New Luton Town Ladies centre half Elly Wade says she’s seeing more young girls trying to emulate top female footballers like Toni Duggan and Lucy Bronze, as the Women’s World Cup effect continues to have a positive impact.
The 26-year-old signed for the Hatters this summer after six years at AFC Dunstable, but she also coaches under-10s and under-12s at the Luton Town Girls’ Player Development Centre, having cut her teeth training the under-8s and under-10s for three years at her former club.
She said: “I’m seeing more and more girls coming in at the grassroots level and the more that happens, the more women’s teams there will be and the more popular it’ll get in the years to come.
“When I was younger, I was playing with the boys because there just weren’t girls’ teams, so it’s nice to see that there’s 15-20 people each week, coming along.”
While Wade names Arsenal legend Kelly Smith as a player she looked up to as a youngster, she says her dad was her “big football role model,” taking her to the park to play and leaving her with a soft spot for Manchester United and stars like Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.
But this year’s hugely popular Women’s World Cup in France, and England’s magnificent run to the semi-finals, was a major watershed for the women’s game in this country. The Lionesses were covered on the front and back page of national newspapers, while FIFA estimated that the tournament drew a billion viewers worldwide for the first time ever.
England’s defeat in the last four to eventual champions USA also attracted the highest peak UK television audience of the year at the time, with 11.7million – setting a new record for women’s football in the UK.
“I think that must be one of the factors as well as having it on the TV for younger generations to see,” Wade said of coaching more and more girls.
“So, rather than having Ronaldo or David Beckham as my role model, they’re saying Lucy Bronze or Toni Duggan.
Rather than having Ronaldo or David Beckham as my role model, they’re saying Lucy Bronze or Toni Duggan.
“Because they see it on the TV, read about them in the papers and hear about them on the radio, these people are becoming more and more famous and, therefore, the game is becoming more popular and girls want to be like those players.
“They do still follow the men’s teams but they’re also following the female side of the men’s team that they support, which is nice to see and hear. But they do talk about things like Toni Duggan scoring a worldie for Barcelona last season.”
And Wade says it’s also good news, locally, for the women who want to get into coaching because of the support available from the county’s Football Association.
“The Beds FA, they do a lot of bursaries for women and they really want to get females into doing their coaching qualifications,” she said.
“I was coached mostly by men, but it’s key for young girls to also see women in those coaching roles as well.
“I did my training through the Beds FA and the mentors, the trainers and even the people doing the qualifications with you are just a really great group of supportive people.”
While she’s been coaching for six years and intends to keep it up long after she’s hung up her boots, Wade has plenty of playing left to do.
Starting life as a goalkeeper, she moved to the centre of defence after being asked to play there as injury cover by her first club, Leighton United.
Wade then switched to AFC Dunstable, where she spent six years, catching the eye of Luton manager Nikki Baker, who finally got her women in the summer, along with Tanya Blacksley. Both are seen as key defensive additions to a Hatters side that is aiming to win promotion straight back to the National Leagues, after relegation last term.
“I’m hugely flattered that she thinks so highly of me and she’s been interested,” Wade said of signing for the Hatters, adding: “I thought it was time for a change and a fresh start.
“Luton already had a hugely talented squad anyway and I think Nikki’s aim was to find people that would make that even stronger.
“There’s been quite a few good signings. Bex Kane, for example, who scored at the weekend, used to play for Luton and is a very good striker, so Nikki has found some people to try and get back up to the National Leagues. That’s something I’ve got my fingers crossed for. I’ve never played there.”
It’s so far so good for Luton who have a 100 per cent record in the Eastern Region Women’s League Premier Division, from two games.
Wade said: “I’ve always known a lot of the players and they’ve always been one of the best teams around this area. I was really shocked when they did get relegated last season.
“Seeing them play, you wouldn’t have thought that would’ve happened but they’re trying to deal with it now.
“It’s a really strong team and I don’t feel like I’ve just joined. They’re really welcoming and just a nice bunch of people.
“They all want to do well and play for each other, they all want to play for Luton which is a key thing. That rubs off on the new ones, even the new ones that have played before and come back, we can all feel that energy and it’s really exciting.
“Even though it’s early days, it’s looking strong and the manager is instilling that positivity in us.”
Today (2pm), Luton Ladies turn their attention the FA Cup with a home preliminary round tie against Leigh Ramblers and you can Wade’s thoughts on the clash on the latest Luton Press Pass podcast (fast forward to 14 minutes 10 seconds).
