What does your role as President involve?
President basically organises everything that goes on in the club and checks things are running smoothly, and if there are any issues normally it comes through you first. At the start, I'd say it was more work because we had about 15 girls leave last year, so we had to organise trials for freshers that came. And yeah, we had over 90 girls trial, I think, for us this year. That was really good, the highest we've ever had, but organizing it, as you can imagine was quite intensive.
What was the feeling in the team ahead of your first match?
We were nervous to be honest. The ones got promoted last season and we did the double, winning the league and the cup. We did really well, but that also meant that we went into a higher league this season. I think it's just the fear of the unknown, so we were nervous. In our first match against Leeds, we made a few errors, but we know where we went wrong, and we've worked on it in training. We ended up losing that match 4-2, but came back with two wins, so we're on track. There are definitely still things to work on, but there always will be, so we’re happy so far.
What are your hopes for the rest of the year? Are there any particular games you’re looking forward to?
As a club we particularly enjoy the cup. You end up playing teams that you don't usually play in the league, so it's fresh, it's new. I feel like winning the cup is just such an experience, you play in the final and you get a proper trophy presentation. Loads of people came to watch the final last year, my Mum got the afternoon off work specially to come. The second team got a bus down to come and watch, they all made banners and wore costumes, that was probably my highlight from last season.
The league table is really tight right now, how does the team feel about that?
We like that, you don’t know who’s going to beat who, anything can happen. I guess its like the Championship, its very tight on points, but I guess that’s good because we made mistakes in our first match but we’ve not been completely knocked out, we’re still in for the win. To be honest, I think to be mid-table and know we’ve grafted is really good.
What are your personal goals for the season?
I just want to set a good example to the new girls coming in and to make sure that there's a positive friendly environment in the club. We are a pretty small group, so we’re all really close. I think if you have a group of friends as well as a group of teammates, you can't ask for more.
Would you say women’s sport has a good upward trajectory in terms of the push for equality?
I'd say so, especially because of the Lionesses’ success in the Euros, I think that's what brought so many people to trials this year. They saw the women play and thought, "You know what, I'll give that a go." We've got intramural teams as well within the Uni, so people join those. They’re still having a good time playing the sport and if that works for them, then that's all you can ask.
Has growth in the professional women’s game had an effect on team morale?
Definitely. I think the people that are in the team are pushing to play at a higher standard. We've got a few girls now that play for Durham, Everton and Sheffield, so they've played at high levels before. I think everyone's thought “You know what, we've seen the Lionesses do it, why are we not pushing to be the best we can be?” It's positive in all aspects, really.
Are there any particular female athletes you look up to?
Quite a few of the girls from the Lionesses, so Jill Scott, Lucy Bronze, people like that. They started at the bottom when women's football wasn't really a big deal and no one watched it. They've played in games with barely any fans, and then this summer they turned up to stadiums and they are sold out. A few girls from the team and I went to go and watch some of the Euro matches and the atmosphere was unreal. They started from nothing and worked their way up, and we can all relate to that.
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