A teenager from Gerrards Cross has been dual signed with Arsenal and Watford football clubs.
Katy Reid, 17, has been playing football since she joined Chalfont Saints FC aged nine.
Upon joining secondary school, Katy decided to pursue the sport more seriously and began to play for Henley Lions, a team of boys a year older than her. There was only so long that Katy could play with boys, so at age 13, she joined Arsenal’s youth team.
Fast forward to the present day, and Katy is dual signed with Arsenal and Watford football clubs, training and playing with their U19 first teams. This May, she even toured with the Young Lionesses, scoring a header in the U17 European Championships in Estonia against Spain.
Katy is also academically gifted, having achieved eight Grade 9 and two Grade 8 GCSEs, despite missing half of the academic year due to training and sitting her exams in Estonia while on tour. She is now juggling studying for A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physical Education at Beaconsfield High School whilst training with Watford and Arsenal.
Katy’s dad Rob explains that while talented female footballers would usually opt to take up a football scholarship at a US university to take advantage of their great facilities and training, women’s football in the UK has now caught up to such a degree that staying on home soil is now preferable.
He said: “Women’s football in the UK didn’t used to have the same profile as football in the US, but it has exploded in the last few years. Now clubs are investing much more and women’s teams are using the same facilities as men’s teams.
“Katy is academic, so going to a good university would be a safe option, but after her exposure to elite football over the summer, she now knows that is what she aspires to.”
0 Comments