Georgia Stanway joined FC Bayern from Manchester City in the summer of 2022. The England international is an absolute top performer at the Munich club. On the fringes of a sponsorship appointment with collectible card manufacturer Topps, the 27-year-old spoke to FCBinside about her goals with the Bayern women, the new stadium in Unterhaching and Nick Woltemade, who moved to her favourite club Newcastle. Stanway also revealed what she admires Bayern leader Joshua Kimmich for
Ms. Stanway, you seem to feel very comfortable at FC Bayern: How would you describe the club to someone who doesn’t know it?
Georgia Stanway: I love Bayern. I think I came to Munich at the perfect time. Everyone started speaking English. That made it easier for me. I was able to understand the tactics and my role at Bayern Munich more quickly. I would call FC Bayern „FC family“. Everyone is very close. It can happen that you write in a group chat: „Who wants to go out for dinner?“ And then the whole team comes. Then we have to find a restaurant that seats 25 people (laughs). I’ve never experienced anything like that before. We all came to Munich to play for Bayern and be successful. It’s so nice to be around people who have the same goal as you
How do you rate the status of the women’s team within the club and the appreciation shown by the club management?
Stanway: I think it’s all very good. It would be nice if we could play regularly at the Allianz Arena. Sometimes when we play there, it’s still a bit foreign to us and we still get a bit nervous. We didn’t do so well in the first few games at the Arena because it was quite nerve-wracking for us. So it would be nice to gain even more experience there and feel even more comfortable. Then the Arena can really become our home. But at the same time, we like playing on campus. The club management is also very accessible to us. If we need anything, we can just ask for it. There’s always direct communication. It’s all very healthy
The club has bought a new stadium for the women’s team in Unterhaching. What do you think of this move?
Stanway: We already played there last year in preparation, against Juventus. It’s a beautiful stadium, it’s the perfect size for us as a women’s team. We have an average of 2,500 spectators on campus. The Allianz Arena is still difficult for us to fill up regularly. That’s why I think the 15,000 spectators in Unterhaching are the perfect size for us to keep attracting so many spectators to the stadium
How has your season gone so far and what are your goals this year with FC Bayern?
Stanway: We had a bit of a bumpy start in the Champions League. We had a painful defeat against Barcelona. But after that we had some good results. Now we’re in a really good place. It’s the first time we’ve played a league stage and I really like that. I like competing against several different teams. Our goal this year is to take another step. Last season we made it to the quarter-finals, so now we should be aiming for at least the semi-finals
How do you want to develop as a player?
Stanway: The most important thing for me is consistency. I also want to keep improving in my position. In difficult games as well as in games where we dominate. I like playing for Bayern because I have a lot of responsibility here. I’ve grown here as a person, but also as a leader. I want to lead the way with performances and not with a lot of words. I also want to keep working on my passing accuracy and keep getting better in a slightly more defensive role
One of your best experiences must have been winning the 2022 European Championship with England on home soil. The EURO will be held in Germany in 2029. How much are you looking forward to that and what experiences from a tournament in your own country can you tell your German colleagues?
Stanway: I think it will be so cool! I know what an impact the EURO in England had. After the tournament, more fans came to the women’s games in the league. There was an increased interest in women’s soccer. It was so good for the country! And I think the EURO in Germany will only be positive for Germany and take women’s soccer to a new level. It’s also so cool that the Allianz Arena will be one of the venues. But as an English player, I hope we don’t face Germany in this tournament
You are a Newcastle United fan. What do you think of Nick Woltemade as a new signing? FC Bayern would have liked to have signed him. Would he have been a better fit for Munich or are you more pleased that he is now playing for Newcastle?
Stanway: I’m glad he’s playing for Newcastle! He got off to a great start. He started scoring goals straight away. Sometimes it takes a striker several weeks to get going, but with him it only took a few days. He hit the ground running
Do you think he would have helped Bayern in the same way?
Stanway: We have Harry Kane, I would even prefer him to Woltemade
When you were a fan back then, did you also collect cards?
Stanway: We used to collect cards as kids. We’d swap them in the playground. Who had the best cards? That was fun. When I was a kid, I was not only a huge Newcastle fan, but also a fan of Alan Shearer. As soon as I had Shearer’s glitter card, I’d achieved my goal for the year (laughs)
How does it feel for you now to see yourself on a trading card?
Stanway: It’s crazy! It feels really surreal when I open a pack and then see my picture. Even though I signed the card myself, I suddenly feel like a kid again
What does it mean for women’s soccer that there are now also trading cards for the Women’s Champions League?
Stanway: It shows how much women’s soccer is on the way up. How popular women’s soccer is and how many people enjoy it. It’s incredible to see how much women’s soccer is growing
You celebrated the German championship together with the men’s team on the Rathausbalkon in Munich and also sang along with Harry Kane. Which player from the men’s team do you take your footballing inspiration from?
Stanway: I love Kimmich! I love the way he plays. He always wants the ball, he always wants to play passes forward, always wants to find the crucial spaces, plays great lateral moves. I’d say we both have roughly the same style on the pitch. We also have the same passion when we want to win the ball back and both want to be involved in the game a lot
and who is the nicest guy on the men’s team?
Stanway: Who I get on really well with is coach Vincent Kompany. His wife is from the north-west of England, like me. I remember him from our time together at Manchester City, so it’s always nice to see a familiar face.