Former England striker on retiring from the Lionesses, being a role model, and taking on Chelsea in the WSL

A year after taking up golf, Rachel Daly has already reached a handicap of 19. “I think that’s too generous, I was playing really well in the summer,” she point outs before politely declaring that further questions about her pastimes are out of bounds. “I’m not that exciting, to be honest,” Daly says. “I walk the dogs, play golf. I don’t do a whole lot. I don’t lead a very exciting life.” Instead, Daly wants to talk about the new Women’s Super League season, which is more than fair enough.

Coincidentally, by next summer, 19 will be the number of seasons Daly has played at the top level, ever since breaking into Leeds’ first team as a 16-year-old in 2008, and therefore it feels reasonable to disagree with her view that a former Olympian, who played 84 times for England and was the WSL’s player of the season only three years ago, does not lead an exciting life. Yet there is another number on Daly’s mind as she discusses her role as Aston Villa’s captain.

“I’m the oldest in the team by a country mile,” the 34-year-old says, sitting down at Aston Villa’s Bodymoor Heath base, where she trains alongside 20-year-olds such as Georgia Mullett and Mia McAulay, a summer signing from Rangers. “A lot of the youngsters look up to me. It’s a nice feeling. It shows that they respect me and they value me, which is nice. And equally so do I [respect them]. I’m kind of a person that believes everyone should have a voice in the building. If I can reflect that to the wider group, then they can feel comfortable being able to communicate.

“I like to hear their experiences. It’s very different from when I was at their age, how I was experiencing football. They’re all very privileged where they’re at right now. When I was younger, we were paying to play, we were in men’s kits, the whole stereotypes and all that, but it’s true, that’s exactly what was happening. I try to give them my perspective of where I was at their age. I think it helps them a little bit to understand where the game has come from. They’re a really good bunch.”

Daly is now heading into her fifth season at Villa, having arrived there from Houston Dash shortly after starting every game of England’s triumphant 2022 Euros campaign. She had spent six years with the National Women’s Soccer League side and clearly likes being settled. “I like to set my roots at places. I don’t like to jump about. I [like] that familiarity of being at the same place. Villa has a big place in my heart.

“I said when I first signed here that I wanted to be part of the journey. I’ve stayed and been part of that journey and seen how we’ve moved and how we’ve progressed. I like to commit to a club and see what I can do there and give it my all. I’m really happy to be here and it feels like home.”

During her time at Villa, Daly also helped England reach a World Cup final in Sydney in 2023, before announcing her retirement from international football the following April. That meant her watching 2025’s Euros triumph, including the tense drama of penalties, as a nervous fan. “It’s awful actually, I much prefer playing than watching,” Daly admits. “I was just like, ‘just win, please!’” Reflecting on her decision to call time on her Lionesses career, having scored 16 senior international goals, Daly says: “I made that decision purely for me. I needed to do that at the time of my life. For club football, it’s given me more of a focus: ‘That’s my one job’. Recovery-wise, obviously, I’m not getting any younger, so it gave me more time, I got my international breaks back. It’s about spending time with my family. I didn’t want to miss out on my nephew growing up and stuff like that. So it was the right decision at the right time for me.”

“I do think I feel fresher,” Daly adds. “It’s taxing on your body being away for 10 days every month. Getting that time back and mentally just resetting – the most positive thing I’ve felt is just being able to breathe and get that time back with my family. I missed a lot of [family] time when I was in America.” Asked how she likes to use her free time during international breaks now, she says: “Because of the demands of being a professional footballer and the environment you’re in, it’s nice to just do nothing. I like what I like. It’s just been nice to kick back and just chill a little bit.”

On the pitch, Daly is determined to do the exact opposite and has a laser-like focus on ensuring Villa improve on last season’s ninth place. “We weren’t happy with the way we finished,” she says, recalling Villa’s run of four straight defeats at the end of the campaign. “There’s no denying that it’s the best league in the world for a reason and it’s not just us that are investing. There are a lot of clubs investing. We need to improve on where we finished last year. And for us, it’s kind of a bit of a transition, rebuilding year. There’s a lot of big players that left last year and there’s a lot of new faces in the door. A lot of young players, which is exciting. But [the aim] is building on how we left last year.”

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The WSL is entering a new phase of its development, with two extra teams entering the league this season. “It excites me,” Daly says. “The league has been kind of at a steady place for quite a while but we need growth, we need change, we need to have more teams in the league, we need to expand. And I think it came at a really good time. There’s no downside to it. More games means more fun.”

The first two games of Villa’s campaign look tricky; away to Chelsea on 5 September before hosting Manchester City, the defending champions, eight days later. “Yes, September will be tough, starting against Chelsea and City is not an easy feat,” says Daly, who has never played at Stamford Bridge. “It’ll be a good test for us. We’re in a good spot so it will be interesting to see how that month goes, but I back us all the time. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to play the best and I think there’s no better place to start than playing Chelsea.”

Villa’s last trip to Chelsea in March ended in a seven-goal thriller, the hosts winning 4-3. If anything similar occurs this time around, the WSL campaign will be off to a roaring start. “It’s exciting,” Daly says. “Big hitters early doors. Lets see what happens.”