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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Handling of Corsie retirement doesn't do women's game any favours
When Corsie started playing the idea of women taking their place at the national stadium would still have been fanciful. But while those who have moved the game in Scotland from an amateur sport to a professional entity deserve recognition, there is an accusation that anyone stepping out of lane not to offer pats on the back and big up the efforts is seen somehow as a traitor to the cause. That critical analysis is a personal affront. Read more: There is a perception inside media circles that the women's game in Scotland does not help itself when it comes to amplifying its story. It was difficult to argue this week as Corsie announced her retirement from the game. A press briefing was held with a hand-picked selection of journalists and an embargo agreed as to when the news would be released, with several outlets shunned. The myopia in this is staggering. As women's football stories jostle for column inches in a competitive, congested market where it is all about the clicks, it becomes a particularly difficult sell to editors when there has been a very deliberate choice to overlook them. This observer was not part of the chosen few invited to the briefing. When pressed on the matter Corsie's agent and director of Decibel Sports Management – whose LinkedIn profile speaks of a philosophy of 'focusing entirely on people who work within the women in sport marketplace' and promises 'representation of women within sport' – eventually suggested that there was an accusation of not being 'particularly supportive' to answer for. A – male – journalist was given the nod instead. In any case, it is not the job of journalists to don ra-ra skirts and break out the pom-poms. The role involves asking questions that might not always be comfortable. As Scotland captain, Corsie wrote a column for the Press and Journal on a willingness to play alongside a trans player. This is surely a topic worthy of exploration and debate given the position that she held when it was written. Similarly, Corsie was also the lead claimant in a legal challenge against the SFA over equal pay and treatment. Cue more troublesome questions. Among the multiple ironies here is that as Corsie prepares for a different kind of life away from the day-to-day hurl of professional football, the likelihood is that there will be multiple offers of media work. Corsie was an impressive pundit at the Euros last year and offered a fluent and articulate commentary at Saturday's Scottish Cup final as she performed media duties. Interestingly enough, an offer to perform a similar role at Sunday's Women's Scottish Cup final was not so eagerly embraced. In any case, there is always a wry chuckle allowed when those who seem to have actively tried to censor journalists then look to manoeuvre themselves onto the other side of the fence in a switch of career paths. As Corsie will discover, there will come a point when critical observations have to be made in a punditry role. And they will not always be well received. But, ultimately, the most striking element of this week was the lack of scrutiny around the women's game. When new Scotland manager Melissa Andreatta announced her first squad a few weeks back, the bulk of her press conference was spent talking about the leadership qualities that the returning Corsie offered. She spoke at great lengths of having watched recent games and could see the deficiencies that the defender's return would go some way to correcting. This week, Corsie spoke of the relief she felt that the news was now public around her retirement which would, of course, point to this decision having been made some time ago. Which begs the inevitable question: what is the purpose of being in the squad? This is a manager who is stepping in to pick up the pieces of a team who will spend the summer with their noses pressed against the glass as third successive major tournament takes place without them. Andreatta will have her work cut out in rebuilding a squad capable of competing at elite level given the alacrity of progression that has taken place globally across the last decade in the women's game. Fundamentally there is a question to be asked about the inclusion of a player in a squad for two competitive games who will not be part of the picture going forward. It is impossible to imagine such a bizarre scenario unfolding in the men's game. Corsie is not just stepping down from international football, but stepping away from football altogether. It is unimaginable that Robertson or John McGinn would be called into a squad for two competitive games with time called on their career when the full-time whistle sounded. The noise around such a situation would be deafening. There can be recognition and applause for the exceptional contribution that Corsie has made to Scotland – and a presentation of some kind would have been expected and thoroughly merited – but turning this week into what could be described as an exercise in self-indulgence does no one any favours.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Corsie aiming to go out on a high with Scotland
