in conversation: Isla and Tim
In the first of an occasional series celebrating the people and relationships that make this club unique, meet Isla and Tim, daughter and coach combo from our U11s team.
We play to win, yes. But the real joy of football is the way it brings fans and families together - although if you've ever tried coaching your own child, you'll know it's not all plain sailing. Read on for Isla and Tim's story, in their own words.
Tim: So, Isla, tell us a little bit about your journey into Leafield. How did you get involved with football and the club?
Isla: Well, I started off at a small football club where I learned all the basic skills, and then the coach couldn't do it anymore and I wanted to carry on football so he recommended Leafield because he used to be a coach for the boys’ team. So we gave it a try, I joined in and it was love. It was just love at first sight. It was.
Tim: Who was your coach?
Isla: Oh, Chantel. She, she did an amazing job of getting me started and everyone was so welcoming.
Tim: What’s your favorite experience so far about playing football at Leafield?
Isla: Meeting everyone. It was just so fun.
Tim: So friendships?
Isla: Yeah, pretty much.
Tim: Tell the readers about our match day routines together.
Isla: Oh, Dad packs everything in the car the night before. And then when we get in the car, we each give each other pep talks on how we do the match. And Dad always turns the heating on so we can warm our hands up. Because, from his experience, you can't warm them up after they get cold.
Tim: Yeah, I used to play rugby and cold hands were a no-no. So always make sure put the heating on maximum so they have hot hands before they leave the car.
Isla: What's the worst thing about having your daughter in the team?
Tim: Well, the worst thing is that I am probably too hard on you. You sort of very rarely get given man of the match or trainer of the match or training awards because I feel like I'm going to be too biased towards you, so you kind of like miss out a little bit in that way.
The best thing about having you on my team? You work hard, you do everything I say, you never complain. You welcome all the new girls well and you’re a pleasure to coach, to be fair. And, and I'm quite close to you, so then we can talk about things, how things went. Yeah, good or bad.
Who's the worst loser, Isla?
Isla: Definitely you Dad, because when we get in the car after a match, you always talk about the match and what you could have done better. It usually bugs you a lot.
Tim: Big question, who's the best footballer out of us two?
Isla: Definitely, definitely me. Not Dad, because we practice a lot more and he just stands on the side and shouts us to get back in defense when they get the ball.
Tim: If there was one thing you could do to make women's football better, what would it be?
Isla: Well, I think we'd have to advertise it more even more than it already is and try to encourage more people to coach it. And stream it and make it more mainstream. Like because it's usually on very little sites that not many people have even heard of.
It needs to be on like, BIG!
Tim: That's all the questions. Well, I missed one out. Anyone eat anything they shouldn't? I think we eat quite healthy, don't they?
Isla: We eat chips after the match, Dad.