Helen Ward: “We should always be prepared for worst-case scenario”

Helen, who plays for third-tier Watford Women FC, took to Twitter in January after the FA shut down tiers three to seven in women’s football due to a second wave of Coronavirus in the country. The consequences of this decision have had a huge impact on the personal and professional lives of the players at that level.

“When the announcement came in January that we were going into another lockdown, it just became a little bit overwhelming. The thought of being at home all day, trying to home school kids of three and six while simultaneously trying to keep myself fit was daunting.”

“It was particularly difficult the second time round, because it was only from Tier 3 down in the women’s game that had to stop. In the summer we were all kind of in it together. Nobody was playing football and it was a bit of a novelty, but in the winter it felt a bit different - more lonely, and I think that was probably the most difficult thing to deal with.”

My Watford team-mates were all in the same boat as none of us have had the chance to train and play together as a team, but they didn’t have the same worries about maintaining match fitness ahead of international games. However, I had to make sure that I didn’t fall behind the level of my Wales teammates, who have been able to train and play.”

“I was having an emotional moment when I shared my fears on Twitter, but I had really kind responses and encouraging messages that said: ‘Don’t let it beat you’. So here I am, we’re hopefully out the other side now and I’m still a footballer.”

“However, it’s daunting to be turning 35, having basically lost a year of my career – time that I cannot afford to lose. I’ll be lucky to have reached 15 games in the last 12 months and that lack of consistency brings its own problems in terms of injuries - which is a huge risk at this point in my career.” 

“I am the oldest player at both my club and in the Wales international team, but I don’t want to be judged or defined by that - I still feel like I’ve got another few years in me at the highest level. So going forward I’m just going to have to focus on the advantages of being an experienced player as opposed to any physical drawbacks that come with it.”

“With all this in mind, I’m going in to the 2021/2022 season with a positive outlook, as things are certainly looking a bit more rosy than they did this time last year. In saying that - there are things that need to be addressed to minimise any negative impact on the women’s game in years to come.”