West Ham United is delighted to announce the signing of Poland international goalkeeper Kinga Szemik on a three-year contract.
The 27-year-old joins the Club after two seasons with French Division 1 Féminine club Stade de Reims and becomes the women’s team’s first signing of the summer. Szemik had a fantastic season with the Red and Whites in 2023/24, topping the charts for clean sheets in the top division, keeping nine from her 22 matches played.
The imposing shot-stopper began her career at hometown club TS Mitech Żywiec before heading to the USA to play college football for University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros. After four seasons in the United States, Szemik signed her first professional contract with French club FC Nantes in 2020, spending two seasons in Brittany before making the switch to Reims in 2022.
She is a regular for her country, having featured 17 times for Poland, and was part of the squad that won the 2013 UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship. The six-foot tall Szemik recently helped her country to promotion to Women’s Nations League A as group winners, being involved in wins against Ukraine and Greece in December last year.
West Ham’s new No1 will link up with her country for UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying matches against Austria and Iceland before heading to east London to kick-off pre-season training at the end of July ahead of the 2024/25 Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign.
“I’m so happy to be signing for West Ham United,” Szemik told whufc.com. “West Ham is one of the biggest clubs in England with a rich history. The WSL is also the best league in the world, which has evolved so much over the years. I think this is the best place for me to progress as a player and evolve as a person as well.
“There’s always room for improvement and that’s what I look forward to most, developing as a player and trying to help the team as much as I can.
“I’m already looking forward to getting down to business and meeting the West Ham fans.”
Women’s team manager Rehanne Skinner is thrilled to add a goalkeeper with international experience to her squad.
“I’m delighted to be bringing Kinga to the Club, especially after such an impressive season in France where she kept the most clean sheets in the top division,” said Skinner.
“Kinga has a real drive and ambition, with a strong work ethic - all are attributes that I admire in my players. As a goalkeeper, she has shown quality both in and out of possession on a consistent basis, which will complement our playing style. We are really looking forward to working with her.”
Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Kinga to east London and wish her every success for her career in Claret and Blue.
