The She Kicks Locker Room: The Before & After with Emily Allen

Oxford United’s attacking midfielder describes a match day built on porridge and banana, plenty of water and a losing battle with coffee. In the changing room there is a playlist, conversation, and often a visit and Q&A from a younger age-group team, which she thinks usefully takes everyone’s mind off the game until the team talk. Motivation she dismisses as something you should not need; her preparation is tactical, absorbing information and remembering set-piece positions. Nerves arrive only before big games and are managed by focusing on the job. Afterwards there is food, protein from the club’s nutrition partner, and Masterchef Australia, which she names as a guilty pleasure. Recovery day means foam rolling and a gentle turn on the bike.