If anyone knows what it means to represent Arsenal, it’s Lotte Wubben-Moy.
A product of our academy and a childhood Gooner, our No 3 has shown passion, desire and commitment whenever she’s on the pitch, and now she’s been rewarded with a new contract.
We spoke to Wubben-Moy after putting pen to paper on her new deal - and this is what she had to say:
on how it feels to sign a new contract…
Oh, it feels amazing. This contract means so much more to me, to my family, to my teammates, than it just being a football contract. It’s a commitment to the club and it’s a commitment to Arsenal and the community that it’s active in, and to my life as a whole because that’s sort of what Arsenal is, it’s my life.
on what she had to think about before signing…
Most of the thoughts that come up when I think about are first nature. Second nature, they’re the things that I’ve lived throughout my whole life. Thinking back to my sixth form, Stoke Newington, that was a place where everyone was Arsenal supporters. Arsenal in the Community were active there and that sort of weaved my way through from there to push me on to signing for the club in the first place, and beyond that Arsenal is home and it’s where I’ve been active my whole life.
on what it’s like to have Ian Wright asking you to sign…
Well, it’s cool already when you sign a contract you know you have the support from he coach, the general manager, the CEO here at Arsenal, so that in itself is a bit confidence boost, but for then support to be coming from the one and only Ian, ‘Wrighty’, is special and you know that this club runs deep, it’s about legacy, and it’s about then creating a legacy for the future and that’s sort of what Ian stands for in my eyes.
on how she’s grown as a player and person since coming back from the States…
It’s been a journey, there’s ups and downs with it. I speak about it quite often, it’s never going to be a smooth ride, it’s bumpy, but with that you’ve got to take the highs and they’ve come in their dozens and I’ve been excited every day that I come here to Colney to work towards those highs, and to be able to do that not just on the pitch, but off the pitch, is extremely important for me, and that’s what excites me about this new contract, being able to commit for the future to create more, not only on the pitch but off the pitch.
on what Jonas Eidevall has added to her game…
Confidence, he’s instilled confidence in me and beyond that you can’t ask for much more. It’s been a good relationship, he pushes me, he challenges me, and from there I think that creates the most solid foundation for me to push on and be myself and be individual and to play my way. I hope that’s what I can continue to do and continue to create.
on the importance of her kicking on as a player now…
I feel ready. I feel ready to compete at the highest stages and the highest level, and that contract sort of gives me the confidence to continue to do that. I feel happy here and when you’re happy in a place and an environment with the people that are around you, the sky is the limit.
on making a special commitment to Arsenal in the Community…
Like I’ve sort of alluded to, this contract feels like a full circle moment. Growing up in Hockey, East London, I’ve been part of the areas and communities where Arsenal in the Community have been so active. To then be able to use this moment and this time and this presence to be able to commit not only to a future on the pitch, but off the pitch in collaboration with Arsenal, I think is so important. A lot of people will know that I write about the little things in my blog, the Lotte little things, and that’s about appreciating the little things in life, the things that people will often cast aside and say ‘that doesn’t matter’ or ‘that can’t help’. I view it in a different way, I see that as an opportunity to say ‘Okay, what can we do to help here? And what can we do to appreciate these moments, these little things?’ And with Arsenal in the Community I know that I can’t change the country and I can’t change the world, but I can change the community where I have been a part of and I have been active. I know that with Arsenal in the Community, their help, their support, their staff, I can bring change about in my community and to go into depth a bit more on that, I’m committing with Arsenal in the Community, my time and energy towards creating a programme for young women and young girls to be able to build upon their life skills, their confidence, their communications skills, and to do that in a way that’s very me. That’s talking about art, that’s talking about the environment, that’s talking about people and that’s talking about football as a bridge to do that, and to do that with Arsenal I the Community is an invaluable thing that sort of spearheads this contract as a whole for me.
on what the club means to her…
If you can’t tell by the smile on my face, it means happiness, it means home.
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