Sandra Voitāne: How the 2x Latvian Footballer of Year Is Aiming for Higher Heights

Sandra Voitāne, 24, is amongst a distinctive category of Latvian football.

There is a notable photo of her at Latvia’s “Football Laureate” in 2021 receiving an award for the Women’s Footballer of the Year for Latvia. She is clasping the outer segment of the trophy with one hand and her other hand is resting below the base of the award.

Sandra Voitāne receiving the Latvian Footballer of the Year award in 2021

Voitāne became one of four women to win the Latvian Footballer of the Year award at least twice in 2020 and 2021. One of her major motivations is to reach the same lofty heights once again.

“It was a dream come true,” Voitāne says. “I couldn’t believe it at all, but I was waiting for so long. But, I’m always saying to everyone that without my team I couldn’t do that. All my teammates made my dream come true. And for sure, I am working hard to be Latvian Footballer of the Year again.”

The levels of success she has achieved at a young age is admirable. 

Voitāne made her debut for the national team at the age of 15 in February 2015 against Estonia. She is the third highest capped player in the history of the national team with 62 appearances. Also, she is currently the national team’s third highest goalscorer ever with 15 goals. In August 2020, she became the first Latvian to play in the Frauen-Bundesliga, Germany’s top women’s division, after signing for SV Meppen.

Voitāne has also been a part of the most difficult moment in Latvian women’s football. 

She was in the starting lineup for Latvia’s heaviest ever defeat against England on November 30th, 2020.

Latvia lost 20-0.

There was discussion around this lopsided fixture. Four English players recorded hat-tricks during the match and it signaled a vast disparity between both sides.

England took 64 shots throughout the match and 31 of those efforts were on target. Latvia recorded zero shots throughout the entire match.

In terms of possession, England held 85.6% of the ball in the match and Latvia had 14.4% of the ball throughout the entire 90 minutes. 

Every single English player who was in the starting lineup or on the bench plays professional football. 

Some of Latvia’s players are part-time. There were players not able to play in the match due to their full-time jobs.

Latvia’s manager Romāns Kvačovs post-match comments highlighted the vast contrast between both squads.

“We have never had such an opponent,” Kvačovs said. “The English national team is playing really fantastic, but the Latvian national team is undergoing a generational change. The average age of the players in the team is 20 years.”

Kvačovs had only been appointed to his role as a manager for a duration of two months after suffering this loss.

Losses like these can help to examine the discrepancy of resources between some federations in women’s football. 

Pivotal questions could be asked about these results.

How would UEFA and FIFA address the disparity between smaller teams? Should the match have been scheduled at a different time to accommodate Latvia’s needs? How would Latvia focus on the growth of women’s football after such a difficult result?

Almost three years after the landslide result, Voitāne is noticing the growth of football in the country.

“For sure, it’s growing because some teams are trying to be more professional now,” Voitāne says. “Everyone is taking small steps, but I’m sure they are on the right way. I can see that every club is trying to invite small girls to play football. It’s good for Latvan football because we need new talents.”

Voitāne’s start to her senior career as a young talent was through Rigas FS, a club in the Latvian first division. She eventually moved to a club in Cyprus, Apollon Ladies ahead of the 2019/20 season.

Apollon Ladies played Rigas FC in UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification on August 7th, 2019. Voitāne was quickly given a chance to play against her previous team.

Apollon won 10-0.

Voitāne has been on both sides of landslide results. A rousing victory was the first step to adapting to a new country and club.

“I signed my first professional contract and I had an amazing experience,” Voitāne says. “All of the team was nice and I felt like there was one big family. It was hard in the beginning, because I didn’t know how everything was going to be and I left my family and country alone, but I adapted quickly because the club helped me a lot. 

“And after that I knew that I wanted to keep playing professional [football].”

Her career continued to blossom after playing in Cyprus. She signed for IBV, a club in Iceland, in 2022.

Voitāne is currently in the midst of her third season at the club. The club’s poor start had left the club only one point off the relegation zone. IBV currently sits in sixth amongst 10 teams in 1. Delid Women’s Division, Iceland’s top flight for women’s football. Four wins in the last five matches has surged IBV close to the top half of the table. Optimism within the club for better fortunes this season is spreading.

“I’m enjoying playing here, it’s my third season in Iceland,” Voitāne says. “Everyone here is so welcoming and I don’t have any issues. The championship [1. Delid Women’s League] is so interesting and competitive. We didn’t start well, but we are on the right way to go up.”

Her club career is progressing. She is hoping to experience some progression with the national team’s results especially against bigger nations.

Latvia’s women’s national team has never qualified for a World Cup or UEFA Women’s Championship.

Latvia’s women’s national team has lost six of their last eight competitive fixtures. The team’s last two losses have been substantial defeats.

A 4-0 loss against Slovenia on June 4th and a 6-0 loss against Slovenia on May 31st provides context around the team’s struggles to get results against bigger teams. 

Zero goals in both of those fixtures is another alarming concern.

A tense 2-1 win against North Macedonia on July 12th has increased spirits within the team.

Romāns Kvačovs, manager of the Latvian women’s national team, is aiming to develop a play style that can help the squad attack more.

“It doesn’t matter who we are playing, our coach doesn’t want us just defending all the game,” Voitāne says. “He wants us to try to play simple even against good teams. This is how we can grow and be more confident to play.”

The chase to qualify for a major tournament has been fleeting for this team. Latvia’s new generation could be the team to make history. Voitane believes the team could accomplish this goal one day.

“It’s a hard question for us,” Voitāne says. “But, I believe that everything is possible no matter how hard it is.”

Voitāne has already made history with the national team due to her accomplishments on an individual level. She is hoping the team will be able to secure a piece of history as a collective in the near future.