West Ham United Women’s Team is delighted to confirm the signing of Canadian international Shelina Zadorsky.
The experienced defender is on loan from Tottenham Hotspur until the end of the 2023/24 season.
Zadorsky, who will wear the number 14 jersey, has made 56 appearances in the Barclays Women’s Super League for Tottenham, where she has spent the last three and a half seasons.
The 31-year-old has collected 95 caps for her country since her debut in 2013, helping Canada to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Zadorsky worked with Rehanne Skinner in North London and is delighted to be reunited with her for the remainder of the campaign.
“I’m delighted to be joining West Ham United,” she told West Ham TV.
“Being a defender, I hope to bring a new presence to the back line and ultimately help the team to more clean sheets in the second half of the season.
“I think the club has a lot of potential. I’ve worked with Rehanne before and he and I have a great relationship. She is a coach who knows how to get the best out of me.
“I feel like this is a really exciting group and everyone here has already welcomed me very well. I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
Skinner is happy to add a defender to her squad and hopes Zadorsky’s leadership and experience will benefit the team in the second half of the campaign.
“I’m happy to be working with Shelina again as I have worked with her in the past,” she said.
“Shelina is a hard-working and dedicated actress who will fit right in with our distinctive West Ham style of play. She is an Olympic gold medallist with many years of experience in the WSL and knows how to compete at the highest level, which will be a great added value for the team.
“Shelina will also help balance our defensive line as a left-handed central defender and I know she will inject positive energy into the dressing room.
“Shelina sets and drives standards on and off the pitch and will ultimately help us reach the level we want to be at.”
Zadorsky was born in London, Ontario and started playing soccer at the age of four. An avid sportswoman, she grew up playing a variety of sports, including track and field, basketball and volleyball.
From 2010 to 2013, Zadorsky played varsity soccer for the Michigan Wolverines while completing her degree in psychology. The defender was captain her senior year and finished her National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) career with three goals and 15 assists in 81 appearances.
Zadorsky then joined the Ottawa Fury in her native Canada, where as team captain she finished second in the Central Conference finals and went one better in 2014, winning the title.
The defender then transferred to Australian club Perth Glory in August 2014, where she played every game in the W-League season. The Glory girls finished top of the standings and played in the grand final, where they narrowly lost to Canberra United.
Zadorsky then signed with Damallsvenskan Vittsjö GIK, for whom she made 18 appearances in the Swedish top flight in 2015.
Zadorsky returned to North America and signed with the Washington Spirit for the 2016 season. In her first campaign, she played 11 regular season games and was named the Spirit’s Rookie of the Year. In her second season, Zadorsky was named captain and racked up 21 appearances.
In January 2018, Zadorsky was traded to Orlando Pride, where she played 23 games in her first season and 16 in her second. The defender then joined Tottenham Hotspur in August 2020, first as a loan player, before making the transfer permanent in January 2021.
Zadorsky was named captain ahead of the 2021/22 season and helped Skinner and her team to 5th place in the WSL, their highest ever finish.
Since joining Spurs, Zadorsky has played 56 times in League One and now moves to East London where she hopes to add to those performances.
Internationally, Zadorsky has represented Canada in a number of major tournaments. She was part of the team that won gold for Canada at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and she also played in the 2023 Women’s World Championship.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to welcome Shelina to the club and wish her every success in her career in the claret and blue.