Manchester United Women’s captain Katie Zelem has said that returning to Old Trafford for her team is perfect for showcasing the quality of women’s football. This will be the first time the Red Devils will play at the Theatre of Dreams this season. We will host Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime in this weekend’s round of fixtures of the Women’s Super League.
Huge Support from THE United Fans
United will be looking to maintain their good start to the league season after completing a dramatic comeback at the Emirates two weeks ago when we beat Arsenal 3-2 thanks to injury time winner from Alessia Russo. Zelem who has appeared in the previous two fixtures that were played at Old Trafford is excited to return once again to this iconic stadium. This will be the second time it will be in front of fans after we recorded a 3-1 victory over Everton last season.
With the excellent start and good performances by the team, Zelem is hoping this will encourage fans in huge numbers to come and watch the women’s team play.
“First of all, being from Manchester and supporting Manchester United, it’s amazing to play at Old Trafford,” said Zelem, at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon. I think it’s one of the best stadiums in world football, so we are all excited about that. There’s no bigger advertisement for women’s football than to be playing at a huge stadium with a great atmosphere. It’s not my job to be convincing anyone to come, [but] I think our past results and our form is what people should want to come and watch.”
Katie Zelem speaking at the pre-match conference ahead of the game against Aston Villa
Zelem highlighted the win away at Arsenal as what the team can do and how they keep fighting until the end.
“We showed what we’re all about and the performances we can put on. I’m hoping to see as many fans there as possible.”
Katie Zelem speaking at the pre-match conference ahead of the game against Aston Villa
Scoring at Old Trafford WAS A Dream Come True
In the women’s team previous appearance at Old Trafford, Zelem scored from the penalty spot in the 3-1 win against Everton. The experience of scoring a goal at one of the most renowned stadiums is still sinking in describing it as a dream come true.
“Before it happened, it was something that I could never have dreamed of, let alone captaining Manchester United and walking the girls out at Old Trafford. Managing to score there was really a dream come true and when I watch the clips back now, it still feels so surreal. The game against Everton didn’t start as planned but it finished really positively which was good.”
Katie Zelem speaking at the pre-match conference ahead of the game against Aston Villa
With over 30,000 tickets sold so far for the game on Saturday, it is sure to be a special occasion and a great advert for women’s football.
