Rachel Daly, 34, has become Aston Villa Women’s captain, embracing her role as the team’s oldest player while focusing on club football after retiring from international duty. The 2023 World Cup final participant, who scored 16 senior international goals, cites family time and recovery as key factors in her decision to step down from England. 'For club football, it’s given me more of a focus: that’s my one job,' she says. Daly, who joined Villa in 2023 after a six-year stint with Houston Dash, emphasizes her commitment to the club’s growth. 'I said when I first signed here that I wanted to be part of the journey. I’ve stayed and been part of that journey and seen how we’ve moved and how we’ve progressed.' Her focus now is on helping Villa improve on last season’s ninth-place finish, despite a late-season slump of four straight defeats. 'We weren’t happy with the way we finished,' she admits, highlighting the need for progress in a competitive WSL. The league’s expansion to 14 teams this season excites Daly, who believes more teams will enhance the competition. 'It excites me. The league has been kind of at a steady place for quite a while but we need growth, we need change, we need to have more teams in the league.'