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 had to make in pre-season, appointing her new captain was by far the easiest.

Katrina Gorry, nicknamed ‘Mini’ by her teammates, 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 completing a move from Swedish club Vittsjo GIK, but in just seven games she impressed and helped West Ham avoid relegation.

Injury kept the 32-year-old out for the latter part of last season, but with the Australian now fit and available, Skinner was confident 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 in the impact she had was very clear,” Skinner tells Mail Sport.

Gorry is one of two players in the Hammers squad who are full-time mothers off the field

Skinner also opened his door to myths about players returning to football after giving birth

‘In terms of her mentality and attitude, she absolutely fits West Ham. She is really hardworking, ultra-professional and is very approachable with the players.

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

“I think she was the logical choice to take over when she came back from her injury.”

Gorry is, along with Dagny Brynjarsdottir, one of two players at West Ham who combines her football career with her full-time job as a mother.

Brynjarsdottir is available for selection again after the birth of her second child, which saw her miss the 2023-24 season. 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 the game.

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

‘Ultimately, to ensure that people can do the best they can, we all know that if you have challenges with your family, we need to support you in what that looks like, so that it’s not a problem and it’s not a cause for concern.

‘From Mini’s position she had to be there to support her partner through the stages of her pregnancy. It’s just about talking to the person to help and support where needed and that it wouldn’t be a problem. She came to a game and [her daughter] Harper was sick in the car. She called me on the way there and for me it’s a no-brainer to just say, “Go and do what you have to do,” because that’s going to be the biggest stress. If that becomes a factor and she can’t deal with that, she can’t function anyway.

Skinner said it’s ‘about talking to the individual to help and support where needed’

FIFA introduced new pregnancy protocols for players and coaches in May, while previous guidelines only applied to players

FIFA introduced new maternity protocols for players and coaches in May. This includes a minimum of 14 weeks of paid leave for coaches, while previous guidelines only covered players, as well as changes to player registration, with clubs allowed to sign players outside of a transfer window if they have taken maternity, adoption or family leave.

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

“I think we’re starting to make sure that’s really clear everywhere. It’s a misconception, it’s kind of a false standard that women can’t do that. Now it’s really clear that these women are just as driven as anyone else.

‘They don’t compromise on football, it’s just about having the facilities to make it easier for them.

‘Many football clubs are innovative in the way they support people in those positions.’

Skinner says the returning Brynjarsdottir will feel like a new signing, but the club brought in eight newcomers 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 early months of the new season.

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

‘It’s difficult, because until everyone has completed their transfer business, it’s difficult to determine where you want to end up.

“Across the board, all the teams are so competitive, and that’s exactly what we wanted. We’ve all been clamoring for a league that’s really competitive from top to bottom. For us, the goal is to improve on what we’ve done.

‘Every year we want to try and progress. It takes time to get to where Chelsea are now. It takes multiple transfer windows and structure and stability and all that kind of stuff. We have to be better than last year, that’s what I’m going to do it for.’