“I dreamt of playing football when I was young but I didn’t dream of being a footballer; women’s football in the early 00’s was barely a sport let alone a profession. But I still loved it… Growing up exercise always centered around football, if it wasn’t football, it was team sports – netball, basketball (never hockey). All that time my love of being part of a team was growing; working together, celebrating together and for me personally, developing my leadership skills. It’s pretty much all I did in my teenage years.
Fast forward to University and it was all about the football club, playing, drinking, organising (repeat). I think my degree was just a by-product… Football wasn’t just a hobby it was part of my identity. I’m now lucky enough to work in football so it’s not only my hobby or part of my identity it’s my job. Looking back on those early years at primary school, playing as backup goalkeeper because the boys wouldn’t quite let me on the pitch, makes me so proud I didn’t give up. Had I not fallen in love with playing football and playing sports just for the love of it, then my life could have turned out so differently.”
