Luton Town Ladies players can now be role models for future generations of female footballers, according to Hatters captain Rachel Carter.
Now 27, the skipper says she has seen the popularity of the women’s game grow over the last decade and that more and more young girls are getting hooked on the sport, whether that’s watching or playing.
The women’s game has indeed been steadily growing in this country, but the popularity of the Women’s World Cup this summer, has given the game a huge boost that has had a knock-on effect, certainly for elite-level domestic club competition, both through a bump in attendances and media coverage.
In her time playing, Carter has experienced a lot of change. For starters, there were no girls’ teams when she was young so, after having to mix it with the boys at different Hertfordshire teams, her first experience of playing for a girls’ team was at Arsenal as a youth.
The Gunners are the most decorated women’s team in the land, and current champions of England, so there is a big onus on their players to lead the way and inspire girls to play the game.
But Carter says there is a similar sense of responsibility among players further down the pyramid, including Luton, to encourage participation from the younger generation.
“Whatever level you play at in women’s football, you’ve got to realise that there are young girls there, potentially watching you play,” said the centre back.
“They could be on the sidelines, or their parents may have brought them along, or they come along as mascots. Making sure they’re seeing you out there and being professional is really good for young girls to see.”
Where awareness around Luton Ladies is concerned there was a key crossover with the men’s game this summer. Top scorer Dionne Manning was part of the new kit launch, featuring alongside James Collins and Matty Pearson, the two stars that scored in yesterday’s 2-1 Championship win at Blackburn Rovers.
The striker’s image can now be seen prominently around Kenilworth Road by every sell-out 10,000 crowd that the men’s team attract and that can only be a benefit for the Ladies.
“It’s so great to see,” said Carter, adding: “Hopefully that inspires young girls to get the kits and get involved with football.
“Young girls coming into ladies’ football now have all these role models there and more opportunities. You can be involved in a girls’ team from a really young age now to start learning the game and getting involved.
“People my age didn’t have that opportunity because it was boys only teams. I know a lot of young girls get people saying, ‘football is for boys’. Why is it?
“The ladies’ game is out there now, it’s on TV and that’s promising to see that young girls have got those opportunities available.”
“Young girls coming into ladies’ football now have all these role models there and more opportunities.”
The point about increased televised coverage cannot be underestimated – with record-breaking viewing figures in the summer as England Lionesses got to the semi-final of the World Cup.
“It has improved massively in recent years. When I was younger, the World Cup wasn’t anything like it is now and it’s brilliant to see,” said Carter, adding: “Just looking back 10-15 years ago, things have gotten a lot better.”
Luton Ladies, however, find themselves outside of the National Leagues for the first time in eight years, with the captain experiencing first-hand the upturn in quality throughout the women’s game.
“The standards are progressing year-on-year,” she said, adding: “The league that we were in is possibly the best it has ever been now.
“Similarly, with the league we’re in now, it’s possibly tougher than it has been in previous years because there are a lot of experienced players who have played in the league above and higher.”
For Carter, this is her fifth year of a second spell as a Hatter, after playing for the youth team as a teenager.
Her return came after suffering a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury that she thought could’ve end her career at the age of 21.
It was while playing for University of Hertfordshire, alongside the likes of Arsenal’s Jordan Nobbs, Kim Little, Jennifer Beattie, Danielle Carter, that a challenge on her ankle bizarrely tore the ligament in her knee and left her needing reconstructive surgery.
“I was thinking, ‘that’s me done now,’” Carter said, recalling her enforced, and longer than expected, 18 months away from the game.
But, after doing her rehab, she decided she wanted to return to playing and with Dave and Nikki Baker still involved at Luton from her youth team days, she gave them a call.
“I wanted to give myself a challenge and see if I could still play,” Carter said.
Previously a central midfielder, she moved into the central defensive role that she now calls her own.
And things were going well until last season when Town suffered relegation. But, after a summer of uncertainty, Luton retained a large amount of key players, as well as recruiting the likes of Elly Wade and Tanya Blacksley from Dunstable, plus former youth player Kelsey Gibson.
“We were absolutely gutted that we got relegated last season because Luton had been in that league and higher for quite a while,” Carter said.
“We’ve retained a lot of our strong players, which was really good considering the situation we were in at the end of last season. It’s also been good to see some of our reserve players (Funmi Babalola, Kiki Christofi, Kim Newns, Leyah Maddix) step up to the first team.”
Town travel to Harlow Ladies today for a top-of-the-table tussle that will put their unbeaten start to the Eastern Region Women’s Football League Premier Division campaign to the biggest test yet.
Promotion is the goal, but Carter said: “We knew this is not an easy league to get relegated into and come straight back up. It’s not. We knew it was going to be tough.”
You can hear Carter’s thoughts on the game on the latest episode of the Luton Press Pass Podcast.
