Ok so I’m really proud of both my kids but today I’m a bit stunned.

My eldest likes playing football. Since starting secondary school it’s been a bit hit and miss – she played a couple of tournaments and been to a few training sessions but there were so few attendees she stopped going. Just as she committed to going back every Thursday lunchtime typically the season ended and they switched the rounders (I’m with her, rounders is the stupidest sport ever, but then I think that because I was hopeless at it.)

In the meantime she’s started going to a local girls football club and absolutely loves it so far. It’s fired up her enthusiasm even more and she’s desperate for school to get a proper girls team together.

Last week she noticed a sign for a Y7 inter house football tournament to be played all this week at school. She went to ask the teacher who I think looked marginally puzzled for a second then said, “is it mixed?”. She answered, “It doesn’t say it’s not”. I mean go girl. I would have got all angry feminist on their asses but she’s too cool for that.

This lunchtime she turned up to play. Her team consisted of three people – two boys and her. She was the only girl in the entire tournament.

She played the match and the boys didn’t pass to her. They lost 8-1. The one being scored when she took a corner.

Her friends said she played well. She was cross and a bit upset. Mostly because: “I thought it would be ok because they are nice lads – we are friends. And they still didn’t pass to me”. I can’t decide whether I want to cry for her or go and kick some year seven boy butt.

I don’t know whether she will play in a match again tomorrow. She’s hurt and I told her there’s no shame in her not going but you never know with T. She may well come out fighting.

Whether she does or not I’m so flipping proud of her. I couldn’t have done it in a million years.

Photo by Nathan Rogers on Unsplash