Passion & Pride

Laura, England

My name is Laura, I am 29 and I am currently playing for Newground United, a queer friendly and fully inclusive 7-aside team in Manchester. I moved to Manchester from Australia in the middle of 2021, and I have been playing football for Newground ever since! 

I have recently taken on a bit of a coaching role as well; I often do our team sheets and a strategic talk (via voice memos on our group chat) before kick-off. On the team, I am known for my loud voice. My Aussie accent cuts through the noise of the pitch pretty effectively, but probably to my detriment, as I usually lose my voice each week.

I am probably also known for being a pretty physical player, something I have always prided myself on and associated with how much effort I am putting into each game. I have found football in the UK to be more physical than in Australia, which is something I have really enjoyed. I love having teammates who are not afraid to take on a strong challenge (shout out to my teammates Lisa and Ash!).

What has your football journey been like up until now?

I come from a very competitive family who have always enjoyed watching and playing sport, even if we were not always good at it. I have a younger brother who started playing football, which was a real change for our traditionally rugby-focused family. I remember going to watch him trial for his first ever club, and then watching his first game the next week. I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of what I was watching. 

I had been focused on school and ballet, but I begged my parents to let me play football. It is a little cringe to admit, but not long after my brother started playing I was given a copy of Bend It Like Beckham. Watching the unity of women playing together (to a great soundtrack of course) made me even more desperate to play.

Eventually the trials for the next season came around, and I was placed in the bottom team in the lowest division, but I was so unbelievably stoked to be playing. That was at age 10, and since then I have only missed two seasons of football over 19 years.

I became fanatical, and this really peaked a couple of years after starting - with the 2006 World Cup. The men’s team (our beloved Socceroos) had dramatically qualified for their first World Cup since 1974, beating Uruguay in a penalty shootout that was the most watched match in Australia (until the brilliant Matildas and Mackenzie Arnold did us extremely proud in the LONGEST penalty shootout in the World Cup, EVER - many tears of joy were shed). 

I vividly remember adidas releasing a website where you could dress your favourite players, pick their boots (Predators were always my go-to) and then assemble your own team to make a wallpaper for your PC. That World Cup is definitely a core memory.

I have played for many different clubs since then, but I especially enjoyed playing football in my late high school years. That was probably the best football I have ever played, and our team was undefeated for two years, so that felt pretty special.

Some of my other most enjoyable football memories have also been with my brother. We share an incredible bond because of football, watching and playing countless games and spending every afternoon after school playing football in our backyard or down at our local oval. 

In my family, there was never any difference between men’s and women’s football - and that has had such a positive impact on me. My dad coached many of my teams over the years, and never missed watching a single game. Now, I am playing for Newground, an exceptionally lovely and passionate team who have truly welcomed me to Manchester and the UK. I cannot wait for many more seasons with this amazing team!

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?

I think we managed to get everyone in our team into the photos, which were taken at Whalley Range Sports Centre, where our team plays every Wednesday. We wanted to make sure everyone was featured, as we are such a close group and the unspoken mantra of our team is definitely equality and respect - we all have so much love for each other!

I tried to capture the spirit of our team by showing all of the different ways we unite together. It is not just about playing, but it is about chatting after the game or supporting each other through injuries. 

We also tried to show everyone’s personalities. We are a colourful, enthusiastic team and we love to show that each week when we come to the game. We chose a bright and retro look for our kit, which definitely captures the soul of our team and reflects how we have all been passionate about football for years. 

Our Co-Captain, Ash, has made us all scrunchies, which are visible in some of the photos; it was those fun little touches of creativity and unity that we wanted to highlight. We are proudly LGBTQIA+, and we wanted that to come through in our photos; we made sure to feature our kit badges and Pride laces.

What is your favourite photo? Why?

I love the photo where you can see everyone’s backs walking away from the pitch after playing a game. I have got ADHD and often am the last one to leave the ground, because I cannot find my bag or my jacket or whatever, so the view of everyone leaving is one that I see most weeks! I have such a feeling of joy and pride after every game, and it is so great to watch everyone leaving on a high note, no matter what the result is.

