AS far as debut seasons go, it doesn’t get much better than winning the FA Cup and a league title.
Manchester City defender Jade Rose experienced just that – after graduating from Harvard University.
Rose joined City directly from the world-renowned Ivy League school last summer, becoming the first signing of the Andree Jeglertz era.
And at just 23 years old, she has since established herself as a regular name on the teamsheet.
The defender played a crucial role in helping City to their first WSL title in a decade earlier this year before playing a full 90 minutes at Wembley in the FA Cup final – which saw the club take home the trophy with a 4-0 win over Brighton.
Reflecting on her debut campaign, Rose told SunSport: “I’m incredibly proud of my first season and how I was able to come to City and achieve what I had set out for myself and what I believed this team could achieve.
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“We could go into the smaller details of things that I’ve reflected on. I was a little bit reserved when pushing in certain areas because I didn’t know how my body was going to react.
“I didn’t know how mentally I was going to react to a longer season under more pressure, being in the public eye a little bit more and all those bits and pieces that I wasn’t necessarily used to.
“There was so much that came up throughout the season that I wasn’t prepared for, not from a lack of trying but simply from a lack of knowing what it takes to compete at the highest level and to win an FA Cup and to win a WSL title.
“I think from that standpoint I’m proud of how I was able to adapt to everything that was thrown at me throughout the season and I’m excited to take all my learnings from the previous season and apply them to this one.”
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WSL opening weekend fixtures
- 4th September – London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
- 5th September – Chelsea vs Aston Villa
- 6th September – Brighton vs Arsenal
- 6th September – Tottenham vs West Ham
- 6th September – Charlton vs Liverpool
- 6th September – Crystal Palace vs Everton
- 6th September – Manchester City vs Birmingham City
The scheduling and tight turnaround of games were some of the things that Rose took some time to get used to, having previously experienced five-month seasons while at university.
Increased travelling has also been new for the Canadian – and that will only continue this term with City now competing in the Champions League.
On the preparations, Rose continued: “It’s definitely something that we’ve spoken about. It’s also something that I’ve spoken about with specific staff members on the team. Having had my first season I now understand what my body needs and what I need as a player and so being able to maximise that this season is going to be that much more important, especially with the increase of games and the increased travel.”
Rose graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in economics last year, having juggled her education – something which she was keen to prioritise – with the early stages of her playing career.
“It primarily came about through the national team and being in the youth program and having that exposure,” the defender explained. “That then exposed me to colleges in the US and I think I believe that’s how they [Harvard] reached out.
“My parents have always prioritised education and having something to fall back on because football is not forever and the reality of the game is that injuries can happen at any time and as women we’re not paid enough to fully retire after our football careers.
“So having that education has always been incredibly important to me. When Harvard came knocking it was extremely hard to say no to them and seeing where their football program was at the time, there were a lot of other national team players coming in from their respective countries and so I knew that I was going to be in an environment where I was going to be able to learn from others, have the best education in the world and ultimately prepare myself for the future.
“That’s what I’ve always wanted to do before playing professionally, which was always my dream.”
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Man City begin their WSL title defence against newly-promoted Birmingham City on September 6.
The new season kicks off two days before on September 4 as Manchester United travel to face London City Lionesses.