Freedom, the team, the buzz: Why I play football – The Athletic

Women love football. They love talking about football, watching it and playing it and all for very unique reasons.

To celebrate International Womens Day and the 2022 theme of #breakingthebias, The Athletic has asked women from different backgrounds why they love football and what it means to them.

Let us know why you play in the comments below

Beth Mead Arsenal and England international

We joke around a lot in the team because we run around a lot after a bag of air. We literally run around after a bag of air and we get so much enjoyment out of it.

There are a lot of things in football that make you love it. We love being in a team environment and the social side of things.

But when Im on a football pitch all my worries in the world just disappear and I just enjoy doing what I do. Im very lucky to be in the position that I am and Ive worked hard to be there. I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I play football for my job and get to be there every day. Its mostly the enjoyment of being able to play football and being worry-free.

Samantha Miller former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham player, content creator, presenter and co-commentator

Football is a passion that Ive turned into a career. When I was younger I would play in the garden and use the shed to practise curling free kicks, leaving the door open in the corner and challenging myself to get the ball through the gap. My mum wasnt best pleased when I broke items in the shed and the plant pots in the garden.

There werent many opportunities growing up so I would take a ball to the park and find people to play against. Id be out for hours, playing with a massive smile on my face. I got the chance to play in tournaments abroad where I would make friends around the world who shared the same love for the game.

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Freedom, the team, the buzz: Why I play football - The Athletic