INTERVIEW: 'WE'RE NOT THERE JUST TO TAKE PART. WE'RE HERE TO CHALLENGE': CORAL-JADE HAINES REFLECTS ON WATFORD'S TITLE WINNING SEASON, THEIR AMBITIONS AND RETURN TO THE WSL2
'We're there to challenge the top teams, the top three, the top five. We're not looking down, we're looking forward and up’.
These confident words from Watford defender Coral-Jade Haines underline the team’s ambitions as they embark on a new chapter in their history following promotion from the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division last season.
Speaking to Her Sports Sphere via Microsoft Teams, she discussed Watford’s ambitions for the season, her growing role in the team and the importance of togetherness as a group as they return to the Women’s Super League 2 (WSL2).
Watford: A Team on the Rise?
Watford have been on quite the rollercoaster ride in recent years.
After winning promotion to the WSL2 in 2022-23, the Golden Girls were relegated the following season before returning to the second tier in 2025-26, lifting the FA Women's National League Southern Premier Division trophy despite defeat to AFC Bournemouth on the final day.
And with the Golden Girls playing all their home fixtures at Vicarage Road this season, this is something Haines knows all too well.
The former England youth international has experience playing in the top flight, with Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, giving valuable insight into the physical and mental demands of competing at the highest level of women’s domestic football.
Haines’s Journey: The Road to Promotion
Having signed for Watford in 2023 and becoming a regular starter in the squad, Haines finds herself helping the team return to the WSL2. She played a key role in pushing for the team’s road to promotion, including scoring the vital goal against Gwalia United that secured the title for the team.
Now she is preparing for a new chapter with the Golden Girls and strongly emphasised that the team’s ambitions should extend further than establishing themselves in the league.
‘As a club and as a team, we focus more on what we can bring to the game, our strengths, our style of play and what we can take into each match.
We’re a match for any team in this league, and we know we can compete with them. It’s more about how we’re progressing, how we’re working on our tactics and our philosophy, and developing our game to make sure that we’re getting consistent performances as a team’.
‘The past is the past, and we don't dwell on it. We look forward, and we work on our strengths and make our strengths super strengths to ensure that not only are we in this league to participate.
We’re there to challenge the top teams, the top three, the top five. We’re not there just to take part in the league. We’re there to challenge ourselves and aim to beat those teams- some of them already established in the Super League- and that’s what we are aiming to do’.
New Faces, New Ambitions
This sense of ambition has also been reflected in Watford’s recruitment this summer, with the Hornets aiming to strengthen their team throughout the season.
New signings Grace Neville, Saoirse Noonan, Safia Middleton-Patel (on loan from Manchester United) and Demi Lambourne have joined the squad, Haines praising how quickly they have adapted to the group.
‘It’s been really nice to welcome them in and help them understand how we work in terms of training, our tactics, and how their personalities fit into that.
It’s really good to get an understanding of what they bring to the team and how that aligns with our philosophy as a club. But they've settled in really well, and I've really enjoyed having new faces around and being in a full-time environment’.
With the Golden Girls also aiming to raise their standards on and off the pitch, she believes the new additions have already brought character and personality to an ambitious squad.
‘It’s been working really well in terms of the new girls coming in, they’ve got great individual personalities, they’re funny girls and very hardworking.
The fact that they're working towards similar goals to what we aim for as a club and as a team, it’s just strengthening the squad on and off the pitch, the standards we set and the environment at the club, which is a credit to them. They fit in really well.’
Aiming for the Top
Watford's return to the WSL2 has provided an early test of their ambitions, the Golden Girls beginning their campaign with a draw against Burnley.
With the season underway, the opening fixture offered a glimpse of how the squad could develop, as the new signings began to settle into the team and adapt to the demands of the league.
Five fixtures into the campaign, however, a 2-2 draw against Wolves offered some optimism amid mixed results as Watford sought to turn their performances into wins. Their victory over Durham at Vicarage Road provided a confidence boost for the Hornets, giving them an opportunity to gain momentum as they look to climb the league table.
For Haines, the focus remains firmly on Watford's own identity rather than becoming distracted by their opponents. She believes that building and maintaining relationships on and off the pitch is key to the squad's progress, particularly as Watford look to establish greater consistency throughout the season.
'We need to keep working hard to make sure that we are becoming consistent and confident with our game and with each other, playing to our strengths, being solid at the back and making sure that we’re more effective in the opposition’s box. Our priority is ensuring everyone’s keeping fit and performing well on the pitch’.
Haines’s experience of competing at the highest level has given her an understanding of what it takes to perform in the WSL, knowledge she can draw on as Watford look to establish themselves in the second tier.
