Rehanne Skinner shares plans for new-look West Ham; Australia star Mackenzie Arnold an "ultra-professional" for the WSL side; Skinner also says female coaches need "tools" to reach the top; watch the WSL live on Sky Sports from Sunday October 1
Tuesday 26 September 2023 17:40, UK
West Ham head coach Rehanne Skinner says her new club have big plans to "elevate" the women's team both on and off the pitch.
The former Tottenham boss joined West Ham in August to become the team's first female manager. She replaced Paul Konchesky at the helm.
This season, the 43-year-old is aiming to lift the club out of mid-table - having finished eighth last season - but also strengthen the team's impact on the wider women's game.
"We want to try and elevate the club's position. West Ham is a big football club," Skinner exclusively told Sky Sports.
"The team's been in the league for a long time, they've been in and around it in that middle group, right here, right now. We've got a lot of work to put in behind the scenes.
"With Baroness Karren Brady, Tara Warren, Nicola Keye coming into the club to drive the women's board in particular, it's a huge step forward and statement for the club, to contribute to how we really elevate the status of the club in the women's game."
West Ham have won both their pre-season matches, with France international Viviane Asseyi scoring a hat-trick during their 3-0 win over newly-promoted Bristol City.
Asseyi will be joined up front this season by Emma Harries, who transferred to West Ham from Reading in August.
"[The team are] capable of doing more, in terms of the confidence I'm trying to instil in them, to be on the ball more, look after the ball as well," Skinner added.
"It's been a lot about building their confidence actually, and supporting them through that process, through a transition of thinking that way and playing that way."
The Hammers host Manchester City in their first game of the season on Sunday October 1, with Gareth Taylor's side missing out on Champions League qualification through goal difference last season.
"Every game is a hard game in this league. Ultimately, the league is getting stronger and stronger every year, and that's exactly what everybody wants it to do," said Skinner.
"I'm new to the team. It's going to take us time to be able to build in the way that we want to, to be able to play the way that we want to, and each game will be trying to keep evolving the quality that we're delivering.
"That will start with Manchester City, trying to improve on pre-season and every game we'll keep chipping away at that."
Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold is a crucial player for West Ham, and now an international hero after saving back-to-back penalties to beat France at the Women's World Cup.
"I was fortunate enough to see Australia on a few occasions out there," Skinner said. "The penalty shootout definitely drew a lot of attention to her when she's saving two penalties back-to-back when the referees were making them retake it.
"That's something that she's got, the qualities to be able to perform at the highest stage in the biggest moments.
"She's a fun character, she takes life quite easily, relaxed about things, but when she's on the pitch and she's performing, she's an ultra-professional player. She's done herself really proud and her family in the country in this most recent tournament."
At this summer's tournament, England manager Sarina Wiegman was the last female coach remaining from the quarter-finals onwards.
Only 12 out of 32 nations in the tournament were coached by women, with Skinner believing consistent support is the key to helping more female coaches reach the top.
"It's really difficult to be a manager at the highest level of the game for anybody, it's really difficult to get to that point," she said.
"The opportunities that come throughout your career, for younger coaches developing, the way that we support through a mentoring system, is really key for people to be able to get to those positions and then stay there as well.
"Over of the course of my career growth, I was part of a mentoring scheme that really helped a core group of female coaches, who are all still involved in the game now.
"You have to be at the right level to deal with the job, because it's really challenging, and you have to have the tools in your locker to be able to achieve that.
"How we enable female coaches to have those tools is really the bit that will make the difference, in being involved in the game and the longevity within the game.
"That side of it for me as been lacking over certain periods of time. It's been a key focus and then it's disappeared, and then it's comeback, the consistency of that has got to get better and the support around the game."
Follow all the latest from the Women's Super League across SkySports.com and app, including exclusive features and interviews, plus dedicated live blog coverage and in-game clips from games live on Sky Sports.
You can also watch free match highlights from every WSL game this season on Sky Sports' digital platforms and YouTube channel, while all matches will continue to be shown on both Sky Sports Football, as well as on Sky Showcase, available in all Sky homes, even without a Sky Sports package, giving the competition greater visibility.
Alongside coverage and visibility for the league across all Sky Sports' main social media channels, the bespoke Twitter channel @SkySportsWSL will continue to be the home of all Barclays FA WSL content on Sky Sports.
The Sky Sports WSL TikTok account gives fans 360° coverage of the league and granting them exclusive access to their new favourite players. Through fun challenges and interviews, along with behind-the-scenes footage, viewers will get to know the WSL's array of personalities and see the sport from a new set of angles.
Meanwhile, fans can also keep up to date with everything on and off the pitch with the return of Three Players and a Podcast, hosted by Caroline Barker.
