New Manchester City winger Hayley Raso says that playing in-front of the club’s returning fans will give her extra drive and motivation.
The 26-year-old Australian international joined Manchester City on a free transfer yesterday after leaving former club Everton. Raso spent 18 months with The Blue Girls but did not have the chance to meet the club’s fans due to games being played behind-closed-doors.
The fans at Raso’s new club Manchester City are gearing up for a return to games in their numbers next month and the player admits that she is excited by the prospect of playing in-front of big crowds once again.
“I am so looking forward to it,” Raso told FAWSL Full-Time in a Manchester City press conference. “Last year was quite challenging not having fans in the stadium so I think that it has been a long time coming and everyone is looking forward to welcoming fans back in.
“It will give you that extra drive and that extra motivation when you play.”
The opening day of the new Barclays FA Women’s Super League season gives Raso the opportunity to play in-front of both her former and current clubs’ fanbases with Manchester City travelling to Goodison Park to face Everton. Having experienced playing in an empty Goodison Park last year with Everton, Raso believes that the latest opportunity is a fascinating prospect.
She said “I played in the FA Cup at Goodison last year with Everton and it is an amazing field and an amazing stadium so I am really looking forward to going out there again but obviously, I’ll be on the other side this time.
“I think that it will be quite interesting playing against my former team but I am just really looking forward to getting out on the pitch with City.”
During her time with Everton, Raso became well-known for wearing royal blue ribbons in her hair for home games and yellow ribbons, the colour of the club’s away shirt, when playing away from Merseyside. The midfielder admits that she won’t take to the field without her ribbons and that there is a special delivery coming from Australia before the start of the new season.
“Of course, I don’t really play a game without them,” Raso said when discussing the prospect of wearing ribbons resembling the colours of new club Manchester City on opening day. “My nan is the one who sends them over and she has already sent the ones matching the Manchester City strip over to England so I am just waiting for them to arrive. Yeah, you’ll see the ribbons in my hair again.”
Raso has signed a two-year deal with Manchester City while she will wear the number two shirt for the club in the coming season.