While several members of Watford’s first-team squad gear up for international duty next week, another individual behind the scenes at the club similarly continues to make waves for her country.
Academy Lead Performance Analyst Rhianna Farr – who joined the Hornets’ youth system in the summer of 2022 – has also spent time working within the England set-up for the past two years.
Though predominantly part of the Women’s Pathway group, with a lot of her attention focused on the Under-23s, the University of Chichester graduate has stepped up to play a key role in the senior Lionesses’ considerable recent success.
“It was a great opportunity for me to start working with England – it’s a bit different to working for a club, because it’s an intense 10 days on camp, but I really enjoy it and have benefited from it,” said Rhianna, who spent four years at Brighton & Hove Albion before moving to Hertfordshire.
“Before Euro 2022 I started supporting the seniors, and then I got an opportunity to join an analysis hub during the tournament. That meant I was part of a group responsible for putting together reports on England’s opponents and potential opponents, and making sure the team had everything they needed to execute the gameplan.
“Most of the work was done from home, so we’d have a broadcast angle as well as a tactical angle that was sent to us. I did get to go to some games, including the quarter-final against Spain which I’d done some of the prep for. That one was a bit nervy, especially when it went to extra-time!
“It was an incredible experience to be part of such a big and prestigious event, with England going all the way to lift the trophy. I’ll never forget it, and there are things I learnt during those few weeks that will stay with me forever, too.”
A year on from contributing to that Euros success, Rhianna helped the Lionesses create yet more history, as Sarina Wiegman’s charges fell at the final hurdle at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Rhianna said: “It was a bit different working during the World Cup, because everything was done from home, and we had to work in Australian time which was a bit strange!
“There were more teams we knew less about, particularly because there were quite a lot of surprising results during the tournament. For example, I helped compile a report on Colombia, who England hadn’t played for a number of years. That meant we just had to dig a bit deeper with our prep.
“Everything you’re doing is to tight deadlines, and you have to make sure you stay on task and remember what you’re working towards. The overall project was to try and win a World Cup, and it was fantastic to play a small part in that nearly happening.”
After returning to the club scene ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, Rhianna has been busy utilising aspects of what she’s learnt working with England as she bids to help the Academy soar to new heights.
And having again linked up with England’s age-group set-up as recently as last month, she is keen to continue exploring similarly exciting endeavours that she believes have a positive influence on Watford’s prospects.
“In the England Under-23s we’ve seen lots of progress up to the senior team in the last season or so – the likes of Katie Robinson and Maya Le Tissier – and that’s the same sort of thing we’re looking to continue doing at Watford,” Rhianna added.
“I think the level of detail is the biggest thing I take from England into my work here at Watford. We have a lot longer with the players here, so we can give them lots of information but also understand what works for them individually and tailor the analysis to them, with the ultimate aim of getting as many players following in the footsteps of the likes of Ryan Andrews as possible.
“I would encourage anyone to take similar steps out into different camps if the opportunity comes up, because the more experiences we can bring into one place the better. Richard Shaw has brought lots of knowledge to the table from his time working with Canada, and hopefully what I’ve done with England will continue to help the Academy go from strength to strength.”
