Anna Patten: I still get imposter syndrome but I’m ready to inspire the next generation | OneFootball

Anna Patten moved permanently to Aston Villa over the summer after being on loan from Arsenal for 18 months. But whilst the transfer pushes her development on the pitch, her off-field plans to become a role model is also a primary focus going forward.

The transfer window finally closed and the WSL reignited last weekend. Yet for Patten, joining Villa on a permanent deal after being on loan felt less like a shiny new signing, having been with the club for so long already - since the start of 2022.

The Villans began their 2023/24 campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss at home to Manchester United, where Patten earned her first start of the season. Playing at the club's main stadium, Villa Park, also brought into stark reality how far the women's game has grown.

"It was a long time coming. It feels like it has been a long summer," Patten exclusively tells 90min.

"I was so excited to be able to go out there and have that first game of the season, but it's also the nerves that come with it. Playing at Villa Park is huge. We've got such good crowd growing there. There is such good atmosphere, and when you step back from it, and really take it in it is quite like, wow, this is the way the women's games gone."

Reaching a club record attendance of 12,533, Patten noted the advancements in the game. Growing up in Hertfordshire, she joined the Arsenal academy aged 12, climbing the ranks of the youth setup and going on to make her senior Gunners debut at 18.

"I remember I was 12 years old going to Borehamwood [Arsenal Women's home ground] and there was maybe 300 people in the crowd as I was passing around the programmes. And now to see the stage that it is on, FA Cups at Wembley Stadium, it's just huge," she says.

Noting that reaching the FA Cup final this season is an aspiration for Villa, she adds, "It would be unreal to be part of that. That is a goal, definitely, that we'd want to be part of as a club this season."

"I think it was a relatively easy decision for me," she says of her permanent move to the west midlands. "The club have backed me for 18 months now, I knew that they had confidence in me and trusted me as a player. And that's where I wanted to be."

Adding that Aston Villa was the club she wanted to be with because it is where she felt part of a team and could play her best football, the factors around the club meant it did not take long to make up her mind when when the conversation with manager Carla Ward arose.

"It didn't feel like a big summer signing for me," she explains. "The poor media guy had to do my signing interview three times pretty much because of the two loan spells and the actual permanent signing. But now I'm really glad I'm there on a permanent deal now."

Discussing the facilities and coaching staff, the way the club has supported Patten on the pitch made it an easy decision, alongside forming a close relationship with Ward and her teammates.

"As a loan player, you're kind of in this, I like to call it no man's land, because you're on loan but you're playing for that club. So it's kind of hard because on paper, I could have not been part of Villa this season," she reflects.

"If I'm honest, just the vibes, the team is so easy. It's so easy to talk about how gelling as a group impacts us but it is huge, just how together we were and how we just always really get on. I think that can honestly be such an important part of how well a team performs."

However, the off-pitch support the team has given her also played a role in the decision to stay. Reflecting on what it felt like to be that 12-year-old in the stands, Patten has focused on supporting the next generation of footballers, wanting to inspire young girls the way her idols encouraged her.

"Sometimes I get a little bit of impostor syndrome," the defender reveals. "It's always great when you're at games and young girls are asking for photos or girls are asking me questions about my career. It does come with pressure but I'm really grateful for the position I'm in.

"I'm trying to help them in that sense. It's what I want to do; inspire next generation. I think Under Armour really puts me in place to be able to do that."

Speaking on her partnership with Under Armour - Patten recently because a UA athlete - following the likes of Manchester United defender Jayde Riviere and Frankfurt forward Laura Freigang.

"I think the brand and the initiatives they have put in place to help you as a player and like help inspire the next generation is just a huge, it's a really big part of what I want to do," she says, speaking at the UA Next Academy, the home of Under Armour's athletic programme designed to identify, train and develop London's young athletes and sports leaders of tomorrow.

"They want to know your story, they want to know what you are interested in and they'll help you find ways to achieve that. That's something I really want to do; inspire the next generation."

With the profile of women's football growing among the next generation, crowds have been flocking to the stadiums. Aston Villa experienced a club record attendance on opening weekend, whilst Patten's former club, Arsenal, set a new WSL record of 54,115 fans at the Emirates Stadium.

With the new domestic season now in full swing, Aston Villa have a trip to Liverpool before Patten returns to Arsenal on Sunday 15 October to face her former team for the first time - previously being on loan always meant she was ineligible to play against them before now.

"I haven't really overthought if I'm honest, I'm just really excited to play at Emirates Stadium. I think it's gonna be a huge game. I'm sure they'll bring in a big crowd," she says.

Revealing that she missed out on playing at the Emirates last season whilst on loan, only registering minimal minutes in one previous game at the main stadium before heading to Aston Villa, Patten feels returning will be less emotional since the N5 ground rarely felt like home. Looking for the positives in the tie, the player also hopes the occasion will prompt another record crowd.

"You want to be able to be playing on these big stages, and just going to be enjoyed seeing my friends at the start of the game as well. And hopefully, having a smile on my face at the end of the game after. And I'm really excited to play that game," she explains.