JS: What are you studying?
KM: I’m going into my third year of BSc Infectious Diseases.
JS: How did you discover your passion for football?
KM: When I was six my family moved to the USA. There, women’s football (or soccer) is probably the biggest sport for girls, especially where I was living in Texas. So I joined my local club, Texas Rush, as an under-seven player and have played ever since. My dad also played football for The University of Edinburgh so I think he was also going to make me try football.
JS: Who is your football idol?
KM: In the men’s game definitely Steven Gerrard. He also played in central midfield and was always so calm and collected on the ball, which made his football so good to watch. We play the same position so I always appreciated how easy he made it look to play in high pressure situations.
In the women’s game I would say Christie Rampone who played in five FIFA Women’s World Cup finals and four Olympic women’s football tournaments. She also captained the USA Women’s national team in the Beijing and London Olympics. I admire how great a leader she was on and off the pitch and how positive she always remained no matter what the situation.
JS: Did you enjoy the FIFA World Cup this summer?
KM: Due to my internship I did not get to watch much of it, but the games I did see were great. Watching at The Pear Tree gave such an atmosphere to all the matches. Unfortunately, I did see England thump Panama 6-1, which as a Scot was hard to watch.
JS: Who are you supporting in the Premier League this season?
KM: My Vice-President (VP) would disown me if I didn’t say Liverpool, so I will have to go with them.
JS: What are your interests outside of football?
KM: I really enjoy running and have just started participating in Parkruns on Saturdays! I also play piano and am an active member of the Catholic Students’ Union at The University Edinburgh. Apart from that, I am trying to eat my way around Edinburgh before I graduate.
JS: What lessons have been learned from last season?
KM: I think last season was tough because it was the closest our 1st team have ever been to being promoted to BUCS Northern Premier League so it was very difficult when Loughborough scored against us near the end of the game to end our chances. We had a young 1st team last season, so I think they gained a lot of experience from winning the Scottish 1A. Our 2nd team finished in their highest ever position in the Scottish 1A and our 3rd team nearly won Scottish 3A which goes to show that everyone’s hard work is improving the club as a whole.
JS: What are the team goals for the coming season?
KM: For the 1st team, it is definitely to win the league and get promoted to the Premier League, just as our futsal team is playing in the BUCS Northern Premier League this year. For the 2nd team, it is to finish as close to the 1st team as possible in the overall table and also to beat them in the derby. The 2nd team are always getting closer to beating the 1st team and it is always a tough game for both sides! For the 3rd team it would also be to win their league and get promoted to the league above. So overall, we have pretty high aspirations for this coming season but I think they are all very achievable with the great group of returning players we have and hopefully some talented new players joining in September.
JS: What ideas do you have as President to enhance EUWAFC?
KM: I think as an expanding club it is easy for our teams to become more separated so my VP Rachel Torrance and I really want to encourage club unity across all the teams. With our futsal team having been promoted last season we are really working with the men’s futsal club to improve this side of our club as it is such a fast growing sport.
JS: What is the best way to get involved with women’s football at The University of Edinburgh?
KM: Any potential player looking to get involved can get in touch via our website www.euwafc.com or through our Twitter and Facebook pages. For our futsal programme you can come along at 6am on Mondays or 7:30am on Fridays in the Pleasance Sports Hall. We have a booming recreational programme for anyone wanting to try football for the first time or just have a more casual commitment once a week. If you still want to get involved at anytime of year, just send us an email on football.women@ed.ac.uk
Image: Katie Macdonald EUWAFC