By Faye Hackwell Growing up, she was known as “the girl who played football”. But with interest and participation in the women’s game increasing all the time, Ashford United Ladies midfielder Jade Steadman is hoping her team can help to inspire the next generation of local girls to play and enjoy the sport.
Sitting top of their league table and playing in the League Trophy Final on Sunday, they may be ending their first season under Ashford United with double silverware.
As a child, Steadman’s football role models were all men, because she didn’t have female household names like Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Ella Toone to look up to. “When I was a little girl, I was the girl who played football, whereas nowadays my son plays and he’s got a girl on his team and there are girls in the opposition,” she said.
Steadman was the only girl in a boys’ team until she turned 11, when FA rules at the time meant she was no longer allowed to play competitively with boys.