2022 season she played 21 out of their 22 games and proved herself as a very talented footballer in all of them. Ashleigh Neville is also a fan favourite and this is showcased through the supporters player awards that the club runs at the end of each season. Not only did she win the general supporters player award (voted on by adult fans) but also the junior supporters player (which is voted on by the junior fans) clearly illustrating that she is a role model for young people.
Ashleigh Neville has also prevented countless goals and has shown great skill in not only her defensive ability but also in her attacking ability, as she scored multiple goals for the club in the 2021/2022 season alone. One example of this is the header that she scored against Leicester in their final game of the season. Ashleigh Neville was one of the only spurs players who would routinely make the WSL ‘team of the week’ and while some may argue that this is not necessarily a good measure of a players overall ability the fact that she can be a member of this team time and time again shows that she is a great player, particularly when she is represents a team that are not wildly successful in the WSL. It is clear that Ashleigh Neville is a brilliant footballer, however she does not receive the praise and global attention that many other stars do.
In terms of statistics, Ashleigh Neville has the second most assists and is placed third in terms of goalscoring which is rare for a defender. This shows not only that she can defend but that she is a very versatile player as she has the skill to not only assist goals but also to score them herself. She also has the third most appearances for the club and is only one appearance behind the top two players (Rachel Williams and Molly Bartrip). The fact that she only missed one game in the 2021/2022 season shows that Ashleigh Neville is a reliably good player as she performs well for spurs week in week out.
This underappreciation may be due to women’s football having a relatively small fanbase in comparison to its male counterpart, as fans may be likely to gravitate towards the most successful teams. Therefore, teams who do not win as many trophies, such as spurs can go underappreciated. This may result in the players from these teams being underappreciated in the general football world. The fanbase will grow with time and women’s football has become far more popular in recent years. The Lionesses’ success at the women’s euros has caused a large increase in media attention on women’s football and the players have become icons. This still is not enough however and the legacy of the tournament still needs to be considered. The England players that play in the WSL are only from the top four teams (Manchester united, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City in no particular order) and so players that do not play for these clubs do not get as cherished as they perhaps should. However this will likely change with time as women’s football becomes even more popular and I have hope for the future of the sport and its lesser-known players. Perhaps Ashleigh Neville will become a household name as Ellen White and Lucy Bronze have done in recent years.
Written by Elizabeth Toye
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