London League Champions

Zayan, England

Zayan - born in New York, half French, half-American, and living in London - is a player with the Bloomsbury Football U15 girls team. Bloomsbury Football is a London-based charity aiming to reduce the barriers to participation and provide equality of access to football to all young people.  The girls’ programme was created to ensure that girls in London are receiving the same opportunities as boys to develop their skills in a safe and fun environment, on and off the pitch. Zayan tells us about her experiences, winning the league, and why football should unite us, and not divide us. 

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current football life?

My name is Zayan, I'm 15, and I play for the Bloomsbury U15 girls team. I am half French and half American, and I was born in New York, which is where I joined my first soccer team (or football team!) when I was six.  After moving around for a few years and having stopped football, I gained interest in the sport and joined a team near my school.

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

These photos were taken at our football training and during our matches.  During our football training sessions we are just relaxed and not really worried about performing for the cameras. In the other photos taken at our football matches, we're in full-on concentration mode getting ready to win. They show my teammates - we all have different stories.  I was trying to show how we can all have fun while working hard and playing football, and how football is more than just a competitive sport. It is a community.  We come from different places, live in different areas, but football is what unites us all together.

My favorite photo has to be the one of my teammates after winning the league, because it shows that our team efforts have finally paid off.

How did you begin playing with Bloomsbury Football? What impact has it had on you?

I got started with Bloomsbury at a time where they were putting together a girls football team. I personally was looking for a fresh start and a better football club with a better environment than the one that I was enrolled in at the time, Bloomsbury was by far the best fit. Playing with Bloomsbury makes me feel unafraid to tackle any challenge ahead, whether it be football or everyday life. What I love most about it is the team and community environment, with the players as well as the coaches.

What does football mean to you? 

I'm a big Équipe de France (French national team) fan - football brings everyone together and it unifies us and makes us proud of who we are.  Football means a lot to me because it is where I can enjoy myself whilst also working hard and having fun. 

The path to winning the league was really good, the best anyone could hope for. Preparation during training was really thorough, but still a lot of fun. And during matches, we had a strong goalkeeper and each of the girls were really focused on playing their part, playing in our positions the best we knew, and being guided by our coaches. It was just awesome.

Although it wasn't all smooth sailing because of the training done at home with COVID and lockdowns. But once we were allowed back on the pitch, we were still in good shape to play and to win, and it didn't really feel like a hardship.

What are the opportunities for female football players?

When I went to an Arsenal versus Chelsea Women’s match a few years back, I saw that it wasn't as glamorous for women’s players as it was for men, which is very unfortunate. But I believe that there is now a more equal amount of opportunities for women as there are for men in football.  

I hope that in the future more people will watch and enjoy professional women's football leagues and competitions as much as they enjoy men's. And I hope that a lot of people's restrictive mentalities change and that people become more accepting of others because football is supposed to unify and not divide.

What ambitions do you have for the future?

In the near future I hope to improve my footwork skills as well as my shooting accuracy. I'm working towards getting into a good uni, hopefully keep playing football and who knows, maybe compete at a higher level. That would be cool.