Lifelong West Ham United fan Kate Longhurst was a trailblazer.
The versatile midfielder was part of the Club’s first-ever professional women’s team in 2018 and would go on to spend half a decade in east London, playing 130 times, including an appearance in the 2019 Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley in the Irons’ first professional campaign.
Having joined from Liverpool, where she clinched two Women’s Super League titles, Longhurst departed the Hammers in May 2023, and would represent Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest, the latter whom she recently won promotion to the Barclays Women’s Championship with, before hanging up her boots - news the 36-year-old announced last weekend.
“It’s weird because I think I always thought I was going to play until I couldn't move anymore,” said the 36-year-old. “I think as soon as you hit 30, you're like, right, with every season, it's coming closer.
“By the end of this season, when I spoke to Nottingham Forest, and they needed younger, fresher players for next season, I thought I'd take the decision to retire.”
In her statement announcing her retirement, Longhurst admitted she always felt football was about playing on the pitch, but, as her career progressed, learned it was about the people met, and the friendships formed.
“There's so many good people that work at West Ham with that family feel,” she said. “To feel that valued at the Club I love was really important.
“The people I met, the players I met, every day was a laugh and good fun. While it was stressful at times, I can honestly say I look back at it and I know I enjoyed every moment of it.
“I think what I'll miss most is just being part of a team. I like to have a laugh and I take football really seriously. But I think more than anything, I appreciate just doing a job that I love and being able to do that with people that you actually get on with as well. It makes it a lot more special.”
Pushing Longhurst to name a select few people who were significant in shaping her footballing journey seemed harsh, given the countless faces that helped her along the way, but she did highlight her former Hammers captain Gilly Flaherty and manager Matt Beard.
The trio, alongside the rest of the 2018/19 West Ham United women’s team squad, made history in the Club’s first-ever professional season, sealing a date with Manchester City at Wembley in an FA Cup final after a dramatic penalty shootout victory against Reading in the last four.
Stepping out under the arch, a sea of Claret and Blue guiding her and her Hammers team out of the tunnel, Longhurst was living every West Ham fan’s dream.
“It was crazy,” she reminisced. “I think the semi-final was better because of the way we won the game. Winning a penalty shootout was so dramatic, and we didn't actually play that well.
“I always wanted to play at Wembley, so to do that with West Ham, walking out and hearing Bubbles, and seeing so many fans, it's certainly something I won't forget. I just remember seeing Claret and Blue everywhere.
“It was really special, and I don't think there's too many moments that top that.
“I think until I joined and signed, I didn't realise how important it would be to me. I had five fantastic years at the Club, and to wear the kit, wear the badge, represent the Club every day [was amazing]. It always meant a lot to me, trying to teach other players coming in what it's like to be a West Ham fan and a West Ham player.
“I almost saw it as two separate clubs. I saw it as West Ham women and West Ham men, because when I was younger, West Ham women weren't a professional team, so I never really thought ‘I want to play for West Ham’, because at the time they weren't professional.
“But in terms of the progression I've seen over the years, especially even now with the things that are in place, you see how far the Club's grown.
“We got to the FA Cup final in our first year of being professional. That was crazy, and the support that we had for that, with it being our first season, it was just a very exciting time to be part of it.
“But to also be part of the progression of the Club was something that I was really proud of.”
Longhurst’s 130 games in Claret and Blue make her the Club’s all-time top appearance maker since West Ham turned professional. In that time she scored nine goals, three in the WSL, and one in particular stood out.
Cupping her ear, heart racing, blood pumping, Longhurst charged down the touchline at Tottenham Hotspur having headed West Ham United level against their London rivals in the 92nd minute of a 1-1 draw in January 2022.
‘Have some of that!’ she screamed down the camera, eeking every last second out of the celebration.
“I can't tell you why I did it (the celebration),” she joked. “I just saw the camera, I even forgot it was on telly.
“I think if anyone remembers me from West Ham, that's what they remember, which is crazy because it's just one moment, and it was an equaliser. But we did go down to ten players, and I hate Spurs, so it was nice.
“They're the games that you want to have an impact on. I would definitely say that was a 20-second spell from my whole career which gave me the most adrenaline. You want to score against teams that you're not keen on.”
So, the final question to Longhurst was, what next?
“I'll probably stay within football in some capacity,” she said. “But I don't know what that looks like right now.
“I'm quite open to a lot of things, maybe a few little media bits, but I'm also realistic in terms of what's out there and what options there are. So I might have to do something alongside that as well, which I'm more than prepared to do.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to congratulate Kate on her fantastic career and wish her all the best in her retirement.
