Following a first season as captain of West Ham United women’s team, Katrina Gorry enjoyed what she described as her ‘first proper off-season’, meaning she returned to Chadwell Heath this week ready and raring to go.
As well as having a break from the pitch, Gorry and her now wife Clara Markstedt tied the knot on what was a magical day for the pair, allowing the 32-year-old to enjoy some well-earned downtime with her family in Australia after the momentous occasion.
During the off-season, our skipper reflected on last term, revelling in the record-breaking memories at Chigwell Construction Stadium - a ‘special’ campaign for many reasons, as Gorry was crowned the WSL Player Champion of Change at the Women’s Professional Game Awards.
But agonisingly, just two points more would have seen Rehanne Skinner’s side finish sixth in the Barclays Women’s Super League, something, instead of being despondent about, Gorry is using as fuel for the upcoming season.
Before the opening day in September, Gorry, who featured in every WSL match last term, and her Hammers have seven weeks to prepare in pre-season, examining every last detail with a fine-tooth comb alongside Skinner and her coaching staff.
Love it or hate it, pre-season is something every player has to complete and the Australia international - as sports physiotherapist Chris Clarke-Irons walked past behind her - discussed her enjoyment of testing and training, as well as reuniting with the squad and her early goals for the upcoming campaign.
How does it feel to be back for pre-season?
“It feels really nice. I had a really nice summer, probably my first proper off-season, so it was really nice to step back and really miss the game. Coming back, it did feel like coming back home, seeing all the girls and all the smiles on everyone’s faces. It’s all really exciting."
Over the summer you got married, congratulations!
“Thank you! It was epic, the wedding was more than I ever thought it was going to be. It was absolutely magical. But I think mainly just to have time with the kids, time with Clara, and also with all my family back home, it was really nice to reset and put football behind for a little bit, and get focused on the season."
Did you reflect on the season over the summer?
“Yeah, for sure. I think when you’re not playing you reflect on what football means to you and what the season meant for me, and for the team. How we can progress and get better, and also what we achieved as a team, how we all came together, I think it was a pretty special season. I knew it was going to be that way. It’s always nice to sit back and reflect on the things we did well, the things we can work on and, I guess for me, how to be better to continue to go forward.”
Pre-season is underway, are you a player who enjoys it?
“I love pre-season. I hate seeing testing, but when I’m in testing, I kind of love it. For me, I like to push myself, to push the limits a little bit. A couple of years ago I would’ve hated pre-season, but this is probably my first proper full pre-season season, so I’m excited to see how much you progress in the seven weeks until the first game."
Have you set any individual or team goals for the upcoming season?
“You always have goals. I think for me, it’s to be a captain who is supportive, to make everyone feel like they’re heard and seen, and that we’re always together no matter what the result is or what we’re up against. We showed last season that we can have our backs against the wall and always come back, and I think it’s making sure we have a positive and safe environment, and making sure everyone’s thriving. For us, it’s about getting into that top half of the league. We have the players to do it, we have great staff around us, so I think our goal is to keep on pushing.”
That echoed what Rehanne said to you in the team meeting, how hungry is everyone to build on last season?
“When you reflect on the points we missed out on and where we could have done better in games, to see how close the table was at the end of the season, we could have been sixth, we ended up ninth, it lights a fire in your belly to make sure you finish out the games, you start games the way you want to and make sure we have a good start to the season this year. I think they’re all things we’re looking forward to and making sure we don’t make the same mistakes as last season."
