Goalkeeper Kinga Szemik played all 1,980 minutes of West Ham United women’s team’s Barclays Women’s Super League season - not bad for her first campaign in England’s top flight.
Having joined from French side Stade de Reims last summer, Szemik kept four WSL clean sheets as Rehanne Skinner’s side finished eight points better than the 2023/24 season, breaking Club records along the way, including for the most WSL points and victories at Chigwell Construction Stadium in a single term.
The No1, who won the women’s team’s fan-voted Save of the Season award for her terrific one-handed stop against Arsenal in March, grew with confidence with every game played.
In her signing interview in July, the Poland international stressed she saw the Club as the best place for her to grow as a player and as a person. And, reflecting on her first campaign as a Hammer at Chadwell Heath, while admitting there were challenges to face, she feels she will be better for her maiden season in the WSL.
“I’m really happy and thankful that I had the chance to play all of the games,” said Szemik.
“It was very challenging, I’m not going to lie. The team was new at first, it took us time to understand each other better, but the league is very demanding, and the margin for error is so small. This whole year has shown me so much, and I’m sure it will make me a better player.
“It’s been a long season. We had our ups and downs but overall we broke some records and I’m very proud of us, as a team.
“Obviously we didn’t finish the way we wanted to, but I think it’s something to take into the next season and make sure that we are better in those details, because those are going to be the margins that put us in a better place at the end of the season.
“The fundamentals are there and I think we’re on the right path.”
While some players are able to take their mind off football as they begin their summer holidays, for Szemik, and other members of the women’s team, their season is far from over.
The 27-year-old is currently away with Poland for their UEFA Women’s Nations League fixtures against Northern Ireland and Romania. Her country is targeting promotion from Group B1, but will also be determined to put in one last round of positive performances before they embark on their first-ever major tournament at this summer’s UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland.
Having not taken her foot off the gas since arriving in east London last summer, Szemik openly discussed the difficulty of trying to strike a balance between taking a break, but also keeping her mind focused on the task at hand in the coming months. Although a struggle, she admitted it allows her to enjoy football in its purest form, for the love of the game.
“I always think the [international] games in June are very challenging mentally, for us,” she continued.
“We’ve obviously come to the end of the season, but we keep on training and don’t get too much of a break because we need to keep going and going to perform in the upcoming games.
“I always find this time the most challenging, but I look forward to it because it obviously develops you as a player, and you need to do your best to prepare to stay focused, and I’m hoping to get two wins.
“I am still trying to learn about myself to find the best way to go about it. Each year is a little bit different. I try to be balanced a little bit. Obviously we’re not playing games right now, so I can try to enjoy football for what it is.
“It might sound weird for some people, but when you play each weekend, yes, you’re playing the game, but you have the expectation of things that you need to prepare for. So it’s more of a job than the joy itself. Sometimes it overpowers the true passion for football.
“So in the off-season, I try to do it because I love doing it, and I don’t think about too much else.
“You care, and you want to be better, but you need to chill out a bit. I think that’s challenging because in every training [session], during the season, you try to push, and push, and push, [so] to be able to take a step back and just enjoy football for what it is, is a challenge.”
Poland are accompanied by Germany, Sweden and Denmark in Group C of this summer’s Euros, with their campaign getting underway against the former on Friday 4 July (8pm BST).
At the time of writing, Szemik has kept four clean sheets in her last five matches for her country, two of which helped Poland qualify for the Euros, with her side enjoying an eight-match unbeaten run ahead of their Nations League fixtures.
“It (the Euros) will be the biggest tournament of my life so far,” she added. “But we do have the two Nations League games first, so I’m looking forward to them.
“I’m just trying to be in the moment. I don’t overthink it, I try to be in the here and now. It (the Euros) will come, and then I’ll think about it more.”
