Jordan Nobbs has joined Newcastle Women, and in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, says she wants the challenge of trying to get the club promoted to the WSL. The midfielder, 32, joins the club after her departure from Aston Villa Women, where she spent two and a half years.
She had previously spent 13 years with Arsenal Women, and holds the record for the most WSL appearances. It is that experience and nous that she will be hoping to bring to the Magpies, who are readying themselves for a second season in the WSL2.
They finished fifth in the league last year. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Sky to show 118 WSL games per season in historic dealGot Sky? Watch WSL games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Speaking about her move, Nobbs told Sky Sports: I was open to options after Aston Villa and Newcastle was one that I wanted to speak to, to see their ambitions.
Pushing them for promotion was a challenge that I wanted to be part of with this team. Its not easy to get up the leagues. No matter where you start, its tough. The womens games growing and its harder than it looks, so for Newcastle to finish where they did last season, it shows that theyre growing.
And after speaking to the club, finding out what their ambitions are, I wanted to follow that journey with them and help, hopefully, with my experience and push the team to get promoted. It is a return home for Nobbs.
She grew up in the North East, close to both Newcastle and Sunderland, where she came through the academy – now crossing the Tyne-Wear divide, 14 years after leaving. Ill always be grateful for being that seven-year-old child that joined Sunderland and progressed me as a player, she said.
But Im competitive, Im a winner and Im now with Newcastle. Its been a long time since I was at Sunderland and Newcastle is now my club that I want to push and play well for, so Ill be fully back in our team.
I feel like this is the perfect situation where Ive gone from growing up in the North East to living my dream at Arsenal to then coming back to be a club that wants to push for promotion. People follow your football journey but they dont know everything.
I moved away when I was 17 and you do miss out on so many things, so its a dream to have all my family and friends supporting me here at Newcastle. Newcastle became integrated into the club in August 2022, turning professional a year later.
They were the first club in the third tier of womens football to be fully professional, earning promotion to the then-named Womens Championship in 2024. The WSL2 is increasingly competitive too. In recent years, there have been title races won on the tightest of margins, with the London City Lionesses promoted by two points last season.
While Nobbs has previously played in the lower leagues of English womens football in various guises while at Sunderland, but this will be her first taste of the WSL2 in its current form. Discussing the league, Nobbs added: Ive watched a lot of games because Ive got friends in football, especially in the North East with Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle, so Ive always seen how competitive it is.
Its a league thats growing. Weve always said that from grassroots upwards, we want womens football to be professional and pushing to be the best for every little girl thats watching us as role models, so its exciting.
Its exciting times for the league and exciting times for Newcastle.