‘Being an experienced player and having previously played in this league, I know what's expected in terms of the standards, how committed you need to be to make sure that you're performing week in, week out, on and off the pitch.
So I think integrating our style of play, the belief, the confidence we have in sticking to our philosophy so far has been really good. The girls have taken on board a lot of information with the standards that have been raised, which is really good as well’.
This season will also mark a personal homecoming for Haines, as she prepares to face her former club in a league fixture that holds particular significance for her.
Coming full circle
A lifelong supporter, Haines grew up playing for Leicester City for 15 years before moving to Birmingham City’s academy as she felt the club was better established, offering greater opportunities to progress throughout her career.
With Leicester now established in the WSL, she’s looking forward to seeing how much the team has developed, particularly their homegrown and academy talent, turning this into a full circle moment.
‘It would be nice to go and play against them and see what they're about, but hopefully come away with a win. It’ll be interesting to see how they've progressed as well, but also to play in front of my family and friends.’
Leading by Example
For Haines, being handed the captain’s armband for Watford’s first league fixture of the season was not something she had expected.
'No, I've never really looked at myself as somebody who wanted to be a captain. I think I've focused on my own performances and making sure that I can be as consistent as I can be as a player. Basically, the likes of Roy Keane and these sorts of players I looked up to when I was younger. It's more about making sure that I'm leading by example and showing what I can offer on the pitch’.
She also praised current captain and teammate Megan Chandler as an inspiration, highlighting the positive influence she sets for the team.
‘I think having somebody like that in the team is setting a great example. So it's trying to reflect the kind of attitude that Meg gives us on the pitch and on the training ground. So it's just kind of seeing what she does and trying to implement that sort of style as well.’
A Title Winning Season
While her performances last term earned her the Player of the Season award, Haines prefers to view her achievement in the context of the team’s success, crediting the award to the team’s overall performance.
‘To be honest with the award, it could have gone to a few players, so I don’t think it’s something that I thought to kind of dwell on too much because there were a lot of players that played an integral part to win the league.
I don’t think of it as an individual sort of accomplishment. It's more of what we’ve done as a team, how I helped them and the team’s performances. It’s nice to get the award, but it's more of a fact that we’ve got promoted, which I’m proudest of'.
A Home Away From Home
Having played at Vicarage Road, Haines hopes to see more women’s teams given the opportunity to play at their clubs’ main stadiums, reflecting the continued growth of the game.
Calling fans the team’s 12th player’, she believes playing in front of supporters can provide an important advantage and encourages more clubs to follow suit.
‘We want Watford supporters to make sure they come down and watch the Golden Girls at Vicarage Road because they really are our 12th player. It helps us endlessly on a game day, and the atmosphere really pushes us on to be able to perform better and kind of enjoy the day a lot more.’
The Future of Women’s Football
Haines is also equally passionate about the future of the women’s game, particularly the need to make it sustainable and to provide teams with their own facilities and stadiums.
'Hopefully, in the future, it will not be the case that we're playing at a men's stadium and we'll have similar sorts of stadiums just for the women as well. That's something that we're hoping as women's footballers to try and push the game towards and to make sure that stadiums are built for the women's teams.
I hope that it’s the same for all women’s teams going forward, that we get to play in stadiums and on pitches as good as Vicarage Road. It's an amazing stadium. The atmosphere when all the fans are there is also amazing, and it's something that I would thrive and urge.’
Looking Forward
For Haines, Watford's return to the WSL2 represents more than a homecoming.
It is a testament to how the Golden Girls have proved themselves week in and week out against some of the best in the game, demonstrating the hunger and desire needed to establish themselves as a club capable of competing at the highest level.
Mirroring the team's rollercoaster of promotion and relegation, Haines has come full circle. As she prepares to face her old club at Vicarage Road, she is also embracing a new chapter with Watford, a club that is increasingly feeling like home.
‘It's amazing to look out at the crowd and see so many supporters there cheering us on. It really helps us motivate each other and pushes us to go for the win that little bit more.
It really does feel like a family when we're at Vicarage Road because we're starting to feel like it's our home. The fans that are there supporting us are our extended family, and we get to share the great moments we have on the pitch, but also come together as a collective to push for more’.
And as Watford continue to establish themselves in the WSL2, this is something she is keen to emphasise. The Golden Girls' ambition is not simply to survive in the second tier but to consistently challenge, compete, and push the club forward.
The Hornets are not looking backwards. They are looking forward, and, as Haines makes clear, they are looking up.
Nerea Fernandes
Writer
October 2026
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