Kop on feeling settled in Lilywhite and her creativity away from the pitch

From feeling at home in north London after a full pre-season to focusing on herself away from the pitch, goalkeeper Lize Kop lifts the lid on the strong start to the campaign.

As we embark on our penultimate Barclays Women’s Super League game of 2025 this weekend, there have been plenty of positives to take from the first half of the season – none more than our defensive performances.

At the same stage last term, we had conceded 23 goals while we enter the clash with Manchester United with only 13 goals against – only in 2021/22 had we conceded less after the opening nine fixtures (eight goals).

And the defensive unit has certainly taken the acclaim for the resolute displays so far and, in particular, goalkeeper Lize Kop, who already has four clean sheets to her name in the league – seven in all competitions – which is the joint-highest alongside Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton.

But, while the spotlight is on her, Lize is keen to pass on all the credit to the players in front of her and the communication from Head Coach Martin Ho, when speaking in the matchday programme against Aston Villa at the weekend.

“We’ve all been working hard for those clean sheets,” she told us. “But it’s not just my job. We’ve had great blocks, some great defending and a number of strong tackles in midfield and in attack - so the whole team has contributed to those clean sheets, and that’s amazing.

“The communication has been very clear under Martin, and the standards have been high every day and that clarity has helped us perform. We’re very clear on what we expect from each other and what we need to do. We’ve some great additions over the summer, but even before that we already had a strong squad and that has started to show now.

“It’s the hard work we put in every day, the high standards we set for ourselves and those set by the staff. Pre-season helped, but it’s more than that. It’s the daily training and consistency that allow us to perform the way we have.”

An ever-present in our starting XI this term, starting and completing every single minute in our 13 games in all competitions, alongside her strong performances to date, Lize has certainly endorsed herself into the Lilywhite fanbase.

Joining us from Leicester City in January, the Netherlands international was thrown straight into the action, making her debut against her former club just three days after her arrival before featuring in all 12 WSL games across the backend of the last campaign.

While she impressed in her first six months in Lilywhite with some big saves and composure on the ball, she admitted that pre-season gave her the opportunity to properly build relationships with her team-mates and that has resulted in the positive showings to date.

“Pre-season was really helpful for me,” she explained. “Coming in last season, the team made everything quite easy but it was still a bit chaotic. Having a full pre-season meant I could connect more with everyone, getting to know players personally and spending time together during camp.

“That really helped me find my place. But it also helped me feel more grounded. When you feel settled, you can be more yourself, which makes it easier to profile yourself within the team.”

However, while football takes up a lot of time throughout the week with training sessions and games, which sometimes involves travelling up and down the country, Lize uses her spare time to continue to build herself away from the pitch.

Describing herself as a ‘quite creative’ person, our shot stopper has indulged herself into university life – currently studying remotely on a course in her homeland – and she feels it’s important to develop herself away from football.

“I’m still studying so sometimes I have to do the boring stuff too,” she said, smiling as she explained. “I’m currently studying marketing and economics, through a university in the Netherlands, which is done remotely. I chose it when I was younger as it connects well with the world we’re in - how to profile yourself and work on personal branding. I’m quite creative and like thinking of opportunities and ways I can support people around me.

“Studying marketing teaches you about target groups and finding opportunities where what people want connects with what I can offer. It’s also practical when you’re a footballer, especially if you move abroad and need something you can study online.

“In women’s football, it’s not normal that you’re done after your career - you need to think about what comes next. I like developing myself personally and using my brain in different ways. It’s important for our future, but also for who we are beyond the pitch.”

Asked about how else she relaxes away from the football pitch, Lize added: “Making coffee is a real hobby for me. I enjoy exploring what’s around, going for walks in nature and I like going out with friends and developing myself personally. I work with mental coaches and do breathing work to stay connected with myself—especially important in a world with a lot of pressure.”