"Two wins." Rachel Corsie isn't asking for much from her final week of football. The Scotland captain will retire once Nations League matches against Austria and Netherlands are out the way, and in the spirit of "slowing the week down", Corsie's full focus is on the games at hand. A win by two clear goals on Friday against Austria at Hampden, who beat the Scots 1-0 on matchday one, would give Melissa Andreatta's side a chance to preserve their League A status, should the Austrians subsequently lose to Germany. It's all the motivation the retiring 35-year-old needs. "Two results that keep us in Group A, I think that's the collective ambition," the defender said. "Selfishly, my own ambition and motivation is to be here and give everything on the pitch, off the pitch, at every opportunity because I think the result on Friday is one we can get that puts us in a good position where we can be on the front foot. "We can be in control and then we lead ourselves into Tuesday which, if we get a good result on Friday, becomes a game where you relish that a little bit more." As if the former Glasgow City centre-back needs any greater incentive to enjoy this week, though. "I'm trying to slow down the days. I'm like we're already at Tuesday lunchtime," she added. "Everyone says it hits you after, so I'm sort of braced for that but I'm just trying to be here and make it as normal as possible. "You have to know that it can't last forever. I'd love it if it could but it can't and now's the right time."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Rachel Corsie calls time after chronic pain with dream ending for Scotland
Rachel Corsie has revealed she has battled through chronic pain to ensure she could end her career with the dream scenario of playing for her country. The 35-year-old Scotland captain will retire after the Women's Nations League matches at home to Austria on Friday and the away game against the Netherlands in Tilburg on 3 June. Corsie, who recovered from a knee injury to play her final club game for Aston Villa this month, said: 'My body has really wanted this to be my last year but my heart and my head have been stubborn and said 'I'm not quite ready'.' Related: Straight-talking Slegers lifted Arsenal to glory – now club must back her vision 'Getting back to playing at the end of the season was a really tough ambition and objective, but we got there. I feel like playing in WSL, playing international football, that is the highest level, and so to be turning 36 in August and know I've got to this point, that feels the right place for me [to stop].' Corsie, who has won 154 caps, said her career has surpassed everything she thought it would. 'For the first 20 years of my life, sport was what sport is for the average person; you do it alongside your studies or your schoolwork and you do it with your friends, you do it in the garden, you do it at the park. To get to do that as a professional, I massively treasure that. That's why I've been able to give my all to it, because I have a genuine love for football.' The former Aberdeen youngster, who missed one club game through suspension in her 19-year career, won seven league titles with Glasgow City, five Scottish Cups and four Scottish league cups, as well as the NWSL Shield with Seattle Reign in 2015. She has also played in Australia with Canberra United and represented Notts County, Birmingham City and Kansas City Current. In 2023-24 she was a regular for Aston Villa in the English top tier but this year she was able to make only two WSL appearances and she explained the day-to-day agony she has endured. 'Over the course of my career, I've had six surgeries in total, five on my left knee,' said Corsie, who is a qualified chartered accountant. 'This time around, I was sort of told by the surgeon before having the surgery that the condition of my knee was fairly concerning and that surgery would potentially give some relief. But there's quite a serious likelihood the damage that's been done over the course of my career is going to be impactful to the rest of my life. 'I wanted to do the surgery because I knew that I couldn't get back playing leaving it as it was. I was in chronic pain all the time, walking up and down stairs to the house, getting in and out of the shower and having to climb out the bath. You tolerate it in sport. You're willing to accept some level of pain and discomfort, but it's the rest of your day where it probably mentally impacts you more because there's no respite. 'The first half of the season, especially from October through to January, was a much harder journey. It was one I had nothing to relate it to. The emotional stress and knowing potentially this could be your last year and going to not make it back, is something that for any athlete is extremely difficult. 'It has been a tough journey. But I have made it and it has been worth – I think – all those days in pain. Some days you don't believe you're going to do it but the only option is to keep going.' The centre-back, who has scored 20 times for her country since making her debut in 2009, captained Scotland at their first Women's World Cup in 2019. 'To lead your team out at their first ever game at a World Cup is just a moment that can't be replicated and that moment probably fills me with the most pride.' For that reason, she is particularly proud she will conclude her career with a national team camp, which began on Monday, saying it feels almost perfect to finish in this way. 'When I got the call to say I was going be in [the squad], I was over the moon. There's something special about being Scottish and it's been the one thing, the light, I've needed at times to keep going, to want to keep pushing.'
