Alessia Russo, a Manchester United striker, believes that "women's football is now getting the credit it deserves."
Last month, Alessia Russo broke England Women’s record for the fastest ever hat-trick; in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, the Manchester United Women striker tells how a stint with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the United States showed her what can be accomplished in English football.
WSL Season
Sky Sports and the BBC have split broadcasting rights for the women’s top division since the start of the 2021/22 season, in an agreement hailed by the FA’s head of the women’s professional game, Kelly Simmons, as “game-changing.”
Last month, during the Women’s Football Weekend, when the WSL took centre stage during the Premier League’s international break, over 1.5 million people tuned in to watch the women’s game, and over 40,000 people attended the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley last week.
The WSL also established a goal of nearly increasing attendance by 2024 in November. It’s a lofty goal, but Barclays’ announcement that it will invest £30 million in the women’s game over the next three years will undoubtedly help.
Alessia Russo
Russo has firsthand experience with how huge the women’s game can be. After a few WSL 2 outings with Brighton as an 18-year-old, she relocated to the United States to play college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who often drew crowds of 3,000.
In its last full season with supporters in 2019, the NWSL had an average attendance of over 7,000 – greater than the WSL’s 2024 target – and watching figures on par with Major League Baseball for its TV coverage in 2020.
“It’s huge out there, possibly greater than men’s because they have so many other sports – basketball, American football, baseball,” Russo added. “We can learn a lot from that system; the crowds they attract, as well as their fan base and following, are incredible.”
“When I went, I wasn’t overwhelmed; in fact, I enjoyed it. Going into college, I wasn’t anticipating too many spectators, yet our first game sold out a 5,000-seat stadium. You get approximately 3,000 people every week, which is insane for a college team, but I liked it. It was fantastic, and the college provided excellent support.”
Along with the rest of the game, Russo is getting a lot of extra attention this season. Her 2020/21 season was marred by a nagging hamstring injury that proved tough to shrug off, but the 22-year-old has bounced back with three goals in six starts for Manchester United this season.
A Recall to England Senior Squad
Though an impressive performance in a 20-0 World Cup qualifying win over Latvia may not have been the most stern test to impress Serina Wiegman, it did make her the Lionesses’ fastest ever hat-trick scorer – despite starting on the bench – with her rapid trio of goals coming in just 11 short minutes.
“I was really pleased to be back in the squad,” she explained, “but I had no idea it was the fastest hat-trick until I got off and someone told me.” “Hopefully, one day, I’ll tell the grandkids about it!”
“It was great to see you again.” When you’re out with an injury, you don’t expect to be out for as long as you did, but that’s how rehab works, and it felt great to be back with the team. I was excited to be back in the squad and train with some of the finest players in the country. Then I was fortunate enough to be offered a position, which was fantastic, and I enjoyed being back with the national team.
“When you’re dealing with an injury, you have to keep your mind on other things. One of the things that came to me was that, while rehab is difficult, think about where you want to go and how much you enjoyed it while you were there. I was always looking forward to getting out on the field, performing well, and hopefully representing England, because I’d had a taste of it before and that only made me want it more.”
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