By Lauren Harte
For Océane Hurtré, winning a league title has always carried a special significance.
Her fondest football memory is winning her first title with PSG in France’s Première Ligue.
Last season, she experienced that magical feeling again, this time helping Birmingham City secure the WSL2 title and promotion back to the Women’s Super League.
“It was a great season,” Hurtré reflects. “We never gave up. Even when we were nine points behind the leaders, we kept pushing in every match and every training session.”
It was exactly the kind of season Hurtré had hoped for when she arrived in Birmingham last summer.
“It was a pretty easy choice to make,” she says of her decision to join the club.
She had been told Birmingham City had big ambitions. “The goal was to help the club move up a division and then go on to play against the biggest teams.”
Now, that goal has become reality.
On Sunday, Blues return to the Barclays Women’s Super League for the first time in four seasons, and Hurtré is relishing the opportunity to test herself at the highest level.
“The world’s top players are competing in the league now,” she says. “So I think it’s absolutely incredible to be able to play against that level of talent every weekend.”
Having experienced football in both France and England, Hurtré has noticed one clear difference between the two leagues.
“The main difference is the physicality,” she says. “I think the WSL is more physical than the French league.”
Hurtré will get an immediate test of that on Sunday, as Birmingham City travel to face reigning champions Manchester City in their opening game of the season.
