Whether it’s club legends or fresh talent, finding the balance between youth and experienced players is crucial in building a stable and well-rounded squad, both at club and international level. Football leagues across the world have recognised and prided themselves on the display of experienced players and upcoming ballers. Perhaps most notably, the Women’s Super League and National Women’s Soccer League are two great examples of some of the world’s most successful women’s football leagues, where this balance is just right.
Women’s Super League
The Women’s Super League is best known for its array of talent of both experienced superstars and upcoming ballers. With the average player age 26, the youngest to make their debut was Lauren James for Arsenal aged 16, while the seasoned professional Becky Easton playing for Liverpool aged 41. The biggest stage for English football is the perfect place for players to showcase their talent and make big impressions. With experience and youth combined, the WSL is home to some of the best teams in Women’s football.
Let’s start with some of the most influential players. Those who bring the most experience to a side. These players are leaders, highly respected individuals on and off the pitch. Whether they wear the armband or not, they carry an aura of respect, gained from their expertise throughout their career. Many have played in an abundance of countries, picking up on different team camaraderie’s and styles of play.
Natasha Dowie. A distinguished Liverpool legend to many, who was part of the back-to-back title-winning team in 2013 and 2014 respectively. She was 2013’s top scorer with 13 goals in 14 games and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. Dowie departed Liverpool in 2015, going on to make her mark in multiple continents, for instance Boston Breakers, Swedish team Linköping FC, and Melbourne Victory. Dowie returned to the Reds in January on loan after a spell at Reading. As well as her urge to drive forward with the ball, she brings a plethora of personal qualities: grit, determination, refusing to be defeated until the final whistle. Although forced on the side-lines through injury for much of the season, she has no doubt been as influential in the changing room as on the field. This has only been amplified by her familiarity with manager Matt Beard, having worked together in her previous stint at Liverpool, as well as Boston. These manager-player relationships are essential in creating a team built on trust and openness, a team that will thrive.
Liverpool have certainly taken advantage of their experienced title-winning team, having brought back ex-captain Gemma Bonner, as well as Shanice Van De Sanden, who had a 2-season spell at the Reds in 2016. The same can be said for Arsenal, with the unexpected-to-many return of Jodie Taylor, not forgetting the announcement that former legend of the club Kelly Smith will be joining their coaching team until the end of this season. It is vital to have these players who have experience with playing at the highest level, competing for league titles and trophies, and having learnt to cope with the influx of pressure that comes with this. As well as raising competition within the squad and setting high standards of themselves and younger players, they bring a sense of calmness and composure. A calm environment equals a collected player, allowing them to perform at their optimum.
As influential as these players are on the pitch, many uphold that responsibility to be a voice off the pitch as well. In November 2022, Vivianna Miedema was granted a leave of absence from Arsenal and the Netherlands National Team, certainly affected by her lack of rest after contracting Covid during the Euros. She has been a voice for younger players who have perhaps felt unable to ask for time off themselves when they have needed it, saying “it does not need to be 100% all the time… take your break and come back stronger”. Miedema is also at the forefront of using her platform to demand more for the women’s game. For instance, she voiced her desire for Arsenal Women to play more games at the Emirates, saying “it’s not just the men’s stadium, it’s a club stadium”. Miedema is one example of many experienced players who are using their platform to make the game as tailored to and protective of players’ physical and mental needs as it can be.
Our @VivianneMiedema 😊🏡 pic.twitter.com/IQHdBeHjYb
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) May 24, 2023
While experience is all too vital in a title-hungry team, we must not undervalue what qualities are also brought by their youth players. These young ballers bring fresh legs, energy, a desire to stand out as an individual as well as a team. Unlike the majority of older players, this generation have had the exposure to strong female ballers growing up, that just wasn’t accessible not too many years ago. Whether they have travelled worldwide to compete in the WSL or come through academy ranks, clubs are hungry to commit to these players and invest their time and energy into.
Many young English players have relished the opportunity to travel abroad and develop their style of play though different leagues. American Universities are a prominent personal development pathway. University sport is a lot more popular in the USA, meaning it receives greater investment and interest in football, while UK university sport is rarely televised and lacks investment. As a result, American universities invest into their player’s long-term futures by placing high emphasis on players receiving a high-quality education alongside their sporting opportunities.
