Jordan Nobbs was the new kid on the block when the Women’s Super League started in 2011, surrounded at Arsenal by icons, from Faye White, to Rachel Yankey, to Katie Chapman. Fast forward nearly 5,000 days and Nobbs stands alone as the WSL’s record appearance maker, after playing in her 193rd match last Sunday.
Such has been the playmaker’s longevity that her Aston Villa manager, Robert de Pauw, likened her to “a little Modric in midfield”, especially as she now enjoys a slightly deeper-lying role. “I’m going to write that down and keep it for ever,” Nobbs says, laughing.
“I just want to play football, no matter where that is on the pitch. I’ve always been obsessed with football; since the age of six, seven, that is all I’ve wanted to do.” She knows her record will not last for ever but says: “It’s special. Your goal is to win things as a team, win trophies, but when anything comes along individually it’s also nice and they’re nice memories to have as a player.
“You have to give yourself a pat on the back. You’re not sitting there counting the number of games you have played. But I think I did see how hard I had worked to get there. I want to enjoy those in football and not just let them pass by.”
Nobbs appeared in the first ever WSL fixture, in April 2011 between Arsenal and Chelsea at Imperial Fields, the home of Tooting & Mitcham United. She recalls it being not the best of pitches, not the best of stadiums, but the scenery has changed. She came off the bench late to replace the match’s only goalscorer, the defender Gilly Flaherty, in an Arsenal side that contained the former England captain Steph Houghton, the Bay FC and former Scotland defender Jen Beattie and the all-time record goalscorer for the Lionesses, Ellen White.
Nobbs learned from them and now, aged 31, it is her turn to be passionate about helping the next generation progress with her advice. “I love talking football,” she says. “If ever I can help or talk tactics with the younger players, it’s something I like doing. Hopefully they take it on board as a good thing. Those people that were 10 years older than me when I started were so massive for me. When you look back you wish you had soaked it all up.”
Perhaps it is with that in mind that Nobbs knows what she wants to do after she hangs up her boots: coaching.
“It’s definitely something that I would want to have in my locker,” she says. “The game is changing now so there are a lot more opportunities in the women’s game but coaching is definitely something I would want to look into and be a part of. I would maybe take a little break [first], then go into it. The whole coaching side of things – the way teams press, how they play out from the back, etc – I’m all for that.”
The owner of 71 England international caps has no intention of retiring just yet, though. She appears conscious of the passing years but also in no hurry to stop playing: “It’s a tough one, isn’t it? You have to start thinking about things like that. But I think it’ll probably depend on game time and my body. If I’m still in the WSL and I’m playing and I’m performing to a good enough level then I wouldn’t hang up the boots that quickly.”
For now she is very happily enjoying playing in the top flight. Asked what she has learned from her 16-year career, Nobbs summarises philosophically: “That football is good and bad. You have amazing days and bad days too. It’s about trying to enjoy it as much as you can. I’ve always played football because I love it. When you love the game, you will enjoy it more. If you lost enjoyment in the game then it’s time to hang up your boots. That’s not the case right now. I love the new challenges.
“If you work hard by doing extra training for example, then I just believe that good things happen to people who are dedicated to what they do.”
