Aston Villa Manager Natalia Arroyo Recounts Journey from Footballer to Coach
At 22, Natalia Arroyo's football career was brought to an abrupt end when she suffered her second ACL injury. The pain and sadness were overwhelming, but as she reflected on that moment, she realized there was a coach inside her all along - a realization that would shape her future.
Growing up in Spain, Arroyo began playing at just nine years old, eventually joining Barcelona's B team and working her way up to the senior squad. Her experience in the youth ranks taught her valuable lessons about leadership and adaptability, skills she would later employ as a coach. "Being a three helped us feel less isolated or overwhelmed," she recalls. "It forced us to be involved, with no other choice but to jump into conversations."
However, Arroyo's football journey was marked by setbacks. An ACL injury followed by a broken hand led her to reevaluate her abilities and ultimately decide to step away from the game. She turned to journalism instead, studying visual communications at university and working with local radio stations.
But sports never truly left her. In fact, it played a significant role in shaping her future. When the opportunity arose to coach the Catalonia national team, Arroyo saw it as the perfect development space. "I could feel that was where I needed to be," she says. "It was about observing the game, reading players, searching for talent, and building a team from them."
Arroyo's experience coaching the Catalonia national team helped her develop essential skills, including learning what critical information to deliver and how to build a strong team. She also applied her journalism background to better understand player dynamics and situations. "I was asking as a journalist, trying to tick the box for the article," she explains, but at the same time, she was imagining herself in those roles.
When Real Sociedad approached Arroyo with an offer to manage their women's team, it marked another significant leap into the unknown. She had to turn her theory into reality and trust that she knew the game well enough to make a difference.
The process of recruitment by Aston Villa followed a similar path, with Arroyo watching, analyzing, traveling, and learning about European and world football. Her nerves were evident when the call came, but she felt brave and ready for the challenge.
As Villas's first female manager, Arroyo has been tasked with transforming the team's culture and performance. She emphasizes the importance of making players "own their own processes" and fostering a sense of energy and communication within the group. The season has seen notable progress, including five straight WSL wins and a sixth-placed finish.
Arroyo is proud of the progress made beyond just results, too. "We are building good things with the club," she says. "There's a lot of things outside the results that I'm quite proud of."
As Villas looks to the future, Arroyo remains focused on her vision for the team - one built on competitiveness, consistency, and solidity, with a strong sense of culture and identity.
At 22, Natalia Arroyo's football career was brought to an abrupt end when she suffered her second ACL injury. The pain and sadness were overwhelming, but as she reflected on that moment, she realized there was a coach inside her all along - a realization that would shape her future.
Growing up in Spain, Arroyo began playing at just nine years old, eventually joining Barcelona's B team and working her way up to the senior squad. Her experience in the youth ranks taught her valuable lessons about leadership and adaptability, skills she would later employ as a coach. "Being a three helped us feel less isolated or overwhelmed," she recalls. "It forced us to be involved, with no other choice but to jump into conversations."
However, Arroyo's football journey was marked by setbacks. An ACL injury followed by a broken hand led her to reevaluate her abilities and ultimately decide to step away from the game. She turned to journalism instead, studying visual communications at university and working with local radio stations.
But sports never truly left her. In fact, it played a significant role in shaping her future. When the opportunity arose to coach the Catalonia national team, Arroyo saw it as the perfect development space. "I could feel that was where I needed to be," she says. "It was about observing the game, reading players, searching for talent, and building a team from them."
Arroyo's experience coaching the Catalonia national team helped her develop essential skills, including learning what critical information to deliver and how to build a strong team. She also applied her journalism background to better understand player dynamics and situations. "I was asking as a journalist, trying to tick the box for the article," she explains, but at the same time, she was imagining herself in those roles.
When Real Sociedad approached Arroyo with an offer to manage their women's team, it marked another significant leap into the unknown. She had to turn her theory into reality and trust that she knew the game well enough to make a difference.
The process of recruitment by Aston Villa followed a similar path, with Arroyo watching, analyzing, traveling, and learning about European and world football. Her nerves were evident when the call came, but she felt brave and ready for the challenge.
As Villas's first female manager, Arroyo has been tasked with transforming the team's culture and performance. She emphasizes the importance of making players "own their own processes" and fostering a sense of energy and communication within the group. The season has seen notable progress, including five straight WSL wins and a sixth-placed finish.
Arroyo is proud of the progress made beyond just results, too. "We are building good things with the club," she says. "There's a lot of things outside the results that I'm quite proud of."
As Villas looks to the future, Arroyo remains focused on her vision for the team - one built on competitiveness, consistency, and solidity, with a strong sense of culture and identity.
. From being a pro footballer to a coach, that's no easy feat. I think it's awesome that she didn't give up on sports even when her playing career was cut short. She's actually doing some really cool stuff like analyzing players and building teams - sounds like she's still got the football bug! 
And yeah, she's making a big impact at Villa with this 'owning your process' thing...it's not always easy to admit we don't know something, but I love that approach. Good on her for being brave and taking on new challenges 
Natalia Arroyo is literally my queen 
!! I mean, can you even believe she was just 22 when she had to hang up her boots due to that ACL injury? 
Like, what a bummer! But she's so brave and talented that she turned it all around and became one of the most influential coaches in the game 
. And now she's at Aston Villa leading the charge and I am SO here for it 
. The way she talks about her experience and vision for the team is just so inspiring 
. I love how she emphasizes the importance of players owning their own processes and building a sense of energy and communication within the group - that's like, totally my jam 
. And can we talk about how proud she is of the progress made beyond just results? 
She's all about the culture and identity stuff, which I think is so underrated in football. Anyway, I'm low-key rooting for Aston Villa to do really well under her leadership 
. Go Villas! 
️
like i was so emotional when i read bout how she went thru 2 ACL injuries & ppl told her 2 give up but shes all about bing a coach & now shes doin it! 
i also love how she mentions bing a journalist & how its all connected 2 bing a coach its like she's showin us that every skill u have got can be useful in ur career 
I think it's so inspiring that she went from being a footballer to becoming a coach & now a manager without ever giving up on her dreams 
Her experience as a journalist actually helped her in a big way, you can tell that she thinks outside the box & is all about building relationships 
. I mean, who wouldn't want a coach with an ACL injury and a broken hand leading them? Sounds like a solid foundation for success 
. But seriously, Natalia Arroyo seems like a great addition to Aston Villa's team - her experience in coaching and journalism is definitely valuable. Plus, five straight WSL wins ain't bad either 
i mean, who needs experience when you've got a journalism background to fall back on, right? 
we need more coaches like natalia in the game