Why was football so important to you growing up?
Football to me has been a constant throughout my life. It gave me a purpose growing up. It allowed me to channel my energy into something positive. I was very energetic as a child growing up and always found it easy to get into trouble or with the wrong crowd. But football always gave me that distraction and that constant to strive to be better.
Who was your first football team? Do you remember your coach?
Iām from a very small town, so my first football team was my local boy’s team. I was the first girl in my family; all my cousins were boys so, naturally, I wanted to be like them. I joined the team from the age of 5 and I was treated the same as everyone else, which made me feel like a football player and not a girl playing with boys. Thatās what my coach always did, he always wanted me to be better than the boys. He pushed me to be the best in my area. I will forever be thankful for that.
What is your favourite memory of grassroots football?
My favourite thing about grassroots football was that everyone was always involved in the making and building of the club. We had volunteers throughout the club and it shows what a community can do when they come together.
How did grassroots football help you develop as a player or person?
I had to play with and against boys between the ages of 5 and 12, which helped me learn to stand up for myself in tough environments and stay true to who I am. Grassroots football also taught me discipline, and to find determination in the most difficult times.
Where would you be without football?
Where I am from, people made different decisions. Itās an area that didnāt have much money and that came with challenges. Without football, I think I would have found it challenging at home and to stay on track in school, so I will forever be thankful to my grassroots coaches and clubs.
How can young people benefit from grassroots football?
You develop so many social skills which are important as you get older. I met some of my closest friends in grassroots football. It gave me a senseĀ belonging and a purpose.
Support Grassroots Football & Win Prizes
Grassroots football clubs are at the heart of their local communities. Underfunded and under-resourced, the pandemic has seen thousands of clubs close for good, and many more fighting to survive. These closures will impact not only a footballing generation of talent but also the lives of the people that play in them.
Launching at 5 pm GMT on Oct 26 through Oct 28, head to this page and donate $10 for a chance to win a number of prizes from the world of football and beyond including signed memorabilia from David Beckham, Hector Bellerin and Neymar, VIP match tickets, and sneakers and apparel among many others. There is no limit on donations and every single one ups your chance of winning.
Funds will be distributed to a selection of grassroots youth football clubs that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and play an important role in their community, including Alpha United Juniors (Bradford, UK), AB St Denis (Paris, France) and Little Haiti FC (Miami, USA).Ā
