West Ham United women’s team’s Katie Zelem and Laia Codina surprised the West Ham United Foundation’s Female Player Pathway players at the Club’s Foundation Community Hub, The Foundry, to celebrate their achievements from last season.
The U11s-U16s enjoyed an incredibly successful 2025/26 campaign, bringing home six Junior Premier League titles, as well as two national successes and two cup competitions – and they were brought together on Tuesday to be presented with their hard-earned trophies.
With the silverware standing proudly on display, Lioness Zelem and World Cup winner Codina made the day even more special by visiting The Foundry to congratulate the players, while also joining in with a training session and taking part in a Q&A.
During their visit, the women’s team duo spoke with the young players about their achievements, aspirations and provided advice on what it takes to become a professional footballer.
“I love coming to events like this, it was so nice to see the smiles on the girls’ faces,” said Zelem. “The success they’ve had is amazing and the trophies they’ve won speak for themselves. The quality I saw from the players was really high!
“When I was younger, I was the only girl playing in an all-boys league. Now, looking at all these girls, it makes me so happy to see how far the game has come. It’s so nice that they have this access and opportunity, not just for football but in life. They’ve got amazing coaches here and it’s a great environment.”
While the young players soaked up every piece of information they could from the first-team pair, Codina insisted how much her and Zelem also benefitted from the visit.
“You can see how much they love to play football,” she said. “Sometimes as a professional, you just see it as your job, but it’s nice to go back and remember when you were playing with your friends.
“I could see their ambition. It was really nice to see in their eyes how much they love to be here and be with each other.
“They’re really proud of everything that they won last season, and they deserve to be because they’ve worked so hard. But I also told them it’s about who you win with, and the most important thing is to have fun.”
Two of the young players revelling in their achievements at The Foundry were Freya and Molly, who have enjoyed playing in a winning Hammers team and learned a lot from Zelem and Codina’s visit.
“It’s been an amazing season to play with the girls and win all these trophies,” said Freya, who plays for the U14s. “I’ve really enjoyed today and seeing the players was really good! I look up to them a lot, so to see them here was a really good opportunity for us.”
Meanwhile, Molly, who plays for the U12s, said: “It was very inspirational to see professional players in the position I want to be in when I’m older. It was such a nice surprise to see them here. I’ve learnt what it means to be a footballer and I think it was beneficial for the future.”
The Female Player Pathway proves a structured and progressive pathway for players aged between five and 18. It supports the growth and development of players both on and off the pitch, offering clear progression opportunities across all levels, and Foundation CEO Joseph Lyons is incredibly proud of what the Pathway’s teams have achieved.
“We’re delighted to have our young players here to show off all the trophies they won last season and celebrate the amazing year they’ve had,” he said.
“The work we do in collaboration with our women’s team is really important. Our part is making sure that the young players coming through the pathway are learning and building their confidence, and the fact they’re winning trophies is amazing as well.
“Our ambition is to see players from the pathway make their debut for the first team, so it’s also been great to have Katie and Laia here, as they are role models who have such a positive impact on our young players.”
Both Zelem and Codina signed permanently for the Irons this summer, two of nine additions in what has been an exciting transfer window so far for the women’s team. This was both of their first visits to The Foundry, and they were impressed with the work the Foundation does in the east London community and beyond.
“It’s an amazing place,” said Zelem. “The fact they provide 35-plus courses for 60,000 people is something to be really proud of. Community is a huge part of West Ham United, and today symbolises that.”
Codina added: “I’m so impressed and I want to be involved with the Foundation because there’s something really nice going on here.
“As a new signing, it’s important to get to know the community around West Ham, as well as the history of the Club. It was important to come here in my first weeks to get to know the people. Sometimes we focus on what’s on the pitch, but the people in the background are just as important.”
