West Ham United women's team have welcomed Kinga Szemik to the Club as their first signing of the summer transfer window.
The 27-year-old joins the Hammers after two seasons with Stade de Reims, and a particularly eye-catching 2023/24 campaign with the Première Ligue side. The shot-stopper topped the charts for the most clean sheets in the division last term, keeping nine in her 22 appearances.
Szemik is well travelled, too! Having started her career in her native Poland with TS Mitech Żywiec, she then headed to the USA to play for UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in Texas, before heading to FC Nantes and Stade de Reims in France.
She is a regular for her country, having featured 17 times for the Poland senior team, and was previously part of the U17 side that won the 2013 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship.
Szemik also recently helped her country to promotion to Women’s Nations League A as group winners, being involved in wins against Ukraine and Greece.
You can watch her first interview with West Ham TV in the video player above, or scroll down to read on...
Kinga, a very warm welcome to West Ham United. How does it feel to sign for the Club?
It feels great to be here and I’m ready to start a new season. I hope to become a better player here at West Ham.
You’re joining us after a fantastic season for yourself in France with Reims, where you topped the charts for the most clean sheets in the division. How much are you looking forward to showing that quality here at West Ham?
I’m looking forward to it very much. Last season was definitely one that goes down in the history books for me, but I think there is always room for improvement and becoming a better player is actually what I’m looking forward to the most, and hopefully helping the team as much as I can too.
Tell us a little bit about what you’re like as a goalkeeper? What can the West Ham fans expect from you?
I think I’m the type of player that observes the game the most, and I like to be as helpful as I can to the team by communicating with them and being supportive. I want them to know that I have their backs in the goal and that they can count on me and be sure that I will always give 100 per cent on the field. That’s what I want my teammates to expect from me.
What do you know about West Ham as a Club?
I know that West Ham is one of the biggest clubs with one of the longest histories here in England. I know that the women’s team has been here for a while also, so I’m happy to be here. I’m excited to start my journey at the Club.
You’ve played in your native Poland, in the USA, France and now England. How excited are you to have the opportunity to play in the WSL?
I’m very excited because this is one of the greatest leagues in the world right now. It is great to see that it has evolved so much over the last few years.
I think it’s the best place to be if you want to be faced with challenging opponents around you, but I also think that is one of the best ways to grow and progress as a player. I’m excited for it and to evolve as a person as well as a player, because that is the most important thing for me.
How do you think your previous experiences will help you with arriving here in England?
I think it’s a little bit of an easier and simpler process for me to adjust to a new country because it's an experience that I’ve gone through a few times now. That will make it easier for me to be around people who are from different cultures and things like that.
You’re off on international duty before coming back here to begin pre-season, how much are you looking forward to getting the training underway and meeting your new teammates?
It’s always the greatest time for me, starting at a new club, because I get to meet lots of new people, although I do sometimes forget names!
I’m very excited to be here and to meet my new teammates, because although we are here to play football, life is so much wider and there is so much more to learn and experience here than just football, like making relationships with people and potentially meeting friends for life. I’m looking forward to it.
We’ll be heading out to Australia for pre-season for the Perth International Football Cup in August. How much are you looking forward to heading Down Under?
It’s big news and I’m very excited about it. I’m a little bit nervous too after seeing all the reels and videos about the wildlife and creepy crawlies in Australia, but my friends from PSG are going to be there too so it’s going to be awesome to be reunited with them over there.
It will be my first time in Australia too so I’m very excited!
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