Niamh Charles’ journey to the World Cup has not been straightforward. New to the squad, having been a reserve player for the Tokyo Olympics and having narrowly missed out on Euros squad, the versatile Chelsea player is unlikely to get many minutes in Australia. She will not care too much though, because a recurring back injury in her late teens could have ended her career prematurely and it has given her perspective. She knows her time will come.
“The first time it happened I was on a training camp with England and I just sort of got contact in my back and I think it was to do with my coccyx, whether I’d sprained it or had some of the ligaments damaged around it, because it is so sensitive and so central,” Charles says.
“It was pretty difficult to get clarity on what actually happened, the treatment for it. So that in itself, being injured, is really frustrating and hard, but also the fact that it was a bit innocuous … that presented a challenge in itself.”
It took time to settle and then a similar incident happened at another international camp. “It was definitely hard, especially being younger as well,” she says. “I didn’t have the experience in the environment to be able to advocate and say: ‘This is what I think I need’ or whatever. So it was definitely a difficult time but injuries are part of the game and I think now that I’m sitting here I’m in a much better place. I’ve taken the positives out of that lesson.”
She is grateful to be fit and healthy. “It teaches you a lot about yourself and also makes you realise that you’re a person as well as a footballer, so being able to switch off and take care of that side of it matters.”
Her goal in Australia is “to help the team as much as possible”, she says. “Whatever that role is, I think just being a good teammate and helping, so that when the first whistle goes the players are fully prepared. Every day we play and train with amazing players, so it’s an opportunity to get better. You’re also ready for any opportunity, because like we’ve seen, anything can happen.”
“Anything” was a knee injury to Keira Walsh that meant Manchester City’s Laura Coombs found herself on the pitch in the World Cup, after an eight-year absence from the side until Sarina Wiegman called her up in February.
“You pick a squad of 23 where anybody can play,” Charles says. “Sarina trusts them all, and we’re all training together so we know what to expect so if that happens. We’re all ready.”
Playing for Chelsea, a team stacked with international talent and known for high-level training, makes the transition smooth for Charles. “At Chelsea I’m fortunate to play with world-class players,” says the 24-year-old, who is spending her down time honing her table-tennis skills and reading a wide range of books. “The sessions are run differently but the expectations and the standards are the same … the expectation, the intensity, mirrors itself, so physically that helps.”
Charles can play at full-back or further forward, and versatility is valued highly by Wiegman and Chelsea’s Emma Hayes. “Sarina’s very good at having clear roles so you know [where she sees you],” she says. “She said to me, and I said to myself: I want to play as a fullback. But she’s not said it’s strictly just left-back but full-back. I always say I’m willing to do whatever for the team and I enjoy playing wherever but that role was very clear coming in.”
Being in Australia has given Charles a look into the superstardom of her club-mate Sam Kerr, even though injury has disrupted the striker’s tournament. “She means a lot to us back home but it’s so nice to come here,” she says. “We were so excited for her in the buildup to the tournament. She’s in England all the time, she goes home for a fraction of time..”
Charles has a new appreciation of the travel Kerr and others have to do multiple times a season. “I had admiration for her anyway as she’s a machine, but some of the Swedes did it at one point in the season and they were like: ‘I don’t know how she does it all the time,’” Charles says. “You do not hear a moan out of her at all. She just gets on with it and the level of consistency she maintains despite that is very impressive.”
