Verena Hanshaw


Verena Hanshaw is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club West Ham United and the Austria national team. With over 100 appearances for her country, she is one of the most capped players in Austria's history.
She previously played for USC Landhaus Wien in the Austrian Frauenliga, Herforder SV and BV Cloppenburg, before spells at SC Freiburg, SC Sand and a six-year stint with Eintracht Frankfurt. She was an Under-19 international.
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Club career

Verena started her senior club career in 2009 with Austrian club USC Landhaus Wien, for whom she made 15 appearances and scored one goal. In 2010, she moved to German side Herfoder SV for one season, where she played 19 matches in the Frauen-Bundesliga.
In July 2011, Hanshaw signed for second division club Cloppenburg. She made her debut a month later against FSV Gütersloh. In the 2012-13 campaign, Verena started 21 of the team's 22 league matches as they won the 2. Frauen-Bundesliga title and earned promotion to the Frauen-Bundesliga. In all competitions, she scored 11 goals in 24 appearances that season.
Following Cloppenburg's relegation in 2013-14, Hanshaw joined Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in July 2014. She made 31 appearances across her two seasons at the club.
Verena moved to SC Sand in 2016. The team reached the DFB-Pokal Frauen final in 2016, but narrowly lost 2-1 to reigning cup holders Wolfsburg.
In July 2018, Hanshaw joined Eintracht Frankfurt. The defender established herself as a regular in their starting XI and played in at least 20 league matches in five of her six years at the club. On 10 December 2021, Frankfurt announced that Hanshaw had signed a two-year contract extension to remain at the club until 2024.
Hanshaw helped Frankfurt to third-place finishes in the Bundesliga for three years in a row from 2021-22 to 2023-24. Frankfurt qualified for the 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League group stage, with Hanshaw playing ten times in the competition. On 7 May 2024, it was confirmed that Hanshaw would leave Eintracht Frankfurt upon the expiry of her contract in the summer. During her six years at the club, she made over 130 appearances.
The next day, Serie A champions [AS AS Roma (women)|Roma (women)|Roma] announced the signing of Hanshaw on a two-year deal. She made her Serie A debut in the Derby della Capitale against Lazio on 30 August and provided an assist in a 2-2 draw. On 6 January 2025, Hanshaw played the full match as Roma beat Fiorentina 3-1 to win the 2024 Supercoppa Italiana trophy.
On 21 January, after just a few months at Roma, Hanshaw signed for Women's Super League club West Ham United. She made her debut in a 2-0 win over Everton on 26 January.

International career

Hanshaw played for Austria's under-17 and under-19 teams before making her senior international debut in 2011, at the age of 17. She has won over 100 caps for her country.
Hanshaw was part of the 23-women squad who represented Austria and reached the semi-finals at the UEFA Women's Euro 2017. Her strong performances resulted in her being the only Austrian included in the "Eleven of the Tournament", voted for by the UEFA coaching staff.
Verena was part of the squad that was called up to the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 and started all four of Austria's matches at the tournament.
As of October 2024, Hanshaw is the Austria women's national team's fifth most capped player and joint-eighth highest goalscorer of all-time.

Personal life

Verena was initially known in her football career by her maiden name Aschauer, but she changed to Hanshaw after getting married in July 2021.

Honours

BV Cloppenburg
AS Roma
Austria