The new season kicks off on September 6 live on Sky Sports; Sky Sports will show 118 games live next season and 90 per cent of all fixtures, including exclusives; Ally Roebuck's Aston Villa play Brighton on Sunday September 7 live on Sky Sports.
Charlotte Marsh
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Pictured: Ellie Roebuck has returned to the WSL with Aston Villa after a year at Barcelona (Photo courtesy of Getty)
Aston Villa Women goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck is ready to reinvent herself after a life-changing two years.
The 25-year-old returned to the WSL from Barcelona this summer and, having recovered from an ischemic stroke, is hoping a fresh start will help her return to her best level.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Roebuck said: “Towards the end of last season I wanted to go home, not because there was anything wrong but because I wanted to get back into the WSL to challenge myself, hopefully play again and improve in that regard.”
“I enjoyed every minute at Barcelona, it was an absolutely incredible experience and I can't say anything bad about it, but from a football point of view I knew I had to change something to get back to myself and my level. I'm still young, although I feel quite old.”
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“There's a great project going on here and the club really supports the women's team. It was really cool. The manager [Natalia Arroyo] is also Spanish, so I have a bit of experience and I think we shared the same vision.”
Roebuck's return to England will hopefully mark the end of a chapter that has tested her mental and physical resilience.
The 25-year-old suffered a stroke at the start of the 2023/24 season while playing for Manchester City, which left her requiring lengthy rehabilitation and out of action for 19 months.
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Take a look at some of Ellie Roebuck's best saves in the WSL.
It helped Roebuck reassess her priorities and the need to adapt to a new lifestyle after a serious health incident, and was also the impetus for her return to the WSL.
“It was a very difficult time, to say the least,” the goalkeeper said. “Maybe looking back, football wasn't a priority for me a year ago, and rightly so. There were a lot of other things that were much more important.”
“I feel comfortable with it all now. It took time to adjust, I had to learn to be a new version of myself, prioritize my health differently and adapt to what I had to deal with because that's the reality. I'm trying to move on and make the best of a pretty bad situation, but that's life, things happen.
“Now I want to put it behind me and take the lessons from that experience, hopefully build on them and focus on playing football.”
Pictured: Ellie Roebuck spent eight years in the Manchester City first team after coming through the club's academy.
“I've learned a lot about endurance, and the body is such a powerful thing. I don't want to say it's a comeback because I don't think there was much I could do about it, but it adds fuel to the fire that's always been burning in the back of my mind to get back out there. I believe in myself.”
Moving to a new club and country while recovering from a stroke may not have been on Roebuck's to-do list, but she has already made the decision to join Barcelona, a move she describes as “brave”.
She has only made a handful of appearances during her season in Spain, including a return to action in December 2024, but believes the move has taught her that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to.
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Highlights from Aston Villa v Brighton's WSL clash on final day of 2024/25 season
“I'm very proud of myself for making that move,” she said. “People on the outside will always have their opinions about what's right and what's wrong, whether I should have gone somewhere where it would have been easier to play, and all that stuff.”
But I signed for Barcelona before I had the stroke, so it was already close to happening. That was my goal, not only to come back from the stroke, but to come back to the best team in the world.
Pictured: Ellie Roebuck spent a year at Barcelona before returning to the WSL.
“Nobody can say they've ever done this before or even tried. For me, it was something I wanted to do and something I wanted to prove to myself that I could do. It really set the bar for me. I know my possibilities are endless now.”
“Training day in and day out and getting hit by the best players in the world, I know I gave it my all and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.
“It's scary to come back and play football after six months off, nodding your head at people's feet. But doing it there gave me confidence that I could do it anywhere.”
Roebuck: England remember goal but I'm focused on the present
Aston Villa goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck on the England squad: “These girls amaze me every day. I'm very close to a lot of them so I've been in touch with them throughout the tournament [Euro 2025].
“They push the boundaries – it seems like everything is fine, but along the way they gave me a few heart attacks. I was very happy for all of them.
“It was a weird feeling for me not to be there. I didn't expect to be there, but it's always hard to watch because I desperately want to be a part of it.”
As for getting back into the squad, of course that's the goal. But I know that we need to be patient and focus on the moment.
Our goal now is to get back to playing consistently. I know I can only get back to playing close with the team if I play consistently, and that will help everyone.
Now she will use that to help Aston Villa this season. Last year was a difficult one, with three managers, including Shaun Goater as caretaker manager, as the club struggled to avoid relegation.
This was achieved thanks to five WSL wins at the end of the season under new coach Natalia Arroyo, finishing sixth overall. This season will be aimed at building on that success, as Arroyo has had a full pre-season to build the team.
“There's a good mix of seniority and experience, as well as some really exciting young talent,” Roebuck said of her new teammates.
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Aston Villa recorded one of their best results of the season as they beat Arsenal 5-2 in the WSL. Watch free highlights of the match.
They have also strengthened, we have brought in experienced players from abroad, some have even returned from the European Championships, which adds to their skill. There are always transition periods in clubs, and I think at the moment it seems to be OK.
“There is a great team spirit here. I felt very welcome and it was a pleasure to be part of it.
This year it's all about looking inwards and getting results from within. Aston Villa had a fantastic run of games at the end of last season and I saw that from the outside.
“If you can use that momentum to push forward and make life difficult for the big teams, but still have consistency against teams that maybe don't give you much of a challenge, you never know where you're going to end up.”
“I would definitely like to win something with this football club.”
Sky to show 90 percent of all WSL games from 2025/26
Sky Sports is launching a new five-year partnership with the WSL, which will see it broadcast 90% of all Women's Super League matches in the 2025/26 season. Sky Sports will show 118 live matches, including 78 exclusives.
Starting this season, most Women's Super League matches will kick off at 12:00pm on Sundays (depending on stadium capacity), giving fans a consistent and accessible viewing window.
Sky Sports will broadcast matches simultaneously across all channels, including Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports+ and the Sky Sports app, providing greater choice and visibility.
Sourse: skysports.com
