Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond on why she joined Birmingham City

Matildas veteran Emily van Egmond had plenty of offers on the table to switch clubs in January. She reveals why she settled on a second tier English side.

It is a second tier English side but veteran Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond said the level of professionalism and high performance environment at Birmingham City was equal to any NWSL club.

It has been five years since van Egmond’s last stint in the UK – she played for top tier side West Ham for the 2020-21 season. She scored four goals in her 21 matches.

After several years playing in the USA for various clubs, the most recent a three-season stretch with expansion club San Diego Wave, van Egmond was looking for a change.

A move in the January transfer window is always tricky to secure. The NWSL clubs are in their off-season the English and most Europe leagues mid-season.

The 31-year-old, who honed her skills playing for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League’s Women’s, said she had a number of offers on the table.

Emily van Egmond in her debut game for WSL 2 side Birmingham City. Picture: Instagram

“I’d been in talks with various clubs in Europe and the US,” van Egmond said.

“It was about making sure that I picked the right situation for me in this moment and that was Birmingham.

“A really big factor is that they are elite and there’s a lot of investment going into the club on both the men’s and women’s side.

“The professionalism is second to none – it’s just as good if not better than other organisations that are within the top leagues.

“I’ve been really happy with the level that is driven by the club standards, the coaching and the people that they have around them to be able to create this environment.

“I believe if we were in the top league right now we would be more than competitive.”

Birmingham City sit on top of the WSL 2 ladder, one point clear of London City.

The top placed team at the end of the season will be promoted to the top tier WSL.

Van Egmond said the extra challenge of fighting for promotion added to the appeal.

“The competition within itself is really competitive, it’s so tight at the top, which makes it exciting,” she said.

“As a footballer that’s what you want every day, you want to be able to come in and want to be challenged and you want to be fighting to be successful.

“That’s one of the things that I loved about the US League, was that every game is a game and I feel like that’s the same here.”

Van Egmond has made the move to WSL 2 side Birmingham City FC and is fighting for promotion to the top tier. Picture: Instagram

Van Egmond got stuck straight in – playing her first match for her new club just days are landing in the city.

She came off the bench in the 67th minute in their 1-0 win over Sunderland.

Van Egmond is expected to play again this weekend against Sheffield United before getting a plane back to the USA to join the Matildas for the SheBelieves Cup.

“That’s part of being an athlete, you are constantly on the move,” van Egmond said.

“It’s the first camp of the year and it is going to be a big one – it’s a big tournament and a really important year for the Matildas going into the 2026 Asian Cup.”

Matildas are still without a coach following Tony Gustavsson’s departure post the disastrous Olympic campaign.

Van Egmond in action for Australia. Picture: Getty Images

Interim coach Tom Sermanni will be at the helm for this camp.

Van Egmond said it didn’t really bother her or have a huge impact on the team.

“Everyone is just being patient and we’re letting the Federation do their thing,” she said.

“We are happy at the moment and we’ve got good games coming up. As a team the end goal is to be in the best possible shape and playing really well come the Asian Cup.

“We’ve got a lot of games this year and it’s important to get that exposure and those challenges before we head into that tournament.”

Originally published as Matildas midfielder Emily van Egmond on why she joined Birmingham City