Manchester City and England star Chloe Kelly talks to Big Issue about her hopes for women and her dreams for her own future.
Chloe Kelly is the youngest of seven children, so she learnt competitiveness quickly. It was survival instinct. As the smallest, she had to fight harder than her siblings to win, and her scrappy tenacity has served her well on the football pitch.
The England and Manchester City star took on her five brothers – as her sister had little interest in football – and shone with a ball at her feet. It was her happy place. She learnt to play in the cages in Ealing, West London, and enjoyed shocking people with her talents as the only girl on boys’ teams.
That has led her to where she is today, scoring England’s winning goal at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 as a substitute in extra time against Germany. This tournament replaced women’s football and a generation of women will grow up encouraged by Kelly and her teammates.
As she talks about the Big Issue, the 26-year-old’s unwavering positivity shines through, but she’s also faced challenges. She admits she “cried every day” when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but Kelly needs other young women to know that an injury doesn’t have to mean the end of your career.
She’s had a difficult season at Manchester City, benched more than she would like, but she remains hopeful for her future in the game and dreams of “as much success as possible on the pitch”. Off the pitch, she wants to use her platform to pave the way for a better future for women’s sport.
We speak to Chloe Kelly about all of this and more, starting with that iconic Euros celebration…
BIG ISSUE: Your winning goal at the Women’s Euros has been chosen as one of National Lottery’s 30 Game Changing Moments – and it was iconic. What was scoring that goal like?
CHLOE KELLY: It was an incredible moment, a birthday party of more than just a goal. It was amazing the effect it had on so many women. I was out for 11 months with an ACL injury, so my return was a birthday party. It was a birthday party of: “We did it. We won at Wembley against Germany to win the Euro Cup. This is what dreams are made of.
I was back in the cages where I learnt my trade. I think that young girl inside of me was celebrating that moment. This is what we have worked my whole life for: to live this moment. And having all my family there at that moment with me was amazing. To be surrounded by so many powerful women on my team, and to be part of a special group was really inspiring to me. These are people who inspire me to be better every day.
When you took off your blouse to celebrate, it felt like a moment of empowerment. Was it for you or for general happiness?
To be honest, it was just happiness. I celebrated that moment as it was a goal, like a man would celebrate a goal. Yeah, I did take my shirt off and I felt very powerful in that moment. And I think for many women, it’s about embracing your body, embracing the journey that we’re on together, and it’s really important that we use our voice in society to make change. We are powerful and we can do great things together.
Let’s go back to this young woman who plays soccer in the cages. What did football mean to you when you were a child?
That was it: I could barely walk, I had the ball at my feet and I enjoyed the game. I had a smile on my face when I played. I was very competitive, like I am now: a sore loser. I love to win. But I think it’s actually vital that she be that young woman with a big dream of good fortune. The good fortune of the euro has made me even hungrier for good fortune. I think this young lady is still in me with that fiery position. in his abdomen to do well in this game and leave the jersey in a better position for future generations.
Being one of seven siblings, did that turn into a feeling of hardness and discouragement?
I have five older brothers and one older sister. I think my family circle pushes me to be better every day, but also to beat all my brothers. So that’s where my winning mentality comes from. I’m sure I’m a bad loser.
I tried to be the most productive, and that’s still in my mindset now, except to be the most productive version of myself every day. I’m very competitive with kids. Actually, my sister didn’t like it. Soccer, then I was looking to play with my brothers and their friends. I had to be at a point to do it. I was fighting to be better every day and show what I was capable of.
As a girl playing football, did you ever feel out of place?
The environment I felt most comfortable in was, of course, the cages I grew up in. I was the only woman there, so of course I didn’t feel like I belonged, but I actually felt included in that environment. If someone told me I couldn’t, I would step in and show them that I could. This has been my state of mind.
I don’t forget to play for my football team in elementary school, for the boys’ team, and every time we were given a game, each and every one would say, “You have a woman on your team. “Deciding on a player of the tournament, you have a small smile on your face, because at the beginning of the tournament maybe they doubted you, however my family believed in me, and my brothers believed in me. Yes, there was a woman, but she had the ability to do it well. This trust in me comes from my circle of relatives.
For many girls, playing sports can be very difficult. Physical education categories can be awkward. Have you already experienced this?
Actually, no. The start that I got was great. But that’s speaking for myself and not many other girls. There’s so many other girls that haven’t got that opportunity to have the access that I was given. It’s really important that we use our voice to make change in society for young girls coming through and having those equal opportunities.
