Lucy Thomas: My Grassroots Story
Aggie Beever Jones' Grassroots Story
I was always watching football from a young age.
My brother and dad are massively into football and we're all Everton fans so it was always on. I was always playing in the garden with my dad and I also played at school, which played a big part in my development.
I had a school coach at a very young age who said I'd go on to play for England one day. I don't know where he got that from because I was an outfield player at the time but hopefully I can take the final step and get a cap because then I'll have proved him right.
Inside Goalkeeper Training
Lucy Thomas, Khiara Keating and Hannah Hampton are put through their paces
I soon joined a grassroots team, Tower Hill, which is in Oxfordshire. They needed a goalkeeper for a tournament and because I played as a wicket-keeper in cricket I was happy to dive around and volunteered to do it. After that I did quite well and started playing half a game in goal and half a game outfield.
I trialled at Oxford United as an outfielder and goalkeeper and they wanted me as both but I chose to go in goal. I had been pretty decent at cricket, I played for the county team, and I could have kept going with it but I decided football was bigger and it was easier to have a career. It just took over but I could have potentially been a cricketer as well.
From there, I was a goalkeeper.
As an Everton fan, Tim Howard was someone I really liked. He was a bit of an inspiration. But generally I just really enjoyed watching keepers.
I went through the ranks at Oxford and got into the first team, before dual signing with Arsenal when I was 17 so I could still get minutes at Oxford. Then I joined London City for a couple of years before heading to Coventry and then Birmingham, where I am now.
Of course I have ambitions to play at the highest level I possibly can. It shows the standard of the Championship that I was picked for England while playing there and I think sometimes as a goalkeeper you need to be playing rather than sitting on the bench.
I feel like being involved with England means my decision to become a goalkeeper and sign for clubs where I will play has paid off.