During the October international break, a Club-record 20 West Ham United women’s team players were away with their countries.
One of those players was left-back Verena Hanshaw, who was once again called up to Austria’s squad for their UEFA Women’s Nations League promotion/relegation play-off with Czechia.
Although Austria fans may always expect Hanshaw, who made her senior international debut in 2012, to receive the call from Alexander Schriebl when the international breaks roll around, the excitement and honour always remains the same for the 31-year-old, who never takes the call-ups for granted.
“I remember my first call-up to the senior Austria squad,” smiled Hanshaw, who was called up for the upcoming November international window on Wednesday. “I was playing in the Under-19s and I got the call that I was moving to the seniors. For me, it was very special. In Austria, sadly, we don’t have that many players, but for me it was still very special for me to be there that young.”
Vienna-born Hanshaw became West Ham United’s first Austrian player in nearly six years when she signed for the Club from AS Roma in January 2025. As well as playing in Italy, her journey to east London took her via Germany, where she played for Herforder, Cloppenburg, Freiburg, Sand and Eintracht Frankfurt.
The move across the border from Austria in 2010 was a daunting but necessary one for her to kick-start her career.
“Women’s football in Austria was not as developed and we didn’t have a lot of choices at that time,” said Hanshaw, who started playing football aged five alongside her twin brother.
“My dream and my goal was to go to Germany, and I did that when I was 16, which was obviously at a very young age. It was tough at the beginning, but it made me who I am today and I’m proud that I did that.
“The first club (Herforder SV in Berlin) was quite far away, in the car it was ten hours, so my parents weren’t able to come up for the day. I was lucky because I went there with a really close friend from Austria (Laura Feiersinger).
“I learned a lot. For me, I was playing professionally, but on the other side it wasn’t really professional. However, playing-wise, it was cool to compete with the best players at the best level. In Germany at that time, I remember playing against [Germany international striker] Alexandra Popp. I was so scared the first time I played against her! But you just grow into it and learn so many things.
“You’re always trying to improve and because you’re alone, you’re trying to manage things by yourself. It makes you resilient. It was not easy at that time because women’s football was way different than it is now. I’m glad for that time, though.”
Hanshaw settled at Frankfurt and spent six years there, representing the club more than 100 times, including games in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. What’s more, she struck up a strong friendship with forward Shekiera Martinez, who she later reunited with in east London.
“When I moved to Frankfurt, it was not ‘Eintracht Frankfurt’,” Hanshaw continued. “It (the women’s team) was called FFC Frankfurt, so it was their own club, not with the men’s team together. When I came, there were a lot of talks that they wanted to come together to become one club, just to get better infrastructure, better pitches, better everything.
“I think it took three years for that to happen. It shows it’s not easy for things to come together. It was great to see us growing as a team, every year I saw a massive improvement. When I think about Shekiera [Martinez] and other girls who were there, they were like babies!
“You see them growing and yourself growing with the same people around you, because we didn’t have big changes inside the team. We made it to the Champions League and I was super proud of that. It was made even more special because we were all together from the lower point to the top.
“I’m always someone who looks out for other people. I was often called ‘the Mum’ of the team when I was at Frankfurt. When I feel someone is struggling or they need something, it’s important that young players feel good and confident. I always want to help wherever I can.”
Hammers Yearbook...
Verena Hanshaw answers questions about her teammates...
Who is the best dressed?
“I think I’d say Shelina Zadorsky. I love what she wears, it’s always something new!”
Who would you call in an emergency?
“I’d probably call Shekiera Martinez, or Seraina Piubel.”
Who is most likely to win the lottery, but lose the ticket?
“It’s Shekiera! She’s not great with things [like that].”
Who is the smartest?
“I’d probably say Kinga Szemik.”
Who would be your karaoke partner?
“Probably Shekiera or Seraina because we could sing in German!”
Who would you want to sit next to on a long flight?
“I’d happily sit next to anyone!”
Who is always early to training?
“I’m always early! I’ll say me, Eva Nyström or Seraina.”
Who would be the best comedian?
“I think Vivi Asseyi is super funny, so I’ll say her.”
You have to choose one player to take a penalty, and if they score you win £10 million…
“That’s hard, I’ll go with Manuela Paví.”
