Junior Senior with Belgium's Hannah Eurlings and Janice Cayman
Sunday, July 10, 2022
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What is it like to play with one of your role models? Two players with different levels of experience reflect on their journeys and what is to come at UEFA Women's EURO 2022.
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Hannah Eurlings is just 19 and is preparing for her first major international tournament. She plays as a forward for OH Leuven in Belgium's recently relaunched Super League.
Janice Cayman, 33, has amassed well over 100 international caps with the Belgian Red Flames and was a member of the squad for their first Women's EURO finals in 2017. At club level, she has lifted two UEFA Women's Champions Leagues with current club Olympique Lyonnais.
We put the pair into conversation to compare their journeys to the top.
How did you both start playing football?
Cayman: I have three brothers, so I went with them and my dad to their club. That’s how I started out with football. My family have supported me since I was a little girl. They never had any problems with the fact that I wanted to play football. I owe them a lot. All the friends I met along the way and who are always there for me.
Eurlings: I started out in the playground because I have two sisters. After some time I asked my parents if I could join a club. And I also played with the boys first too.I went to the Topsport talent school in Leuven when I was 14. I trained two times a day and then you do start thinking about it. When I was young, the Red Flames were really popular. I don’t think they had the role models that I had so the idea of doing what they were doing came at quite an early age for me – but my role models were Janice, Tessa Wullaert and Tine De Caigny.
Janice, is it strange to think of yourself as a role model for one of your team-mates?
Cayman: Yes, it’s quite cool. It’s great to have younger players looking up to us and that you mean something to them. I think Hannah is a really good footballer with a bright future ahead of her.
Were there any difficult periods in your evolution?
Cayman: I also went to the Topsport talent school, and did go through difficult periods when I was the only girl. It wasn’t easy, but I just kept on going and fighting.
Eurlings: Your progression has its ups and downs, of course, but I didn’t suffer any serious injuries or anything like that. Touch wood. I’ve been lucky not to have had any really difficult periods in my career so far. I think it’s definitely hard to be the only girl and to stand up for yourself amongst all those boys in a sports talent school, [but] during my time there, only a few years ago, that this was not the case at all. We were with a group of girls and sometimes we had to train with the boys. I can’t even imagine what it was like to be the only girl. You would need to be really strong for that because the boys are physically and technically much stronger. Janice is a real fighter on the pitch. I think she definitely learned that there.
Hannah, how much are you looking forward to your first major tournament?
Eurlings: It’s something we have been working towards for a whole year now. You have a bit of a euphoric moment when you’re selected because you are still young and just being part of it is great. I’m really looking forward to it because it’s also a great experience for my career. The national anthem really does something to you, especially with all the fans singing along, it really touches you. Many girls dream of standing there where we are. I think we all wear that shirt with pride.
Is there any advice you would ask Janice for?
Eurlings: Perhaps how to deal with stressful situations.
Cayman: I would say that during a match you need to keep things simple when you’re going through a difficult period. And in terms of stress, good stress is OK but in case of negative stress, your team-mates are always there for you. Just go for it.
Janice, as a UEFA Women's Champions League winner, can you share with Hannah how it feels to lift a major trophy?
Cayman: Winning the Champions League is fantastic and a great experience. With Olympique Lyonnais I have won it twice now and it only makes you want to win it again. It’s also something that you want to show young people that you can do it, playing for a top team and winning trophies.
And how do you look ahead to the Women's EURO 2022 with the experience of playing in 2017?
Cayman: I hope that a lot of fans will come and see us. I know that the first match against Iceland is sold out. There will probably be more Iceland fans, but I think the Belgium fans will also make themselves heard. So, that’s great. I think we had a pretty good pre-tournament run-up, although there were some mixed results. But I think we have learned from that and are now ready for Iceland on the 10th.