- Position: Midfielder
- Appearances: 18
- Goals: 5
- Joined Wolves: 2021
- Profession: PE teacher
ON THE PITCH
Journey to Wolves
I first started playing for a boys’ team in Tamworth when I was about six or seven-years-old, and then I went to Tamworth Ladies until I was about 14. While playing for Tamworth, I also went to Coventry United’s centre of excellence for two years and Aston Villa’s for another two years. When I was 14, I signed for Coventry and played there for 17 years.
Joining the club
During last summer, Coventry went full-time and offered me a full-time contract, but, unfortunately, the money they were offering to be a full-time footballer wasn’t good enough and not as much as I earn at my current job. I spoke to my manager and she suggested coming to Wolves because she knows Macca [Dan McNamara] quite well. I spoke to Macca, went to meet him, had a couple of training sessions and signed for Wolves.
Biggest influence
It would probably be my dad and my whole family. My dad and my mum were big influences, but I got into football by going to watch my brother play. They’ve all encouraged me to do what I wanted to do. My dad’s always been very supportive of my football career and travelled all over the country with me.
Being a Wolves player
We’ve got a really good team this season and we all really enjoy playing together. There’s a great cohesion and togetherness in the group and we all get on well. This bond has really helped us this season. Because there was no pressure on us, we’ve gone out in the first couple of months and enjoyed playing football together and surprised ourselves – let along everyone else – with how well we’ve done and how good we are as a team.
OFF THE PITCH
Making a living
I work at a secondary school in Birmingham, teaching PE to both boys and girls. I’ve been at this school for two years now, but I’ve been teaching PE in primary and secondary schools for several years. I really enjoy it and although it’s sometimes hard – but that’s like any job – it’s really rewarding.
Balancing job and football
It can be tough sometimes. I leave the house at 7am, do a whole day at work, and because I don’t line close to Wolverhampton, by the time I get back home from training in the evening, it’s already 11pm. It’s long days, but when you enjoy something so much, you don’t really realise how many hours you’re out. But as long as you are organised, get your work done, and find time for your family and friends, then you get the balance right. I’ve been doing it for so long now, being a part-time footballer and a full-time teacher, the routine becomes normal.
Football conversations at work
Quite a few of the students know I play football, so they ask me on a Monday how I got on at the weekend, did I score, am I enjoying it at Wolves, because they knew I was at Coventry before. It does come up quite often and when we get the year 7s in, they can’t believe that I actually play football for Wolves. The staff are all really supportive and the headteacher is a football fan, which always helps.
Hobbies and downtime
I don’t have anything special that I like to do away from football and work. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family when I get chance, and just relaxing really. With the long days, I don’t get much time to do anything else. On the evenings when we’re not training, I get home and just want to chill out and go to bed.
What does being a female footballer mean to you?
It means a lot, to be honest. I feel it is a lot better now for female footballers, because when I was growing up, you didn’t have the opportunities to be a full-time footballer. If I was 10 years younger, I would have bit someone’s hand off to have been given a professional contract. It’s good that people can now get to do what I enjoy part-time as they’re full-time career.
