For Kate Longhurst, it has been the very best of times.
If you had told a young Kate that she would one day get the opportunity to pull on the iconic Claret and Blue of her childhood club, and step out onto a football pitch as a professional West Ham United footballer, there is only a slender chance that little girl would have believed you.
If you had also added that she would go on to be a living icon of the women’s team, be among the side’s record appearance holders, represent the club at Wembley Stadium in an FA Cup final, become one of the leading players in the team’s development, and be universally adored by the Claret and Blue Army…well, surely you are just talking fantasy?
Except it could not be further from fiction or a dream. It is, in fact, the legacy of one of the finest female footballers to ever wear the kit.
Longhurst’s illustrious time with the Club she adores so passionately will conclude this afternoon. Should she feature, she will make appearance number 182 in the Barclays Women’s Super League. It is almost poetry that the finale should come against Tottenham Hotspur.
It has been five seasons of the most extreme of memories. Many are unbridled happiness. A few are of frustration, of loss. Longhurst can acknowledge them all and comprehend what they each represent.
Ahead her final match as a West Ham player, Longhurst sat down to discuss her love for the Club, her memories of her time in the squad, her stand-out moments, and how she wants to be remembered by the very fans that she is wholeheartedly a part of…
From ever since I can remember, everything has been about West Ham United for me.
This Club has been my whole life as a fan and, in more recent years, as a player too. I can remember going to two matches when I was younger, but I can’t remember in which order.
I remember we drew 0-0 in one, and then we also lost 5-1 to Leeds United in the other one. In that match we also had three players sent off – Steve Lomas, Ian Wright and Shaka Hislop! I immediately knew then that this was the team for me.
Losing 5-1 and with three men sent off was mad but, with the passion of the fans in the stadium and everything about the Club, I was immediately hooked! I just knew West Ham was amazing from that moment on.
I really liked the flair players when I was younger.
For me, it was about people like Joe Cole and Paolo Di Canio when I was watching the team. But I can also remember the first time I met Mark Noble. I was so shy but he called me over. I was really nervous but now I see him all the time around Chadwell Heath. He is just a normal bloke and we share a love for West Ham United. But, for me, growing up, that was a nervous moment.
Even when I joined the Club in my late 20s, I was still a bit nervous talking to the men’s first team players. I think I’ve got over it a bit now and I try to play it cool whenever I’m around them, but I’m sure I still have fan girl moments! But they are normal people and they’re always so nice whenever we do things together.
I can remember joining West Ham like it was yesterday.
My contract with Liverpool was coming to an end and it was time to try a different team. It had to be the best move for me, career-wise. I got to the end of that season but I didn’t really know what I was doing. There wasn’t an obvious option presenting itself and I was a bit lost.
Pre-season had actually started but a couple of weeks in, I heard from the then-General Manager at West Ham asking if I would like to train with the team. I was still trying to work out what I wanted to do but I took up the opportunity.
I came in and I already knew Gilly Flaherty, Becky Spencer and Claire Rafferty, who had all signed with the Club, and I got to know everyone else in the squad and I realised it was a cool group. From there, I got offered the contract and I signed on the dotted line.
It probably only took me a couple of days to get comfortable at West Ham.
It helped that I knew some of the people here already. I know I am quite a weird person and if I am too full on with people immediately, they’ll just not be sure what I’m all about. So I probably toned myself down for the first couple of days but then, after that, I was my full self and knew I was where I wanted to be.
I’ve been at West Ham for five years and I’ve got my fair share of personal highlights.
Getting to the FA Cup final in our first year was obviously a big one. I’ve spoken a lot about it before, but the semi-final against Reading was absolutely unreal. It was a big performance and a very emotional day for all of us involved. To get to Wembley Stadium and play in an FA Cup final for West Ham was unreal.
Last year too, I was playing in a new position but I felt really confident in myself in that role. I felt like I had it nailed down and could do that job, and I enjoyed it.
Last season, in general, I really enjoyed it because of what we achieved in terms of the highest points tally this Club has got in the Barclays WSL, and the highest league position too. That gave us a platform to build on.
I’ve met some wonderful people during my time at this Club.
I’ve played with a lot of players during my time here and there were just so many good people among that group.
There were so many people from different walks of life, and it was one of the biggest things for me that we found our way together. Socially, for me, football has been one of the biggest things in my life. It was important that everyone got on, both on and off the pitch, and I’m so grateful that was the case during my five years here.
Off the pitch too, there are so many great memories.
Every single Christmas party, and all the end-of-season celebrations, they have been absolutely class. I can’t say too much though, or I might get people in trouble! But we had a lot of fun.
Those times though, it is just everyone together, letting their hair down. That’s the coaching staff included too and it is a bond that you probably don’t get in most other areas of work. It’s also something I probably won’t experience again when I’m done with football.
But just having everyone together, having done a year with each other and seeing each other almost every day, that’s special. Each year goes so quickly, but it also has moments where it goes really slow. To celebrate those times and, to be honest, to see some people drunk that you’d never usually see that way, it’s so much fun.
I’ve had the joy of working with the local community during my time at West Ham too.
The highlight of that, for me, has to be working with Any Old Irons. I’ve done a lot with them over the years and it’s undoubtedly been one of my favourite things being at West Ham. I’ve got to meet so many good people who are, like me, lifelong West Ham fans. I will probably be a member of Any Old Irons in a few years’ time!
I’ve really enjoyed doing things with them, even stuff like video calls and checking in during the lockdowns and through the COVID-19 Pandemic. It just felt like I was giving a small portion of my time, but I know how much it meant to them, and it meant a lot to me as well.
We know the Club is trying to move in the right direction.
Everyone involved is trying to implement the proper foundations to build the best environment. You can see it in the training facilities, and the growth of the West Ham United Women’s board of directors.
Things like that need to happen if we want to compete with the best teams in this league. There is a lot of investment going into it now and I know the Club is putting in more resource than ever before.
In that regard, it has been a privilege to be a part of the start of West Ham’s journey into professional women’s football. Hopefully I’m leaving the Club in a better place than it was when I first came in.
The word ‘legend’ gets used a lot.
I’ve heard some very kind comments about me being a West Ham legend, but I wouldn’t put myself in that bracket at all. I would just say I’ve given everything I’ve got while I’ve been here.
Every time I’ve stepped out onto the pitch, whether that is in training or in matches, I’ve just wanted to give my very best for West Ham United. I can honestly say I’ve never not given all of myself to this Club. For me, that’s something I’ll always be proud of.
If I had to sum up my time at the Club, I would pick out a few words.
It’s been enjoyable. It’s been hard at times. I’ve had to be patient at times too. But the overarching summary would be ‘proud’. I’m so proud of my time here.
It’s just amazing to know I’ve been a part of the history of West Ham. It has been a true privilege to play for the Club I love so much.
