Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson is no stranger to big-picture conversations about women’s football, but in a recent SheKicks.net interview, she managed to weave in topics ranging from record-breaking transfers to bizarre courtside antics.
Olivia Smith: The New Face of Football Professionalism?
When 19-year-old Canadian forward Olivia Smith signed a world-record £1 million deal with Arsenal, it made headlines. Wilkinson believes Smith could do for football what Caitlin Clark is doing for the WNBA, usher in an era of total professionalism.
“We’ve had phenomenal ambassadors for the game who weren’t paid,” Wilkinson said. “Now it’s that generation, the Caitlin Clarkes for basketball, the Olivia Smiths for football, who will bring the sport to an elite level.”
She compared this shift to Arsène Wenger’s influence on men’s football, moving it from “professional in name” to meticulous in nutrition, recovery, and fitness.
Sex Toys at WNBA Games? “Unfortunate, But Not Worth Walking Off”
Wilkinson was also asked about a series of WNBA games disrupted by sex toys thrown onto the court. While she finds it disruptive, she doesn’t believe such incidents warrant taking a team off the field.
“Unless it were dangerous, people are always going to be foolish,” she said. “One fan’s action shouldn’t define the whole crowd.” Wilkinson drew parallels to the NHL tradition of throwing octopuses onto the ice, calling both “weird” but part of sports culture’s stranger side.
Learning From the Men’s Game, Without the Same Mistakes
Wilkinson stressed the importance of growing women’s football on its own terms while avoiding the pitfalls of the men’s game, particularly around pay disparity.
“Some players aren’t making enough to live on,” she said. “They’re supplementing income with other jobs just to keep playing. That has to change.”
Wales’ Fitness Gap and Player Pool Growth
One key to Wales’ international success, Wilkinson says, is getting players regular minutes at club level. “You can sit on the bench for a year, maybe 18 months, but after that you need to be playing,” she warned.
The good news: the number of registered women’s players in Wales has more than doubled in four years, from 8,000 to over 20,000. “We need to keep that momentum,” she added.
Age Is Just a Number, Ask Jess Fishlock
At 38, Welsh icon Jess Fishlock is still considering her international future. Wilkinson compared her to Cristiano Ronaldo and James Milner, saying age shouldn’t be the deciding factor for retirement. “If she’s delivering for the team, it’s her call,” she said.
Changing of the Guard in the WSL?
Looking ahead to the 2025-26 Women’s Super League season, Wilkinson hinted Arsenal could finally challenge Chelsea’s dominance. “I think Arsenal will run the season a lot closer,” she predicted, adding that English clubs could also make a deeper Champions League push.
From big-money signings to strange sideline stunts, Wilkinson’s perspective makes one thing clear, women’s football is entering a new, more professional era, but the journey will be anything but boring.
