By Gerard Mulreaney (@gerardmulreaney)
Chloe Mustaki bounced back from adversity to reach the Women’s FAI Cup Final in 2017, a final that ended in a defeat to Cork City. The 22 year-old had to overcome something that no young person should have to, when in 2014 she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. However, she battled back bravely to resurrect her football career, and is now fully focused on helping UCD Waves challenge for honours this season.
Mustaki is one of the league’s most talented players, having honed her skills playing in France with First Division side Girondins de Bordeaux. While there she improved her technical skills and also built up her fitness to a much higher level than she would have at home.
Mustaki took some time out during the week to talk about the new season and her hopes of getting called up to the Ireland squad.
Pre-season is never easy so how has preparation gone for you and your UCD team-mates? “Pre-season has gone well for both myself and the team. We're all aware it's going to be a long, tough season ahead considering all the changes to the UCD Waves team this year, but to be fair to the girls and the management they've all worked hard to get us ready.
The season begins on Sunday when UCD make the trip to Peamount United. Peamount are one of the main contenders for honours come the end of the season but Chloe is looking forward to get things started, “I am definitely looking forward to the start of the season on Sunday. All of the WNL teams have been training intensively in pre-season since early January. We're all getting to the stage now where we want to be competing, since the competitive nature of the sport is the reason most of us play.”
The midfielder is sure it won’t take long to get back into the swing of things, “I am fully fit and raring to go. The nerves are slowly but surely setting in but once the first few minutes of the Peamount game are out of the way, I hopefully we will be enjoying every minute of it.”
As Chloe mentioned, Waves have had lots of squad changes with the likes of Áine O’Gorman, Karen Duggan and Claire Walsh leaving the club in the off-season, so what are her ambitions going into the season? “My ambition this season with UCD Waves is to succeed in motivating the girls to believe in their ability. While we do have a young squad with limited experience, the girls are extremely hard working on the pitch and I know that that will stand to us in tougher times. On an individual basis I hope that in footballing terms I can help the team perform consistently throughout the season and prove something to all of those already doubting us. We have made a number of new signings for the upcoming season and they have all settled in very well so far.”
Mustaki, who played International football for Ireland at both U17 and U19 level, has ambitions to play senior football for her country but says being happy comes first, “Getting capped at senior level is a huge personal ambition of mine, however being happy remains the overriding priority. If I am ever given the opportunity some day I will grab it with both hands, but for the moment I plan on continuing to work hard and remain positive about what I have achieved to date in my sporting career.”
Having been on the losing side in two FAI Cup Finals she would love to see it from the other side, “To finally win an FAI Cup Final after losing out on two previous occasions would mean a lot to me and UCD Waves. This season I lost many of my team mates who played with me in those two previous Cup Finals, but to be able to share that this year with the younger girls would be an a great experience in itself.
Mustaki knows how difficult it is to be successful in this league but she feels this UCD Waves side can prove some of their doubters wrong, “I do believe we can cause some upsets in the league this year. Personally I think that the toughest challenge for us will be the mental battle. The aim is to perform week in week out to the best of our ability and to bounce back from any defeats with a positive attitude. If we can do that then I have no doubt UCD Waves can finish in a good position in the league this year.”
Chloe remembers her time playing in France fondly, and while there saw how much the Women’s National League in Ireland needs to improve. She said, “Playing in France during my Erasmus study year abroad was an amazing experience, but also very enlightening. The difference in standards between the French Division 1 and the WNL here in Ireland is considerable. It really brought home to me how far we have yet to go to catch up with the bigger nations. Having met with the WNL Committee several weeks ago, it is clear that they are working hard to try and increase professionalism within the league but the efforts need to come from everyone involved in women's soccer in Ireland and not just those at the top.”
Finally I asked her about what could he done to improve the promotion and advertising of the league here. She said, “I think the individual clubs themselves could do a lot more to promote and advertise the WNL. Teams have to start somewhere and be consistent in their outreach and promotional activities in order to attract and build a loyal fan base. Women's sport in general is getting increasing exposure in the international media. I strongly believe that if there was a better buzz and more media interest created around the Women's National League here in Ireland, standards would improve and we would definitely attract more spectators.”
UCD Waves begin their season this Sunday with an extremely tough task, as they travel to take on one of the favourites for honours Peamount United, with a kick-off time of 2pm.
Comments
Post a Comment