Over the last few years, many fans of Australian women’s football would have followed the exploits of their favourite players in America’s NWSL after the end of the W-League.
This has all changed now though as the lure of European football has become too great to resist. Many Matildas will now ply their trade with the biggest women’s football clubs in Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The English WSL competition in particular has attracted some big Australian names, so fans of Arsenal, Bristol City, Chelsea, Everton and West Ham will be seeing the likes of Caitlin Foord, Chloe Logarzo, Sam Kerr, Hayley Raso and Mackenzie Arnold on a weekly basis in the 2020-21 season.
The move of players away from the NWSL to Europe will have a huge impact on the W-League as the European leagues will operate at the same time as the Australian competition. Who better placed to comment on what this will all mean for the W-League, the Matildas, and future recruitment than Bristol City WSL coach Tanya Oxtoby?
The proud West Australian played in the English League for Doncaster Rovers Belles in 2012, holding coaching positions in England from 2012 to 2014 with Lincoln Ladies and Nottingham Forest. Oxtoby then returned to Australia where she was the assistant coach at Perth Glory and was also involved with the Young Matildas. She went back to the UK in 2016 and became Assistant Coach and Director of Development at Notts County Ladies, before moving to Birmingham City as their assistant coach in 2017. Bristol City took her on as head coach in 2018.
With the English pre-season now in full swing, we asked Oxtoby about whether she was surprised by the recent influx of Australians to European leagues and how she thought this would impact the W-League.
“Given the rise of women’s football in Europe, it’s not really a surprise that so many of our amazingly talented players are now calling European clubs home. To be honest I’ve been here over four years now, and I was surprised it took as long as it did for the influx to start. Speaking from experience every game, every week against every opposition in the WSL is a challenge, and with our girls coming across now the quality is only continuing to get better and better.
With regards to the W-League, it’s definitely at a crossroads with how it will continue to grow and support the next generation of Australian talent given our most experienced players have gone to Europe. The football landscape across both the male and female game in Australia is currently being reviewed from a strategic point of view, and at the end of that process hopefully, there will be a clear vision for where the W-League sits within that landscape and how it will continue to support the Matildas and the youth structures.”
When the question was asked about what sort of impact all of this movement would have on player development, and how this will impact the national team, Oxtoby had this to say:
“Naturally there will be an improvement in the player’s development for those who are benefitting from a fully professional environment for ten months of the year. That should hopefully create all sorts of headaches for the new national team head coach, and competition for places is always such a healthy place to be as a squad. Our Australian players deserve the very best environment, to be challenged tactically week in week out, to take their physical attributes to the next level, as that’s how they will continue to develop and grow for our national team.”
With a proven track record coaching professional teams both in England and Australia, as well as being part of the coaching setup for the Young Matildas from 2014 to 2016, Oxtoby could well be in the running to be the next Matildas coach. However, Oxtoby was diplomatic when asked what she thought her prospects might be:
“(I’ve) no idea on who the next coach will be, I’m sure the FFA will have a thorough process they will follow to ensure they get the best possible fit for all areas of the role. I think for any professional Australian coach, to be considered to lead your country, and a team with such amazing talent and a rich history would be an honour and privilege. If that opportunity ever arose, of course, it would be something I would consider, however my focus at the moment is on preparing us for what will be another really tough year in the WSL with Bristol.”
The number of Australians (including Tanya herself) at Bristol City now number six. As well as Logarzo and Ella Mastrantonio in the senior squad, there are also three young West Australians in their academy squad (Sarah Mitchell, Grace Mitchell and Alix Davies), so what are Oxtoby’s thoughts about possible future partnerships forming in Australia with English WSL teams?
“The way the game has grown now in Europe it’s really important that you get your recruitment right. We are always planning two transfer windows ahead, looking for players who fit our philosophy both from a footballing point of view, and a character perspective as well. They have to be tough, they have to want to develop and push themselves because being at Bristol with our resources is challenging. I think like anything in football it’s about building networks and having the kids like Sarah, Grace and Alix come over was never a gamble for me because I’ve worked with them previously, and in terms of our youth setup they meet all the things we look at profile-wise in our young footballers.”
