If all goes to plan, this will be one of Jen Beattie’s best birthdays ever. The Manchester City defender turns 26 today but for a while at least, birthday celebrations are on hold because this afternoon, Manchester City take on Birmingham City in the SSE Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley. Man City are aiming to write themselves into the record books as victory today would be their first-ever FA Cup win and would ensure the club holds all three major domestic trophies simultaneously so there is little doubt that a winner’s medal would be the perfect birthday present for Beattie.
Today’s final is set to be one of the biggest domestic matches in the history of women’s football, with over 35,000 tickets having been sold. It will smash the current Women’s FA Cup attendance record of just under 33,000 which was set at last year’s final. With City currently second in the FA Women’s Super League and having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, they go into today’s final as favourites, but a 1-1 draw with Birmingham in last week’s league match should mean complacency is unlikely to set in.
Beattie has a wealth of FA Cup experience – she previously got her hands on the trophy as part of the Arsenal team that won the competition in 2011 and 2013 – but this will be the Scotland internationalist’s first time playing at England’s national stadium. It is an experience she will relish. “We’re all feeling good and I’m really looking forward to the final because I’ve been a part of FA Cup finals before and it’s always such an enjoyable day,” the Glaswegian said. “It’ll be great to play at Wembley and it’s going to be a massive occasion. You have to try to forget about the trophy and just treat it as any other game but at the same time, it will be an incredible experience so you want to take it all in.”
Everything Beattie touches at the moment seems to turn to gold. Having previously had successful spells at Celtic, Arsenal, Montpellier and Melbourne City, Beattie has stepped up another level since signing for Manchester City at the start of 2015. Last year, she was an integral member of the team as they won both the Super League and the WSL Continental Tyres Cup as well as being included in the PFA FA Women’s Super League team of the year and the Scot admits that her move to England has panned out like a dream. “Coming to Man City is definitely the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said. “To become the best player I could be, I knew that this club was the right place for me. With the facilities, the coaching staff and the support, it’s just brilliant. And the players are so good – I have Steph Houghton, the captain of England playing beside me which is a great experience.”
The ambition of Man City was highlighted earlier this year when they signed two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Carli Lloyd, and for Beattie, the American’s loan signing was confirmation that she is at a club that has every intention of continuing to grow. However, not every women’s team is in such a good position. On the eve of this year’s Super League’s season, Notts County women’s team folded, highlighting that while women’s football as a whole is growing, it still faces significant challenges. Beattie was, she admits, devastated to hear of Notts County’s plight and it served to make the Scot even more appreciative of her own situation. Manchester City Women have the full backing of the men’s team which is something that Beattie believes is imperative for any women’s team to reach the top of the sport. “I was gutted for the Notts County players – it’s so tough to watch that happen to a club,” she said. “At Man City we’re very lucky that we have the full backing of the men’s team and I think that’s still quite unique. For women’s football to continue to move forward, I think that the backing of the men’s team needs to be there.”
Today’s FA Cup final is the start of a hectic few months for Beattie. Man City will attempt to add another league title to their trophy cabinet, while in July, Beattie will be part of the Scottish national squad which has made history by qualifying for their first-ever major tournament, the European Championships in the Netherlands. With over 100 caps, Beattie has considerable international experience but admits that the Euros will be something entirely different and is the culmination of several years of sustained improvement by the national team. “The Euros will be huge and it’s something that you dream of as a kid,” she said. “It’s been a massive few years for us to secure qualification and this is the final stretch. I’m just trying not to over-think anything and take it one game at a time, but it will be incredible for us as a squad and I really can’t wait for it.”
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