Laura’s life is consumed by football, if she’s not kicking a ball, then she’s teaching someone else how to.

23-year-old Laura Day found a passion for football at a young age, and it has engrossed her life since. But, when she began her journey, she had no idea that she could play for a team.

“One summer I went along to a sports camp, the girls that ran it were FA qualified coaches who coached at the FA Centre of Excellence.

“Through this camp I was scouted and was asked to trial with them. I managed to get in and we played academy teams such as Liverpool and Everton.

“It all carried on from there and I was even asked to trial at Manchester United,” Laura said.

Unfortunately, she didn’t make the United squad, but as a City fan this wasn’t too much of a disappointment!

Laura, along with some girls who missed out on the team, joined Curzon Ashton. Here, the team was strong and earned a great selection of silverware.

Soon after, Laura headed to secondary school, where she made friends with fellow footballers and joined Ashton Pumas. But little did she know, this club would end up becoming her home.

“I’m now an U14s coach and secretary at Ashton Pumas, the environment at the team is amazing and I love being a part of it.

“I’ve had at least 6 of the girls since they were very young, and now they’ve grown into teenagers, which has been amazing to see.

“I’ve grown with them myself. I started coaching at 17, so over the last 5 years they’ve formed such an amazing bond with me and each other,” she said.

Women’s football hit the headlines earlier this year after the England Lionesses championed their way through the Women’s Euro. This nation-capturing news has been astronomical in improving participation rates across all sectors of women’s football.

“At the start of the year we had 90 girls at Pumas, now we have 140 officially signed on. We have at least three new girls wanting to come down every week, more than we can facilitate sometimes.

“Women’s football is on the rise and there are so many ways that women can be involved.”

The Lionesses did an incredible job of projecting female sport, but it is important for young women to know there are multiple pathways into football.

“When I went to the summer camp, we didn’t even know that there were women’s teams I could play in. Luckily now there are so many options for girls to join football.

“Newcastle Women had 28,500 people watching their recent match, and they’re not even at the highest tier in female football,” she said.

It’s not all about being an athlete either. Physiotherapists, coaches, admins, and welfare roles are just a handful of occupations that women can look to get involved in.

“There are so many roles that could suit a range of different people, the more women we can get into sport the better.”

As well as her incredible coaching career, Laura also plays for Hyde United Women. Here, she has been able to meet a plethora of amazing people.

“I’ve made great friendships at Hyde, me and some of the girls even went on holiday together recently.

“I was quite introverted growing up but going to Hyde helped me to settle and come out of my shell. Our great bond shows on the pitch too which is amazing.

“This is something I try to teach the girls at Pumas too, they should always be friends first and teammates second,” she said.

And this advice has definitely been accepted by the team at Pumas, who are more of a family than a team.

Laura says her dream is for all her girls to continue in their footballing journeys, in fact, she would love to play alongside them some day.

“Some of the girls want to referee, some want to coach. I would love to coach them when they’re my age, to see them progress to open age would be lovely.

“I’ve always said if I can do a season with my girls, then I’d be happy to retire, I would love to play alongside them,” she said.

It’s a demanding role that Laura takes on at Pumas, coaching a few hours a week, but devoting her life constantly to the team.

Her dedication to Ashton Pumas and football is highly appreciated from all members of the club, and the wider Tameside community.

Recently, Laura was named Alex Williams Volunteer of the Year in the Active Tameside Physical Activity and Sport awards.

“It was so lovely to be nominated, but I never thought I would win. On the night of the awards, I was having a party with my football friends.

“I said to my friends that I didn’t want to see the result, it was being live tweeted, and my phone kept buzzing.

“My friend took my phone to look, and she told me I’d won. I thought she was joking with me, but she turned to show me, and I had in fact won.

“It was so nice to be surrounded by the people who know all the hard work that goes in, and people that have shared this sporting journey with me,” she said.

Committing her time and energy into a sport that she loves, Laura has enjoyed a prosperous football career filled with joy.

Her story is truly inspirational, and she believes that, ‘in 20 years’ time if you see an ex-player in the supermarket and they stop to chat, you know you’ve done the right thing’.

Do you know an inspirational sporting woman in Tameside or Glossop?

Women in Sport is a weekly column which shares the incredible stories of ladies involved in sport across the area. We are always on the lookout for fresh stories to tell. To nominate someone for the column or get involved yourself, please email Katie on katie.catherall@questmedianetwork.co.uk. 

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