Lotte Wubben-Moy's rise from Arsenal's academy to seismic social impact with the Lionesses

Lotte Wubben-Moy has made three major tournament finals and while she is yet to make an appearance in any of them, she may just have had the biggest impact on women’s football in England of any player.

The 26-year-old centre-back instigated the Lionesses signing an open letter to lobby the government for equal access to football for girls in school after their Euro 2022 triumph.

Having been sent to both prime ministerial candidates at the time, the recommendation was taken up on International Women’s Day, creating lasting impact from the Euros legacy.

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But there is much more to Wubben-Moy’s career beyond such seismic social impact.

Born a Gunner

Wubben-Moy grew up attending school just over two miles down the road from the Emirates Stadium, having attended Stoke Newington School in Hackney.

Growing up with an English mother and Dutch father, she speaks fluent Dutch, but was born and raised in the red and white of Arsenal, attending games with her season ticket-owning auntie.

“Before I joined a team, I grew up playing football on the streets with boys. No cones, nothing fabricated. Just the ball at my feet,” Wubben-Moy recalled to Arsenal.com.

“That’s where I learnt how to guide the ball, care for it and love it. When you’re away from critical eyes, it allows you to just play football for the fun of it, safe from judgement.

“We ran wild which is how I think it should be.”

Having started playing Sunday league with West Ham United, she would make the switch to Millwall Lionesses aged 11.

But as soon as Arsenal came calling when Wubben-Moy was 13, she made the switch to her childhood club and rose through the age groups to captain the development team to two FA Youth Cup titles and an FA WSL Development Cup.

She went on to make her senior debut aged just 16 as a 90th-minute substitute in a 2-1 Women’s Super League win against Notts County.

UNC(le) Sam calling

Wubben-Moy was presented with the opportunity to sign a professional contract with Arsenal as soon as she was eligible.

It felt like a dream opportunity for the childhood Gooner but she opted to pursue other avenues and expand her footballing education beyond the boundaries of north London.

“Who’d had thought it, I had gone from the concrete cage pitch in East London to being wanted by the biggest women’s team in the country. It was a dream come true!” she told England Football.

“But I decided instead to pursue further education and took up the opportunity of a scholarship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in the United States of America.

“It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my life so far. But it was the beginning of some of the most amazing years of my life.”

While Stateside, Wubben-Moy met some faces who figured large further down the timeline of her career as she represented the east coast university alongside Emily Fox and Alessia Russo.

“I have known Alessia since the age of ten or 11 from when she used to play for Chelsea and I was at Millwall and then Arsenal,” she added.

“She went from a rival, to a team-mate in the England youth age groups, to becoming like a sister to me. That is thanks to the adventures we experienced together at university. It is so cool to now be a Lioness with her.”

Rise to a Lioness

While storming through the ranks and thriving in America, Wubben-Moy was also making progress with a talented England age group squad.

Mixing it with the likes of Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Ellie Roebuck, Alessia Russo, Niamh Charles and Anna Patten, who all represented England at the same age group, they showed early promise.

But Wubben-Moy was no bit-part player in these squads, her maturity and leadership appeared early as she captained the team at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016 and led the team to a bronze medal at the Under-17 European Championships later in the year.

She went on to make her senior England debut, replacing another Hale End product in Leah Williamson in a friendly against Northern Ireland in 2021 that the Lionesses won 6-0.

Going back to her roots

Having joined North Carolina Tar Heels in 2017, Wubben-Moy spend three years Stateside before moving back to England having foregone her final year at university because of Covid-19.

That professional contract that had first been offered years before was still on the cards, however, when she returned to N5 as Wubben-Moy signed on the dotted line in 2020.

A month to the day after signing on 11 September, she came off the bench to bag her first goal in red and white in a 5-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion.

And when she came to sign a contract extension in 2022, she made sure there was a commitment to Arsenal in the Community as well as the football with her ‘Time to Explore’ programme.

“That's what Time To Explore is about: it's exploring whether you like something, but also whether you want to pursue something further and using football as a means to do that,” she told Arsenal.com.

"I think all too often at school, we're told no. We're told to be quiet, we're told to behave, and in reality, I think the most growth you make as a young woman is when you're free when you're able to express yourself.

"I'd like to think that every Tuesday these girls come down here is a chance for them to be free in that way."

Success in red and (England’s) white

That same year the 26-year-old featured in the historic Euro 2022 winning squad and went on to be included in the 23-player squad that reached the World Cup final in 2023.

While she did not make an appearance in either she played a vital role in training and the team environment.

Wubben-Moy went on to have the best season of her professional career on her return from Australia as she shone through Arsenal’s 2023/24 season.

On top of winning the League Cup that season, individually she finished as one of the top progressive passers in the league and scored two goals from defence earning her the Player of the Season accolade.

While her most recent season in north London was plagued by injuries that made momentum hard, she signed another contract extension as she earned a vote of confidence from new manager Renee Slegers.

“I feel a huge amount of pride, excitement and optimism to once again put pen to paper at this special football club,” she told Arsenal.com.

“Arsenal is the club I want to win with, and I feel this new contract comes at a time in my career where my ambitions are matched by my abilities on the pitch. I’m determined to make this next chapter count.”

She made it count shortly after, coming on late to see out Arsenal’s 1-0 Champions League victory over Barcelona in Lisbon.

While her exact role at Arsenal remains to be determined going forward as she competes for a starting role against Williamson and Steph Catley, she did enough to earn a spot on the plane to Switzerland.

Now, Wubben-Moy is one game away from further European glory and no doubt she will also be thinking about how best to galvanise that success off the pitch too.