After penning a new contract at West Ham United, women’s team defender Shelina Zadorsky fondly stated east London feels like home, although it only took a matter of moments for her to feel welcomed into the Club.
The Canada international first arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on loan in January 2024, linking up with her former boss Rehanne Skinner, and has not looked back since - having featured ten times before joining permanently last summer.
Those ten matches were all Zadorsky needed to prove her qualities in Claret and Blue, and she was later appointed Skinner’s vice-captain ahead of 2024/25, adding experience to the manager’s leadership group. The No14 helped guide the Hammers to a record-breaking campaign, scoring her first goal - against Southampton in the Subway® Women’s League Cup - along the way, in what was a memorable season for so many reasons.
To date, having recorded 36 appearances for the Hammers, the 32-year-old has made a telling impact on the pitch, and her bubbly, warm personality has added to the family feel around the Club, too - whether that’s laughing in the corridors of Chadwell Heath with Viviane Asseyi and Amber Tysiak or taking the younger members of the squad under her wing.
Indeed, the smiles will continue for Zadorsky after she committed her future to the Club, and the centre-back cannot wait to enter another WSL season in Claret and Blue.
Shelina, congratulations on signing a new contract at West Ham United. How does it feel to have extended your stay at the Club?
“I’m so excited to stay with the Club, sign a contract, and work towards building on last year. I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
What factors went into you signing a new contract?
“I think everyone I’ve worked with, all the staff, all the players, I have such good relationships with, and I felt really at home and welcomed in. I felt I could keep growing as a footballer, and I want to improve on my performances and help push this team forward.”
You mentioned it there. Would you say this Club feels like home now?
“Definitely, yeah! It happened quite quickly, and I think it’s down to the environment we’ve created and all the work that goes in.
“I think we’re so cohesive, and we have a lot of fun together, but I think we’ve increased the competitiveness as well. It’s a good mix for me."
Everyone mentions the family feel around the squad.
“I would definitely say we’re a tight-knit group. We all have incredible friendships, and I think that only builds a good team that puts in performances.
“I think we can go even further than we did last season, and I’m excited for that."
We set new records last season, and there were so many positives to come from it. How much did you enjoy 2024/25?
“I just think getting more goals and more points was so important for us. The players we added made such an impact, and I think we added to the group in such a positive way.
“Obviously as a defender I want to keep more clean sheets, but I think we grew into that, and I think we can do even better. It was such an enjoyable season that had its ups and downs, but I think we learnt a lot.”
What have been your favourite memories from your time at the Club so far?
“I think it’s hard to pick a very favourite. Definitely the result against Arsenal early on [in February 2024] when I first joined was really powerful. I think knowing that we had the players and the mentality to come away with a result like that [was good].
"When I came back from international duty in March, watching the girls put in that performance against Arsenal last season was really powerful. It’s all the little moments too. It’s laughing with Vivi [Asseyi] at the training ground, and it’s working with Amber [Tysiak] day in, day out. It’s all of those things that mean so much to you."
As well as those Arsenal performances, we picked up results against Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United last season. The team seem unfazed about who they come up against.
“The draw against Chelsea was really important too. We really fought back for that, and I really enjoyed that game.
“Playing some of the best teams in the world, we can really be challenged, and I think we were up for the challenge. We showed, on any given day, if we show up, we can get results.”
You were appointed vice-captain last season, how much of a privilege was that for you?
“It’s such an honour to lead any team and be in the leadership group and help drive the team forward. I’m always focused on how I can make those around me better whilst also improving my own game.
“I’m such a people person, so I take that in my stride, but I think with this group everyone is receptive to feedback, and everyone wants to get better. I think we also have a lot of leaders, so we share the job."
How much do you enjoy working with Katrina Gorry and the rest of the leadership group?
“Yeah, I really enjoy it. Working with people who have had long and successful careers, it’s great to learn from. Katrina’s training habits and how much of a professional she is - she leads by actions so often, and I think she brings such a caring energy to the group.
“Even others like Vivi, who has just had one of her best seasons, and I’m really proud to see her scoring goals like that. She’s so talented, and that excites me.
“There’s Amber as well, working with her in the backline. We have great characters and great people, and it’s fun to learn from them.”
You’ve worked with Rehanne for a number of years, how does she get the best out of you?
“Our working relationship has really pushed me to be a better player and also pushed me to bring out my qualities on and off the pitch.
“She inspires me to lead more and work with the younger players as well, showing them the things I’ve learnt along the way. She’s really honest, and I respect that a lot."
You’ve returned for pre-season, so how excited are you to work towards another WSL campaign?
“I’m so excited to be back in east London, back with the group. It’s a really exciting time, and we’re building off of solid results, and I want to take us further."
And finally, what do you think can be achieved this season?
“Ultimately we want to do better. We always want to do better than the season before. Towards the end of the season the table was so tight, and that shows the quality of the league.
“Every game’s a challenge, but I want to get more clean sheets and more wins.”
