Rachel Daly says retiring from England has sharpened her focus on Aston Villa ahead of new WSL season
Aston Villa captain Rachel Daly said retiring from the England team has given her a clearer focus on club football while speaking at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training base ahead of the new Women’s Super League season; the interview was published on 21 August 2026. Daly told reporters that stepping away from international duty allowed her to prioritise Villa and recovery.
Daly, 34, broke into Leeds’ first team as a 16‑year‑old in 2008 and said that by next summer she will have played 19 seasons at the top level. She is entering her fifth season at Villa after arriving from Houston Dash, where she spent six years, shortly after starting every game of England’s 2022 Euros campaign. Daly has 84 England caps, scored 16 senior international goals and was the WSL’s player of the season three years ago; she helped England reach the World Cup final in Sydney in 2023 and announced her international retirement the following April, watching the 2025 Euros as a fan.
Off the pitch Daly described a low‑key private life, saying: "I’m not that exciting, to be honest." She added: "I walk the dogs, play golf. I don’t do a whole lot. I don’t lead a very exciting life." Daly also mentioned her golf progress, saying she had reached a handicap of 19.
As Villa’s captain Daly emphasised her role as a senior voice in a young dressing room, saying: "I’m the oldest in the team by a country mile." She trains at Bodymoor Heath alongside 20‑year‑olds such as Georgia Mullett and Mia McAulay, a summer signing from Rangers, and said: "A lot of the youngsters look up to me. It’s a nice feeling. It shows that they respect me and they value me, which is nice." Daly added: "I’m kind of a person that believes everyone should have a voice in the building."
Reflecting on the decision to retire from international football, Daly said: "I made that decision purely for me. I needed to do that at the time of my life. For club football, it’s given me more of a focus: ‘That’s my one job’. Recovery‑wise, obviously, I’m not getting any younger, so it gave me more time, I got my international breaks back. It’s about spending time with my family. I didn’t want to miss out on my nephew growing up and stuff like that. So it was the right decision at the right time for me." She added: "I do think I feel fresher" and noted: "It’s taxing on your body being away for 10 days every month. Getting that time back and mentally just resetting – the most positive thing I’ve felt is just being able to breathe and get that time back with my family. I missed a lot of [family] time when I was in America." On how she now uses international breaks she said: "Because of the demands of being a professional footballer and the environment you’re in, it’s nice to just do nothing. I like what I like. It’s just been nice to kick back and just chill a little bit."
On the field Daly made clear Villa must improve on ninth place from last season, recalling: "We weren’t happy with the way we finished" and referencing a run of four straight defeats at the end of the campaign. She called the coming year "kind of a bit of a transition, rebuilding year," saying: "There’s a lot of big players that left last year and there’s a lot of new faces in the door. A lot of young players, which is exciting. But [the aim] is building on how we left last year."
Discussing the WSL’s expansion and Villa’s early schedule, Daly said: "It excites me," about two extra teams entering the league this season and added: "More games means more fun." Villa open away to Chelsea on 5 September and host Manchester City eight days later; Daly said: "Yes, September will be tough, starting against Chelsea and City is not an easy feat," and added: "It’ll be a good test for us. We’re in a good spot so it will be interesting to see how that month goes, but I back us all the time. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to play the best and I think there’s no better place to start than playing Chelsea." She noted she has never played at Stamford Bridge and recalled Villa’s previous trip to Chelsea in March ending in a seven‑goal thriller.
Villa’s immediate next fixtures are confirmed: they travel to Chelsea on 5 September and then host Manchester City eight days later, a pair of matches Daly says will serve as an early test of the squad’s progress.