Where Are They Now? — Kirsty Pealling

Catherine Etoe meets Kirsty Pealling, a hard-tackling defender renowned for her crossing who spent nineteen years with Arsenal, won 23 major trophies and a string of England call-ups, and retired in 2006 aged 31. Known as Stan, she now works in Camden Council’s sports development team, setting up teams, running leagues and giving talks to inspire girls and young women. She still goes to a couple of big Arsenal games a season and meets up socially with former team-mates, and says it would have been lovely to play in a summer league or in America. She has taken up boxing training and a boot camp in Tenerife, and plays in a side called Hardly Athletic with Ellen Maggs, Jenny Canty, Kelley Few and Ebony Cabey-Gooden.