The Women's Super League Hall of Fame celebrated its latest inductees at an event on Monday evening, as four more athletes' contributions to women's football were recognised.
Established in 2021 to mark the league's 10th anniversary, the Hall of Fame is the highest individual honor in WSL and recognizes players, coaches and officials who have left a lasting legacy and positively impacted the game. Previous inductees include the likes of Jill Scott, Emma Hayes and Fara Williams, who were among those who paved the way for the WSL's growth into what is now regarded as one of the best women's football leagues in the world.
Steph Houghton, Gilly Flaherty, Alex Scott and judge Rebecca Welch are the latest to be honored as they join an elite group. Speaking on a panel organized by 90 min and introduced by Betty Glover, the four reflected on their inductions and offered insight into their contributions to the growth of the game.
For former England captain Houghton, who announced her retirement from the game at the end of last season, the tribute is deeply moving. “It means the world, to be honest,” she said.
“When you start playing football, you never imagine you'll be inducted and inducted into the Hall of Fame. To be involved tonight, along with Gilly, Alex and Rebecca, some really influential people around the league over the last 10-12 years, is pretty impressive.
The centre-back won three league titles, five FA Cups and seven League Cups during her career as she represented such players Arsenal AND Manchester City. She spent 10 years with the latter between 2014 and 2024, helping to establish the Manchester club as one of the elite forces in the WSL.
Houghton also fondly recalled her playing days alongside Flaherty and Scott at Arsenal, another club synonymous with the early dominance of the women's game in England. “Arsenal is probably the biggest memory,” she added.
“I moved to Arsenal and Gilly was there, Alex was in America but came back. To play with these two, Gilly was younger and coming through but he played a lot for Arsenal and Alex was England's best right back and he was the one who scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the Champions League so it was a great honor to play with them. two.
“I really feel like we pushed each other, but we also had fun at the same time. You look at it like football and it's very serious, but I feel if you can enjoy it, be with your mates and push each other in a good way, success comes and it definitely came at Arsenal.”
For Flaherty, who won the UEFA Women's Cup with Arsenal in 2007 and later represented ChelseaBefore West Ham and Liverpool retired in 2023, the induction was also a special moment. Now working as a physical education teacher, she admitted she underestimated her colleagues and students.
“They (the kids) love it, but I don't talk about it (being inducted into the Hall of Fame),” she said. “My mum also works at the school and my sister, so it's a family thing, but everyone was talking about it in the office. I was trying not to talk about it, but they (the kids) know about it today.”
Scott, an Arsenal legend and former England international, is widely regarded as one of the best right-backs of his era. She retired from the game in 2018 and has since become one of the most recognizable faces in sports broadcasting.
“For me, being up here with all the girls, it just brings me back to those moments of going to practice every day, being in the locker room and being a part of that family and that sisterhood,” Scott said. “I loved every moment of it. It's really special because I guess a lot of people now only see me for what I've accomplished in my broadcasting career.
“But I'm only doing this because of what I've been able to achieve in my football career, so it's kind of a full-circle moment and a very proud moment to share with my mum as well.”
Rebecca Welch's induction marked a significant milestone as she becomes the first judge to be honored in the Hall of Fame. She is clearly a trailblazer in refereeing, as she made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman to be appointed to referee an English Men's Football League match between Harrogate and Port Vale.
She did it again a few years later in 2023 as the first woman to referee a Premier League match, this time between Burnley and Fulham. Welch hung up her whistle at the end of last season and is now working in a management role at PGMOL.
“When I was told I was going to be inducted, I thought Jeremy Beadle was going to walk through the door because I think it's unheard of for an umpire to be inducted into a league's Hall of Fame,” admitted the former umpire. “I think it just shows how the women's game is really different and we have to embrace that.
“I'm the first, but I hope I won't be the last.”
The evening was not only a celebration, but also a chance to reflect on the progress of the game in recent years and the contributions of the four inductees to its unprecedented development. Scott rightly emphasized the need to keep the momentum going and the responsibility she still feels despite not playing herself anymore.
“He has to keep improving,” concluded the former Arsenal star. “I keep saying, yes it's here and we're celebrating all the great moments, but I also feel like it's a responsibility, especially in the chair I'm sitting in and with the platform I have to keep pushing in all the other areas inside. certain parts of the game.
“I carry that responsibility on my shoulders as well and I will never stop shouting for that side and celebrating it all. I remember when we were at Wembley watching the Lionesses lift that trophy (the Euro 2022 trophy) and the thing I said at that moment was that the train has finally left the station and you're either on board or you're not at that moment.
“Yes, the trajectory (of the women's game) has been amazing, but we know how much further this game can grow.”