Rehanne Skinner opens up on helping players after they have had children – as she hails full time mum Katrina Gorry as the ‘obvious’ choice to be new West Ham captain

Of all the decisions West Ham manager Rehanne Skinner has had to make in pre-season, naming his new captain was by far the easiest.

Katrina Gorry, known as ‘Mini’ to her team-mates, has 107 caps for Australia and is one of the most experienced players in Skinner’s squad.

The midfielder only arrived in east London in January after sealing a transfer from Swedish club Vittsjo GIK, but in just seven games she made a notable impact and helped West Ham avoid relegation.

Injury sidelined the 32-year-old for the latter part of last season but with the Australian fit and available again, Skinner insisted she was the perfect player to take on the captaincy role following the departure of previous captain Mackenzie Arnold.

“I think when Mini first came along the impact it had was really obvious,” Skinner tells Mail Sport.

Gorry is one of two players in the Hammers squad who are full-time mums off the pitch.

Skinner also discussed myths surrounding female players returning to football after giving birth.

“In terms of his mentality and attitude, he fits perfectly with the West Ham style. He is very diligent, very professional and very accessible to the players.

“She’s also quite demanding. She has a really good balance between being supportive and then being a leader and driving things forward. In terms of what we’re trying to accomplish here, she totally understands what that’s like.

“I think she was the obvious choice to take over when he came back from his injury.”

Gorry, along with Dagny Brynjarsdottir, is one of two West Ham players who balances her football career with being a full-time mother.

Brynjarsdottir is available for selection again following the birth of her second child, which has seen her miss the 2023-24 campaign. Both Gorry and Brynjarsdottir have spoken about the support structures West Ham have in place for players with children, with the club producing a special documentary about the latter’s birth and return to action.

“The most important thing is that these players are professional athletes,” Skinner says.

‘Ultimately, for people to be able to do the best they can, we all know that if you have challenges with your family, we need to support them so that it’s not a worry or a concern.

‘From Mini’s point of view, she needed to be around to support her partner through the stages when she was pregnant. It’s just about talking to the person to help and support when needed and not have it be a problem. She was going to a game and (her daughter) Harper was sick in the car. She phoned me on the way and, for me, it’s a no-brainer to just say “go and do what you need to do”, because that’s going to be the most stressful thing for her. If that becomes a factor and she can’t deal with that, she’s not going to be able to function anyway.’

Skinner said it’s about “talking to the person to help and support where needed.”

FIFA introduced new maternity protocols for female players and coaches in May, whereas previous guidelines only included female players.

FIFA introduced new maternity protocols for female players and coaches in May. These include a minimum of 14 weeks paid leave for coaches (previous guidelines only included female players), as well as changes to player registration, with clubs being able to sign players outside of a transfer window if they have taken maternity, adoption or family leave.

“Having children should not be a barrier in women’s sport,” Skinner says. “The misconception that female athletes can’t go back to professional sport after having a baby is nonsense. Dagny is a prime example of that, Mini has done it too, there are other players who have done it.

“I think we’re starting to make sure that that’s clear across the board. It’s a misconception, it’s like a false norm that women can’t do that. It’s really clear now that these women are just as driven as anyone else.

‘They’re not sacrificing anything in terms of football, it’s just about making sure they have the facilities to make it easier for them.

‘A lot of football clubs are innovating in terms of how they support people in those positions.’

While Skinner says Brynjarsdottir’s return will feel like a new signing, the club brought in eight new arrivals in the summer to improve on their 11th-place finish last season.

With the Women’s Super League more competitive than ever, Skinner says she is not looking beyond the first few months of the new campaign.

Dagny Brynjarsdottir (right) is available for selection again after the birth of her second child.

‘It’s difficult because until everyone has finished their transfer process, it’s difficult to launch into where you think you’re going to be.

‘Overall, all the teams are very competitive, which is exactly what we wanted. We’ve all been crying out for a league that is truly competitive from start to finish. For us, our goal is to improve on what we’ve done.

“Every year we want to show that we are progressing. It takes time to get to where Chelsea are. It takes several transfer windows, structure and stability and all that kind of thing. We need to be better than last year, that’s what I’m saying.”