As the season wraps up, our official intelligent automation partner ABBYY caught up with three of our women's players: goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, captain Kim Little, and defender Jenna Nighswonger, to talk about their motivations, challenges, and the growing role of technology in football.
**What first sparked your interest in football?**
Manu: My father was a goalkeeper, and my uncle was also a player, so there was football in the family. Lots of my friends were boys growing up, so I was kicking a ball around with them and fell in love with the game. I started as an outfield player and didn’t try goalkeeping until I was about nine or ten - I was trying to be someone I wasn’t!
Kim: I was always an active kid and played football all the time with my little brother. Once I joined a team, I realised how much I enjoyed the competitiveness and the teamwork.
Jenna: I started playing football at about three to four years old. My older sister joined the recreational league in our local area, and I just very quickly fell in love with the game!
**Have there been times when being a woman in football felt particularly challenging?**
Manu: Certain things like the pressure on us as players and individuals are challenging for all footballers, particularly online. In terms of being a woman specifically, people still say, “oh, it’s just women’s football”. But we keep showing what we’re capable of time and time again.
Kim: Most footballers will say they’ve not been given the same amount of respect or resources as men, and to be honest the world of football is still male dominated. I’d say the biggest challenge to this day is that we’re still not on an even playing field, but we’re always pushing for equal resources and facilities to perform to the level we know we can.
Jenna: Women in all professions will have barriers, but in football as everywhere else, we just have to show everyone that we deserve to be there. There’s a feeling that you have to prove yourself again and again.
**How have you managed to push through the challenges?**
Manu: Being part of the Arsenal community helps. It’s not just the team - we’ve got a full squad, academy players, staff, management, commercial, and of course, the fans. It gives a sense of togetherness which makes everything easier to face.
Kim: Dealing with the challenges has taken a lot of player responsibility and advocacy – speaking out, and working with decision makers and player unions like the PFA. We need to keep pushing for holistic change, especially by influencing club leadership to invest more in resources for women’s teams.
Jenna: It’s about pushing through and reminding yourself you're doing it for yourself, and for other women too. I want to keep building on that, making football more inclusive.
**How do you stay motivated?**
Manu: I would say that motivation comes and goes. The real thing to focus on is discipline. On hard days where I don’t feel motivated for training, it’s discipline that gets me out of bed and to the pitch. It drives me, no matter what.
Kim: I’m quite an intrinsically motivated person, but I have to make sure I don’t get influenced by external challenges, and keep coming to the game my best self. I’m quite competitive, so I use not wanting to lose to push myself!
Jenna: I don’t find it hard to stay motivated. I'm in such a great environment now where my teammates motivate me to be better every day. I also set myself goals, and work to keep them every day.
**Where do you see women’s football going in the next five years?**
Manu: I think it should get to the point where football is just football, not split into men's and women's. Arsenal have a ‘one club’ mentality - one game, one fan base - which is quite unusual at the moment. I think the England team is the number one example of women’s football driving forward, we already raised the bar so high. I'm just looking forward to where the game can go.
Kim: We just need to keep building the game. It’s going from strength to strength, and we’re still riding the momentum from the excitement and buzz after the Euros and World Cup in Australia a couple of years ago. I think it’ll keep following that upwards trajectory, and as more and more young girls get into playing football, the quality of professional women’s teams will keep growing.
Jenna: The only way is up right now, there’s no ceiling for how far we can go. The game has skyrocketed in the past five years - it’s exciting that we’re getting so much traction right now!
> "GPS tracking helps us stay healthy and match analysis really helps me prepare"
**In your view, how important is technology in modern football?**
Manu: All the information you get out of the GPS and heart rate monitor are literally game-changing. VAR is also important. Sometimes we think it's good, sometimes bad - but it is important.
We’ve got to remember though that at the end of the day, we’re human. Technology helps, but we need to make sure we don’t lose our knowledge. We still need to grow, improve, and keep evolving, not just rely on the technology.
Kim: Technology is so important to the game now, and we’ve seen a drastic change in its use even in the last five years. Some of the key ones in my opinion are the player GPS, which, coupled with recordings of the games, gives us statistics that help us strategise.
Data has a big impact on how we prepare for games. Analysis and data on our physical testing and even MRI scanners improve what we can do on the pitch. And that’s why people come to watch us!
Jenna: Sometimes it goes unnoticed, but technology plays a huge role in football. Day-to-day things like GPS tracking helps us stay healthy, and match analysis really helps me prepare. Even VAR has made the game more accurate, and supports the referees.
Personally I wouldn’t want to play without technology, especially the analysis of my own form, and opponents’ form before we play them. Being new to the league, I don’t know every player yet, so watching film helps me feel more prepared and confident going into matches. Reviewing my training sessions also helps me spot areas to improve.
**What advice would you give to young girls looking to get into football?**
Manu: Have fun and be who you want to be.
Kim: Just enjoy the game, and recognise what it can give you. Football can provide you with great connections, a support network, and a social base, regardless of what level you’re playing at. It’s a great sport to be a part of.
Jenna: Enjoy the ride! Enjoy playing football – the passion will help you grow. Don't ever lose the passion.
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