Resilience is a necessity in football, especially when you are playing in the Barclays Women’s Super League - whether that’s digging deep to come from behind, concentrating for 90-plus minutes against the division’s toughest opponents or, in Jess Ziu’s case, dealing with not one, but two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
Last summer, the Republic of Ireland international penned a new long-term deal with the Club after enjoying her first ‘proper’ season as a Hammer, despite signing for West Ham United women’s team in March 2022, on St Patrick’s Day.
After just four appearances into her maiden Claret and Blue campaign, Ziu sustained an ACL injury in November 2022 which sidelined her for over a year. After surgery and rehabilitation, Ziu returned to the fold to make 19 appearances in all competitions in 2023/24.
However, things turned, again. Rehanne Skinner's side were just days away from embarking on an exciting pre-season tour to Australia in the summer to test themselves against PSG, Manchester City and Leicester City ahead of the upcoming campaign when, in a behind-closed-doors friendly, the unthinkable happened.
“I went in for a tackle, I got pushed from behind and I did my knee. Straight away I knew it was my ACL again,” said Ziu, recounting the event. “I remember not being able to walk off the pitch and just how hard that was for me.
“I had to wait six weeks for surgery for my first injury, but for my second one I only had to wait for two. I quickly changed my mentality and said to myself I was going to come back stronger and better than ever.
“After my first injury, I returned for pre-season, got a good six months of football into me, I made my comeback in the February with the national team, I had three Player of the Matches in five games. Everything was too good to be true, it was going really well.
“I’ve got great people at West Ham around me, the girls, but I’m also really close with the physio team as well. They support me with everything and I couldn’t ask for any better people to be around.
“Because I’m injured, I’m in five-to-six days a week. When I’m away from the Club, I still want to come in. When I’m on the pitch, I forget about everything in life, there’s no worries, I’m just happy and I can be myself.”
Nearly eight months on from her second setback, Ziu is making positive strides in her recovery, having returned to the grass in late February. Fighting back stronger than ever, the 22-year-old has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years and has certainly developed a new-found sense of gratitude in the sport.
“When I returned [after the first ACL injury], I’ll never forget the feeling of enjoying my football because you really don’t know what state you’re going to leave the pitch in,” she said.
“From then on, I’ve always just enjoyed it. If we lose, of course I’m upset about it, but I’m really grateful to be able to walk off the pitch with my own two legs.
“Since I did my knee and have been out for so long, I’ve found a love [of football] again. I never fell out of love with football, but I’ve taken everything in my stride that when I hit the pitch, I told myself I’m happy to be here playing."
As well as receiving support from the Club, Ziu has been backed every step of the way by her family. The Dublin-raised player has five brothers and started playing football because of them and the infectious nature of the sport.
The first team she joined was a local side called Rivermount Boys and she was the only girl at the club at the time. But now, because of the impact she had on the team, growing the women’s game, the club is now called Rivermount Boys and Girls - and Ziu gets to drive past that sign every time she returns home.
“It’s really nice to see it’s called Rivermount Boys and Girls, it means a lot to me, and that’s how I started my football journey," she said.
“I’m the youngest of nine, so I’m a baby in everyone’s eyes! I’m really lucky that my mum and dad have been at every game, they were the only parents that used to stay for my training sessions as well. I’ve been lucky to have such a great family.
"The reason I'm here is because of them. They put a lot of time and effort into me and I'm very thankful for that."