Liverpool player Miri Taylor is a great illustration of player development in America. Having played for Chelsea’s youth team, she made the jump over-seas in 2018 to earn a degree at Hofstra University whilst playing for her college team, before signing for Angel City in 2022. Taylor described the jump from college to professional football as “huge”. Taylor then took a move back to England in 2023 after signing for Liverpool, explaining that she preferred the English style of play, as American football was “tough and cut-throat”. Nevertheless, she described her time playing in America as “unbelievable for experience and lifestyle”, suggesting there is more experience to gain than simply on the pitch, and this has shaped her into the dynamic player that she is today.
Arsenal’s Lotte Wubben-Moy and Manchester United’s Alessia Russo also took advantage of this over-seas opportunity at North Carolina Tar Heels in 2017. Similar to Taylor, Russo explained that their personal development was forefront, reiterating the message at North Carolina: the main focus was their personal development, then their educational development, and then how they are developing as a soccer player. The duo echoed the voices of many youth players having played in America, in saying that it has improved not only their on-pitch performance but their character development as well. And this emphasis on personal qualities such as resilience and grit certainly seems to have been beneficial, with Russo and Wubben-Moy being part of the Euro 2022 winning squad.
National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)
The NWSL is another league full of talent. The United States based league has made headlines for the talented youth the league has players as young as 15 making their professional debuts for their retrospective clubs. Most recently, we’ve seen the likes of Chloe Rickets signing for Washington Spirit, and even younger Melanie Barcenas for San Diego Wave this March, making her debut in the 72nd minute against Orlando Pride.
It seems fair that many fans have expressed their concerns over the strain and pressure on, well, a child, and raises the question of how young is too young? Balancing education and being a full-time footballer to many seems an almost impossible task. The responsibility falls upon the clubs to make this work and protect their humans before their employees. And hopefully, this becomes the norm. For instance, in the NWSL, players cannot be traded without their and their parents’ consent before their 18th Birthday.
Finding the balance
Finding the balance of experienced versus youth players is difficult to do in any club team, let alone selecting a roster for an international tournament. While the 2023 Women’s World Cup is at the forefront of all football-enthusiasts’ minds, it will be an anxious wait for many players to find out the news of selection. It does pose the question of what international managers value the most in their team, and whether this balance of players is what we are expecting.
Taking the Euro-winning Lionesses for example: this silverware would have arguably been much further out of reach without players such as Ellen White, Jill Scott and Lucy Bronze, who’s experience of international tournaments brought a calmness and composure to what would have been a highly-pressurised home tournament. It seems unfitting not to include Leah Williamson in this conversation. From playing just 6 minutes in the 2019 Women’s World Cup to captaining England to bringing it home in the Euros last summer, being around experienced players has largely shaped her into the leader she is today. Williamson is a great example of the importance of investing in youth players who have less international experience and playing time.
Williamson discussed how playing alongside experienced players developed her on and off the pitch. She described teammate Alex Scott as “taking me under her wing on a professional and personal level” and using “tough love” to set the high standard for the younger players at the club. Ultimately, this seems to have paid off, with Williamson now captaining England and vice-captaining Arsenal. She is one of these player setting the standard herself, and supporting the development of players both at club and country. Despite her recent ACL injury meaning months off the pitch and a long road to recovery, she remains an integral player in club and international set-ups. This was more than evident in Arsenal’s Champion’s League semi-final against Wolfsburg, where in the final few minutes she gave youth player Teyah Goldie a pep talk, to calm her nerves in case she became subbed on. Simple actions like this go a long way for these young players, especially in such high-pressure moments.
Since the arrival of Lionesses manager Sarina Wiegman in September 2021, the value of youth players has also come to light in this England team. We’ve seen the likes of young superstars including Maya Le Tissier, Jess Park and Katie Robinson looking to cement their place in the squad after great performances recently with the Lionesses. When asked about the decision to bring in such young players, Wiegman simply replied that they are the best players and make up part of the best team. It is clear that she values the inclusion of young players in her squad. Ultimately, young players are the future of football, and it’s important that they work closely with experienced players in order to grow on and off the pitch.
Bringing in a stable balance of different players is a tricky task for a club, but done right could produce a team that is a force to be reckoned with.
Written by Emily Cleland
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