A Big Year For… Sheffield’s Carla Ward

Sheffield FC Ladies captain Carla Ward looks ahead to the club’s WSL 2 debut, having joined five years earlier precisely because of the ambition and off-field planning that got them there. She is frank about her own year: surgery on an L4/L5 disc and a stress fracture at the base of her spine, with the enforced break between competitive games proving perfect timing for rehabilitation. She expects WSL clubs to be fitter and stronger, though she defends the quality in the FA Women’s Premier League, and notes that the squad has been rebuilt with new arrivals settling quickly. Her personal goal is simply to stay fit; the team’s, to compete and enjoy it rather than make up the numbers.