Rosella Ayane: ‘Playing here is always special’

Rosella Ayane described herself as “super excited” in the build-up to Sunday’s game against Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The game kicks off at 12pm in the Women’s Super League and tickets are available here. To find out more about what’s going on throughout the day, click here.

“I’m super excited,” Ayane said. “It’s been a long time coming as the game was postponed from the beginning of the season. It’s going to be a great game and playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is always special.

“I love playing in big stadiums with big crowds. As a player, it’s one that you want to be involved in. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is an amazing one, the pitch is brilliant, the atmosphere created there is incredible and it’s going to be super exciting.”

We’ve seen a steady improvement in performances following the January arrivals of Bethany England and Mana Iwabuchi, and Ayane believes it’s just a matter of time before the results turn in our favour.

“Mana and Beth have settled in really well,” she said. “It’s not particularly easy coming into a team midway through the season and they’ve been great. They’re both quality players and you can see that on the pitch. They’re both amazing players to have in the changing room. 

“We had a positive performance against Chelsea and we just want to build on those and turn them into wins. Hopefully Sunday can be the start of that.”

As for Sunday, Manchester United are the opponents for the first time this season.

“They’ve shown that they have quality this season and, when we’ve played them in previous seasons, they’ve always brought a good game to us,” Ayane added. “They are well structured and work hard so it’s going to be a battle. We all know what to expect, are looking forward to it and are as prepared as we can be. It’s definitely going to be an exciting game.”

At £21 for a family of four, Sunday’s game also represents excellent value for money and a great day out for Spurs fans.

“The game is the main event,” Ayane said, “but you’ve got lots of extra things going on so it will be such an exciting day for young girls and families to come down with lots for them to do before the game. 

“It’s so nice for families to have that special day out with so much going on at the stadium.”

Earlier this week, Rosella got the chance to visit Lea Valley Primary School and surprise the students with tickets to Sunday’s game.

“It was adorable! Putting a smile on the kids faces like that is such a nice feeling. It’s one of the reasons why we want to do the game, to see the excitement on their faces is really special. It was a great day down there. 

“Since I’ve been in London, I’ve found a couple of Moroccan fans since coming back from AFCON, and it’s always a special feeling to see how much your football is touching them and how supportive they are of us. The Moroccan girl at the school was the icing on the cake, so adorable and excited! That makes playing for Morocco and Spurs even more special.”