My grassroots story: Leah Williamson

I started at Scots Youth, in Bletchingly and I remember turning up to the trial and being the only girl.

My mum knew the coach from school so it was familiar enough, but I remember being very nervous and then toe-punting the ball all day until I got in the team so it was good in the end.

I only played there for a year, but it was great. My best mate played for the team, me and Mason, so it was nice and it was just proper grassroots football.

I've been back there a number of times over the years, it was a little pitch near the main one which is just by the railway so the train line goes past it. It's just your standard grassroots Sunday League sort of pitch.

Dean McBroom was my first coach and I say all the time that if it wasn't for him and all the experience that he gave me and how comfortable he made me, then who knows if I'd have even carried on playing football.

It wasn't easy as a girl to be playing football back then. You're the odd one out, so there were times when you'd feel a bit intimidated to go on the pitch or sometimes it might get a bit nasty, especially when I was younger.

There was so much to discourage you I think, but luckily it's really not like that anymore and I couldn't have joined a girls' team at that stage as there wasn't that many around.

My team were great, the boys were all brilliant but the concept of a girl maybe being better than a boy at that age because it wasn't the social norm was not so readily accepted by the other teams maybe.

You would get shouts on 'get the girl' or just silly things which really are silly because we were all six years of age.

But at the same time, I understand that it was a social norm and things needed to change and you need to see people in a different light.

I've been really lucky, my mum and dad were both so supportive, and my mum used to play football when she was younger so she obviously loved that I was getting involved.

And my dad, it's nice when you're a young girl and you've got a dad that's so excited about you playing football as well.

They were always there, and both they and my grandparents didn't really miss a game.

I would say cherish it, because in my job now football is my life and I get to do it everyday. But there's so many things I can't do that come with the sport - the social side of it and the tournaments...

But waking up and doing something you love with your mates is pretty special.