Southampton manager Marieanne Spacey-Cale says that she is proud of the club’s achievements in 2022 but they must look to move forward further in the New Year.
The Saints were FA Women’s National League Championship Play-Off Final winners in May while they have made an excellent start to life as an elite football club in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
Southampton go into the Christmas break in fourth place in the Barclays Women’s Championship table, just two points adrift of top spot. When recently speaking to FAWSL Full-Time, Spacey-Cale said that she is proud of her side for what they’ve achieved so far but they mustn’t stand still in terms of their continued development.
“The word that always springs to mind is proud,” Spacey-Cale said. “I’m proud of how they have adapted and adjusted to everything that is new for them – being full-time, the Championship being a new league, stepping up from tier three into the Championship, new players coming in, the staff having more contact time with the players, the stuff that we are doing on the pitch and off the pitch.
“I am really proud of where we are at the moment but I don’t want us to stand still. You can’t stand still, not only in football but in life, if you stand still you are old fashioned I guess. We have to keep moving forward and what’s next for us besides the games is how do we continue the growth and development of this programme at the club?”
Southampton’s success in the Barclays Women’s Championship this season has been helped by good squad availability. Other than Sophia Pharoah, there have been no long-term injuries in The Saints squad. Spacey-Cale went on to explain that the step from part-time to full-time football has been managed over a long period, something which has helped the players’ bodies adjust.
She said “Over the last couple of years, our vision was always to come into a full-time programme. Rather than making the switch on 1 July this year, we’ve done a lot of preparation previously like having the dietician here at the club, having the physical performance lead here talking about outputs and training levels, that’s been going on for two or three years. Rather than switching from part-time to full-time, it has been a transition that we have done well over 18 months.
“Having the availability of players is key, not just for games but also for training. We work very closely with the medical team and the physical performance team to make sure that we manage the loads because it has stepped up. We did a lot of work the year before but it has stepped up again so we all work together to ensure that the players are at the heart of everything we do and their welfare, loading and management is key.”
Southampton return to action on 15 January 2023 when Lewes are the visitors to St Mary’s Stadium in the Barclays Women’s Championship.
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