Every woman – not just in football or games – has had to break down barriers to get to where she needs to be. Sometimes those barriers are harder to break than others, but it’s about breaking them in combination: in the game, but even more so in football. society. As women, we can achieve wonderful things if we have the opportunity and platform to do so. Through our gaming platform, we can replace more than just a game.
What would you say to women who don’t have self-confidence?
For me, fainting every day is a possibility for me. This is what I do each and every day. I move on to the education floor for me. I don’t really care what others think of me. I know that every day I try to be the most productive version of myself and I am satisfied. I don’t care about other people’s reviews if I’m satisfied and know that I’ve given everything to be the most productive edit of myself and a smart person. I think it says a lot more about others than it does about yourself.
I think it’s embracing who we are and where we come from. Sometimes there’s a lot of negativity going around, and I think we can really be positive and make change – being positive people and telling people they look good and telling people they are great. We can make change. A smile on your face goes a long way. I think being a good person starts from within. I hold myself accountable to that, and everyone else can do the same.
You can see how confident and safe you are on the football pitch, but you’ve spoken before about how nervous you were on your wedding day by comparison. Was it about being centre of attention?
Ugh, I hate that! I told Scott before we got married, before we got engaged, that I never wanted to be proposed in front of anyone. I don’t like other people chasing me, and that’s only because when I’m in the box, I know I do, I trained each and every day for it, but yes, on my wedding day, I walk down the aisle. It was more stressful than any football game, because it’s something I hope I never do again, and I’ve never done it before. It was stressful because I was taught how to play football every day. It’s my bread and my avocado. Actually, I don’t feel nervous on the pitch.
What about being on red carpets or modelling shoots, do you get nervous then?
Oh, then I don’t feel nervous. I’m very grateful for the opportunities. I think we are now in a position where the game develops, where we have the possibility to be present on those occasions and enjoy the way of life that is offered to us. I think I’m enjoying every moment, because that’s what we fight for: being heard, playing in front of so many people, but the red carpets are amazing to be able to show more personality. Fashion is vital to me. . On the pitch everyone wears the same shirt, you’re part of the team, but on the red carpet I can show a certain personality and settle for it.
I wanted to come back to ACL injuries you mentioned earlier. What have your experiences been like with them?
It’s negative in our game, but I think the noise around ACL sometimes can set a player on the back foot when going through that injury. For me, that definitely that was the case. And one of my good friends, Elise [Hughes], who plays for Wales and Crystal Palace, I remember texting her as soon as she did hers, and speaking to her throughout her journey.
I spoke to her the other day, because I said to her at the start: ‘It’s not as bad as everyone makes out to be. It’s just another injury. It’s just like any other injury. It’s your mindset that sets you back, and you need to have the mindset to come back the best you can possibly be.’
Of course, it is something we need to look into in terms of making them happen less frequently, because ultimately, you want the best players on the pitch at all times. It’s really important that we look into making that change. But I think the negativity around it does affect you.
It is vital that we can replace the narrative, because as footballers we are going to suffer injuries. This is the game we must play. Of course, no one likes it and no one needs to go through it. But I think if we can replace narrative, we can make a huge difference in someone’s journey.
Have there ever been times when you felt like you were in a negative area with those injuries?
Oh, definitely. I cried most of the time, but I had other people around me to help me through those difficult times. And it’s about communicating when you’re feeling a little bit depressed and I think it’s vital that we communicate that because it’s general to feel that way with any injury. You miss football a lot, what you love to play, you’re a lot away from your teammates and it’s a lonely place, but each and every injury is and it’s about surrounding yourself with other smart people who give you satisfactionArray And my dogs do that for me too.
What are your hopes for your long journey in football?
As much good luck as you can imagine in the field. I need to win a lot in my career, whether it’s Euro titles, World Cup, Champions League or WSL [Women’s Super League]. In fact, I need good luck in the field. Off the field, I am making a difference in the future of many women and using my voice to leave the game in the most productive position possible.
Are you ahead of the euro?
It’s far away. We still have a full season ahead of us. In terms of preparation, it’s very exciting for anyone and everyone interested in the tournament coming up this summer, but I think I’m racing every day to put myself in the most productive position imaginable for the summer. Every day deserves to be an adventure to get there, be in the most productive position imaginable, and stay compatible and healthy until then.
Beyond football, what are your hopes for the future?
Happiness is very important to me, spending time with my family, of course. I think I need to leave the game in the most productive position imaginable for generations in the long run. I need to stay in the sport, but I think it’s a long way off. I actually enjoy the game and need to win a lot more trophies in my career, but I think in the long run, happiness is the most important thing for me.
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