Since her retirement, Steph Houghton has become a much more visible figure, especially due to her burgeoning media career. She has opened up more about her personal life and experiences, illuminating the leader who not only represented Manchester City and England, but also transformed women’s soccer. In her memoir, Leading From The Back: My Journey to the Top of Women’s Football, she reveals the struggles and challenges she faced as a key figure in the sport. The memoir also sheds light on her personal life, particularly about her husband Stephen Darby’s motor neurone disease diagnosis in 2018.
Houghton’s post-retirement interviews have not always been well-received, especially by those who felt she sounded entitled or bitter. She received backlash after discussing the end of her England career with The Guardian, as well as from a Daily Mail interview prior to the 2023 World Cup. In these interviews, she detailed the immense pressure she put on herself and the difficulties she faced when her husband fell ill. However, she hopes that people will understand her feelings in their full context after reading her memoir.
The memoir depicts a sad ending to Houghton’s career with England. Her final match was a closed-door game against the Republic of Ireland at St George’s Park, a stark contrast to the grand send-offs of her peers, Jill Scott and Ellen White. While she managed to have a final walk-out with the team at Wembley against Germany, she couldn’t help but wish to be a part of the team’s major wins as well.
Houghton’s memoir goes on to recount her rehab journey following a torn Achilles injury. She recalls the 10-hour workdays she spent with a physiotherapist in Crewe, as well as the regular check-ins from England every six weeks. Despite her efforts, England’s new manager, Sarina Wiegman, decided Houghton hadn’t played enough games to be included in the squad. This devastated Houghton, who writes about how heartbreaking it was for her to lose the captain position and her place in the national team.
The memoir goes on to reveal Houghton’s perspective on Wiegman’s decision to remove her from the squad on tactical grounds. Houghton felt that Wiegman moved the goalposts even after she did everything asked of her. Additionally, the manner in which Wiegman delivered this news — at St George’s Park, rather than face-to-face — hurt Houghton further. She feels this kind of conversation deserves a more personal approach given her decorated career with the England team.
Finally, Houghton’s memoir and her subsequent comments on her England career reveal the complexities and difficulties that she faced. However, these revelations have been met with considerable criticism, perhaps due to a shift in fandom to newer, younger players. However, her memoir challenges the narrative and demands an acknowledgment of her vulnerability, her pain, and her significant contribution to the sport. Houghton deserves to have her experiences heard without judgment or dismissiveness, regardless of whether everyone agrees with her viewpoint.