STV News
7 days ago
- Sport
- STV News
Rachel Corsie: 'I achieved more than I thought possible in football'
Rachel Corsie has admitted she has achieved more than she ever thought possible, as she prepares to draw a line under her illustrious career. The Scotland captain announced on Monday that she will retire after the upcoming internationals against Austria and Netherlands, ending a 16-year spell playing for the national team. Corsie began playing senior football with Aberdeen back in 2006 and went on to play for Glasgow City and then time in the USA with Seattle Reign, Utah Royals and Kansas City Current. The defender also played in Australia with Canberra United and had three spells in England with Notts County, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. In Scotland colours, she earned 154 caps, scored 20 goals and was part of the groundbreaking sides that reached both the European Championships and the World Cup for the first time. 'I've definitely achieved a lot more than I thought was possible,' Corsie said when asked to reflect on her career. 'Looking back, it's so amazing to think of all the different things I've done. 'To have travelled the world, met all the people I've met, whether that's players that you play with or against, coaches, support staff. So many people. 'And that was one of the biggest things about yesterday. So many people reached out and it was so overwhelming. And so lovely.' Injury restricted Corsie to just two appearances in her final season with Villa, and prompted her to take the difficult decision to announce that she was retiring. 'Announcing it publicly, was an emotional day, but a really nice day,' she said. 'I got so many messages, so just trying to work my way through them and just appreciate them, it was definitely a nice moment for me. 'I've known for a little longer, so there's a relief about being able to come out and say it publicly and just acknowledge that this is now it. It was quite hard, though. 'It made it feel real. For me, there's a lot of things that have come together in a nice way. 'I've had a hard year, but to finish being able to play on the pitch was the biggest thing for me.' Corsie admits she's going to enjoy a break after her final game but the chartered accountant doesn't think she's done with football yet. She's eyeing a role in the game 'in some capacity' 'I'm definitely going to take some time out, and I don't know how that's going to go, I think that might be the hardest bit,' Corsie said. 'But I'm going to definitely take a couple of weeks gone holiday, turn my phone off probably as much as you can these days and just enjoy that because I think when you've been a professional athlete, summer's never quite summer. 'You always think, how many days before I need to go in the gym? Do I need to do a bike session? Should I go a run when I'm on holiday? So I'm going to try and go on holiday and do none of that. 'And then, I think for me, I want to stay within football in some capacity. I love it. I've done probably lots of little things over the course of my career. I've really enjoyed the media. 'I've done little bits of coaching, different bits and pieces through the players' union, things in the US, things back here but I need to probably figure out what feels like a good opportunity next and what feels right. A little break first and then we'll see.' Leading a team as head coach isn't something the hugely experienced player would rule out, though she said that she knows there's a lot more to management than meets the eye. 'I think if I do, that'll be quite a little bit down the line,' Corsie added. 'I think you realise as a senior player, being a head coach, being a coach is really hard. 'I think a lot of people think if you play the game, you could just go into coaching, but there's so much more to it than I think people realise. 'If I was to want to do that, I would want to really give it my best shot and I know that that would take quite a lot of time. You need to build the right skills to be able to do that well.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Press and Journal
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen's Scotland Women skipper Rachel Corsie to retire from football after international double-header over 'chronic' pain
Aberdeen's Scotland women's captain Rachel Corsie has announced she will retire from professional football after the current international camp. Corsie, 35, who led the Dark Blues during their only World Cup campaign, in 2019, currently has 154 caps to her name, but says 'chronic pain' in the wake of her latest knee injury and surgery has brought her to the decision. The centre-back, who left English Women's Super League side Aston Villa at the end of their season, has joined up with new Scots boss Melissa Andreatta's squad for Nations League A games at home to Austria and away to the Netherlands in the coming days. She could add two more caps to her storied Scotland stint during those matches. Explaining her rationale for drawing a line under a career which has also included Scotland's Euro 2017 campaign, Corsie – who battled back from her SIXTH knee surgery to make her Villa farewell on the park prior to end of the club season – told the BBC: 'My body has really wanted this to be my last year. 'Playing in the WSL, playing international football, I think it's the highest level, and to be turning 36 in August, knowing I'm going to stop playing at the highest point, it feels the right place for me. 'Getting back to playing at the end of the season was a really tough ambition and objective, but we got there. 'I was told by the surgeon before having the surgery that there was the option to have it, but the condition of my knee was fairly concerning and that – though surgery would potentially give some relief – there was quite a serious likelihood that the damage that's been done over the course of my career is going to be impactful to the rest of my life. 'I wanted to do the surgery because I knew that I couldn't get back playing leaving it as it was.' Detailing the difficulties of getting fit enough to return to playing at all, Corsie added: 'You have this self-belief, that: 'I've done it before, I could do it again'. 'I basically was just in chronic pain all the time. Walking up and down stairs in the house, sitting in the car for periods of time, getting in and out of the shower and having to climb out over the bath. 'All these little things, the day-to-day things that for me are now not normal. 'It's been a tough journey, but I've made it and it has been worth – I think – all those days in pain.' Former Evening Express columnist Corsie is the great-granddaughter of Aberdeen FC legend Donald Colman. Her first girls' team was Stonehaven Ladies, before switches to Aberdeen Ladies, Glasgow City, Notts County, Seattle Reign, Utah Royals, Canberra United, Birmingham City, Kansas City Current and, finally, Villa in 2022. Corsie wasn't paid to play until she went full-time with Notts County in 2014. A qualified chartered accountant, she had previously worked as an auditor for Ernst and Young. She will retire having captained the Scotland Women's National Team for a remarkable 14 – almost 15 – years.