There is a photo of all of us on the sideline, screaming through the metal cage. This is my reality every single week, cheering everyone on and shouting out tactics to those who want to listen (which is usually the whole team, an amazing feeling for me). It shows pure passion for the game.

What impact has football and Newground had on you?

I honestly cannot overstate the impact football and Newground have had on me. In terms of football in general, it has provided me with the most healthy and rewarding outlet for the stress and anxiety of everyday life. The football pitch is the one place I have total, tunnel-like concentration, and I am never bothered by anything else. 

As someone who has endometriosis and often does not feel connected to my body (or more accurately, feels ruled by it), this is an enormously validating feeling. It is not just about my mind, it is about my body feeling purposeful and powerful. I never feel more confident and strong than when I am on the pitch.

In terms of Newground, I could not be more grateful and overjoyed to be a part of this team and have such wonderful people in my life. I moved to Manchester alone, not knowing anyone here, and they not only welcomed me with open arms but went out of their way to show me this city and everything it has to offer. 

In all my years of playing football, I have never enjoyed or been more proud playing for any other team as much as this one. I have made friends for life, I have grown as a footballer and as a strategist, and I have fallen even more in love with football than I ever thought possible. Newground forever!

What role does football play in your community?

As someone who is not originally from Manchester, I can really feel the passion of football in this city. That can be difficult at times (as a Liverpool fan), but in all seriousness, it is amazing to witness. Being part of Newground is not just about our team, but it is about all the wonderful people we play in the league with. I see these people outside of football, whether it is at a pride event or a rave, and it reminds me how embedded football is in the fabric of Manchester.

What are the opportunities for women and girls to play in your community?

I have only been living in Manchester for a couple of years and I am not super familiar with leagues across the city. However, when I decided to move here, I was already searching online for a team to join, and seeing lots of clubs advertise their women’s team(s) was really refreshing. It felt like I had a right to play.

Football is growing hugely in Australia, particularly for women and especially since the last World Cup, but we are not quite there yet. I was always privileged enough to play for teams with proper kits and managers, but not everyone has that opportunity - particularly in rural or deprived areas. I am excited to see how that changes in the future.

What ambitions do you have for the future?

Speaking of the future, my ambitions are to a) play football for as long as possible, probably until my legs give out, and b) get my official coaching badges. I have been thinking about getting my badges for a while now, as coaching has become just as rewarding as playing. I love the creativity that comes with coaching, and how you have to combine critical thinking and strategy with a deep knowledge of who the players in your team actually are. In this day and age, successful teams are not just about ability, or technical fluidity, or a competitive ethos. They are about personalities coming together and working to build relationships so that the team plays as one.

The best example of this is in the England Lionesses and my beloved Australian Matildas. You can see how managers Wiegman and Gustavsson have instilled a sense of unity that, in my opinion, goes beyond the unity of any men’s team I have ever watched. The sense of belief and mutual respect is undeniable. It is inspiring, but most importantly, it shows a sense of maturity that has not historically shone through in competitive football. It is that sense of maturity, the drive for mindful self-improvement (talking psychologically) in order to play better as a team, that I would be proud to instil in any team I would be lucky enough to coach in the future.

What is the future for women's football in England? What would you like to change?

The future is here! I see the impact of women’s football every day in Manchester, whether it is walking past murals of women footballers to doing a photoshoot with Newground for our sponsor, Size?, which is something I could never have dreamed of doing as a kid. It is such a great and pure high to be a part of this movement.

The one thing I would like to change is broadcasting. I know we can watch them on TV (sometimes), but I want to see women’s games on at the pub. And not just when it’s an international tournament. The audience figures for the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this year were out of this world. It proved a point to the rest of the world, that football is undeniably just as much a women’s game as it is a men’s game, and that the impact these women have is valued by people across the globe.

In Australia we have just had to move our Asian Cup Qualifiers to bigger stadiums, because the demand for the Tillies is so high. We have also seen record crowds turn out to Lionesses games, so of course I want this to continue here. However, I think broadcasting makes all the difference. As someone who grew up across the world and got up weekly to watch Liverpool’s men's team at 3am every morning, I KNOW that having consistent broadcasting makes all the difference - because people definitely want to watch. There have been some positive steps, but we can do better, and I cannot wait to see it and be a part of such an historical moment for women.