Defender Amber Tysiak wants West Ham United women’s team to build on the foundations of last season’s record-breaking endevours in the Barclays Women’s Super League and strive for more this campaign.
The 2025/26 season gets underway for the Hammers on Sunday, with a trip to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur awaiting them in what is set to be an entertaining opening-day clash at BetWright Stadium in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Last season, Rehanne Skinner’s side enjoyed two victories over Spurs in a second half of the season that saw them chalk up five wins in all competitions, come from two goals down to be the only team to take a point away at champions Chelsea, and claim points at home to Manchester United and Manchester City.
Centre-back Tysiak featured in 20 of our 22 league matches last term, scoring two goals, and admitted the team started slowly in 2024/25, before showing their true capabilities. But she is determined to make sure the start of this season is different.
“I thought we did really well in the second half of last season, but overall we need to be more consistent,” said the 25-year-old.
“We need to take that momentum into the start of the season, because last season we didn’t have a great start. We had new players coming in late and we had to find connections, but now we have that foundation and we need to build on it. I think we need to aim for higher now and be a steady team, that’s what we want to be.
“We want to be in possession more too, as last season we played more on the counter attack. I’m looking forward to the start of the season!”
Belgium international Tysiak, now with 46 West Ham appearances to her name, was rewarded with a long-term contract extension in January, two years after she first walked through the doors at Chadwell Heath.
Having played semi-professional football before her move to the Irons, Tysiak has gone from strength to strength in Claret and Blue and is now one of Skinner’s leaders, and most experienced players in the dressing room.
“It’s been a journey for me,” Tysak continued. “I came here as a semi-professional football player with some injuries. I was given confidence from the staff and kept building on my abilities. I’m more of a complete athlete because of them.
“Two seasons ago was a transition season for me personally, even for the team, and last season I proved I can play week in, week out consistently.
“I also have more of a leadership role within the team, which is another positive for me personally, and I want to keep on developing that. I also want to help us keep as many clean sheets as we can."
While Tysiak is now focusing on her endeavors in the WSL, it was not long ago that she was playing on the international stage with Belgium at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland.
Our No5 played every minute in Belgium’s three group-stage fixtures against Italy, Spain and Portugal. After two defeats, Belgium defeated the latter 2-1 as they exited the tournament on a high.
“It was a busy summer, but I really enjoyed it,” said Tysiak, reflecting on her second major tournament with Belgium.
“It was a great experience. My first Euros was in England, and then this one was in Switzerland, and it's always special to be there. It’s an honour to play on the biggest stage.
“As a team, I think we were disappointed with the way the games went, especially the first one (a 1-0 loss to Italy) as we knew that was a big game. We grew into the tournament and ended on a high in the third game. It’s a process, but you could see, especially against Portugal, the way we want to play football.”
