Grace's Euro Adventures

1

The warm-up

Football is Grace's life. Grace Tucker eats, sleeps and lives for the game. She takes after her mum Angela who, when she lived in Germany, was a professional sports woman. For 10-year-old Grace, school is fun because PE lessons involve team sports, including football. Football was brilliant fun for Grace in the winter months (that was the only time teachers taught football). In the winter, the ground was hard from the frost, and Grace liked making crunching sounds when running around the pitch. She liked seeing her warm breath in the cold air, and when the ball is being defended at the opposition's goal, she entertains herself by puffing out air like a steam engine. In the summer came the grand tournaments on TV.

Being slightly smaller than her school friends gave Grace a special set of advantages that helped her become a talented forward. She has the ability to dart between defenders and run around the opposition, like a dog waiting for its owner to throw the ball. Evenings and weekends would involve either practising, talking about or watching sport. Grace's dad, Phil, would take Grace to football while her mum would take her brother Benjamin to rugby.

"You're a girl. You really shouldn't be playing football," teased Benjamin, as Mum tied Grace's hair into a messy bun. Benjamin knew how to wind his sister up, and his silly faces were a step too far.

"Don't be mean to your sister, Benjamin. She has just as much right to play sport as you do," Dad piped up.

There always seemed to be these comments before football practice, and it was getting rather boring for Grace. It was everywhere, but it just made Grace want to play football more. She felt that football was really when she came alive and she could really do her best. Benjamin played rugby. Mum watched, but Grace just let him get on with it. Benjamin had Mum wrapped around his little finger. When he needed a new pair of boots or the latest rugby top, Mum bought it for him. Grace, however, was happy with the random gift of top, shorts and socks, and only asked for things if they were broken or she was growing out of them. Her football boots were plain and simple. They did the job.

At the front door, Grace's right hand picked up her red boot bag, and carried her water bottle patterned with her name in gold. With her boots and shin pads in her left hand, she followed Dad to their silver car. It was quite a journey to training but both Dad and Grace always felt it was worth it. It was a time they could play George Ezra and Dad's favourite U2 music and sing together in the car; a time to discuss tactics and what the end of training treat would be.

"How are you feeling about the last training session of the season, Grace?" Dad asked while Grace played on his mobile phone to get the next song on.

"Yeah, it should be fun, Dad," answered Grace. "I'll play forward then give someone else a go. I hope Sam doesn't get us running too much today!"

Grace couldn't find another song so she put on the local radio station, Estimate FM instead. Dad smiled as he drove and started tapping out the rhythm to We will rock you by Queen when it came on. "Perhaps Sam will get you to do a few two versus two games, just to practice the tackling," finished Dad.

Oaktree was a large town 35 minutes along the A-road from Marlbury, a small village where the Tucker family lived. Oaktree Fields Football Club is a respectful football team. They have teams from Little Strikers to the Women's and Men's senior teams, including a blind football team, a walking team, and a wheelchair team. The men's team were recently promoted and the ladies' team had just finished a successful first season in the women's premier league. Oaktree Fields FC were excited about the future, with a space for anyone who wanted to play.

"Hello, everyone," Sam the football coach began. "Tonight is the last week of training before the summer break. I'm sure you will be sad about that but there will be lots of football to enjoy this summer, with the Lionesses playing in the Euros."

"Hooray!" went the crowd of parents and 20 ten-year-olds.

As the training session began, the adults either went to the cafe or stood far away from the touchline to chat. Training commenced with a warm-up game called hills and valleys (some teachers may call it cups and saucers). Players got into two teams. Sam had put the cones out ready to start before the team arrived. Some of the cones were placed normally (the hills) and some were turned with the base facing upwards (the valleys). Sam gave the team 30 seconds to turn the cones to whichever team they were.

Suddenly the time ended. The whistle blew loud; the game stopped. Grace's best friend, Beth, cheekily turned a cone over but was spotted and was told to turn it back. The valley team won; they turned more cones over to look like valleys. The valley team cheered while the hill team had sad faces.

"Right, everyone," resumed the coach. "This time the hill team will turn the cones to show valleys and the valley team will turn the cones to show hills. Three, two, one, go."

The whistle blew and off they went to play their game. This time the hills team won. To make everyone feel better, Grace thought.

Grace became excited about the next part of the training session: the one versus two, and three versus two quick games. Grace always talked to Beth and her team about how these quick games helped to become accurate at passing, and how they should try to gain possession of the ball.

After a while, Grace heard the shrill sound of the whistle, and everyone gathered ready for a football game in which everyone joined in. Grace ran to the centre spot ready to kick the ball.

After 10 minutes of the whole team game, the players took a five-minute drink break and then played for a further 10 minutes. In the second half, Grace tried a different position (right-back) just to find out how she felt about defending.

Finally came the cooling down with a game of 'keeping the ball in the square'. Grace enjoyed this quick-paced game where you were out when you missed the ball.

Grace loved training, and by the start of the hills and valleys game, Benjamin's comments were history. Grace loved being a forward and enjoyed practising darting in and out of the opposition. She even went in goal so others could experience a different position. Grace was a team player. She was encouraging and able to give her friends advice. Dad said she would make a good captain one day.

An hour and a half flew by and the final whistle blew. Everyone gathered around Sam, who spoke about the final session and things to practise over the summer break. Training came to an end and the team said their goodbyes. Beth hugged Grace.

"See you at school tomorrow, Grace!" said Beth.

"Yes, of course. 'Bye, Beth," Grace replied as she picked up the water bottle off the emerald-green grass. As she looked at her boot bag, ready to pick it up, she could see an older lady walking slowly towards her.

"Hi, you are Grace aren't you?" spoke the lady softly.

How does she know my name? Grace thought.

"I'm Sue Lopez. I used to play football when I was younger - for Southampton and England."

Grace was shocked. "Hi, Sue. I've read so much about you. You were a forward like me!"

"Yes," smiled Sue. "I saw you playing as I came for my evening walk."

The pair walked across the pitch together and sat on the bench overlooking the Oaktree field.

"It must be getting towards the end of your season now." Sue began.

"Yes," replied Grace. "It's sad. I don't like finishing. It's more than two months without seeing everyone from the team.

"You are like I was. The girls and I always wanted to keep playing when we had free time." Sue paused and looked down at her bag. She took out a small photo album and turned over the cover. "There were lots of girls and women playing before me. This is Lily Parr", she said pointing to a photograph of a female player. "She played for St. Helens Ladies and then for Dick, Kerr Ladies. Dick, Kerr was a factory, and during World War One many factories, which were operated by women while the men were away, had their own football teams. Lily was mainly a left-winger."

Grace stared at the photos as Sue turned the pages and talked about how football was back then.

"Dick, Kerr Ladies were a great team and they played as the England team too. Big crowds watched them and they raised money for charity," Sue continued.

"That's really good," Grace said, smiling, enjoying being with Sue. "I like raising money for charity. Beth and I raised money for the Oaktree Fields football kit by selling our homemade biscuits and lemonade." They smiled at each other.

"Then in 1921, the England FA banned women's teams from all FA grounds. They said 'football is quite unsuitable to women'!" Sue and Grace looked at each other and they rolled their eyes. "But Lily Parr and her friends still played on any park or field they could find," Sue said, continuing the football story.

"I wonder if they played here." Grace looked around at the football pitches surrounded by the old, oak trees.

"Mmm, I wonder!" Sue replied, smiling at Grace.

"So, when did the FA allow women to play on the FA grounds?" Grace continued her questioning, thinking about how unfair this was and how she felt lucky to be in a town where football is for all.

"1971, but the...