Kerys Kicks (Kerys Harrop column)

Birmingham City captain Kerys Harrop opens a new column by recording that she has read She Kicks since she was little. She started at seven with a local boys’ team, played three years, then FA rules forced her to find a girls’ side and she joined Birmingham at ten, where she remains the longest-serving player at twenty-six. Kelly Smith was her role model and the reason she wanted to play for England. She welcomes the money now in the game but warns that not all clubs can afford to go full time, creating disparity, and points to Birmingham reaching cup finals without comparable resources. She praises new manager Marc Skinner and the arrival of Ellen White and three others.