Fulham FC player Lilly Lambird talks Football, University Life and everything in-between.
Lilly Lambird is in her final year at St Mary’s University studying Media, Communications and Marketing as well as playing as an attacking midfielder at Fulham FC.
Fulham are sitting fourth in Tier 5 of the National Women’s League with hopes of being promoted this season and she has been at the club 5 years now.
Her football journey started at age 7.
“I was walking my dog with my dad and I just wanted to play football. I had done gymnastics, horse riding… I tried everything, and I didn’t like it” Lily explained.
After junior spells at Croydon Borough Girls and Millwall Lambird moved to Sutton United before ending up at the Cottage.
“I played my U16 season there and they wanted me to play for their U21’s but I wanted to play 1st team football, so I had a trial at Fulham, and I have been there ever since” she said.
Lambird is enjoying her time with the Cottagers where playing football is a welcome relief from the demands of studying for a degree.
“I think especially at Fulham everyone is everyone’s friend, there is never any drama. If I had a rough day at university or work and then I go to football, it’s so stress relieving. I like the team cohesion” she continued to say.
Lilly has also thrown herself into university life becoming President of St Mary’s Women’s Football and is proud of her appointment.
She said, “It means a lot, to get voted in the role, it shows that the girls have faith in me. I was social sec last year and I helped with the previous president. I think that I like my own things my way, so being president, I can do it my own way”.
With such a busy schedule Lilly does have to juggle the demands on her time and can find it challenging.
“Yeah, it is a lot of hard work, you try to prioritise each thing if needed, especially when taking the role of presidency. It’s been a very rough year, that’s all I can say, but you find the time when you need to” she said.
There are big differences between Fulham and St Mary’s football teams. Fulham has got a full-time coach and the overall standard is better with a more professional infrastructure even though both teams are unpaid.
“You must trial to get to Fulham and you get to go on to probation for a while. We get strength and conditioning coaches at Fulham which really helps us out and we don’t get that at university” she explained.
Fulham also employ a sports psychologist to talk to the team to banish negative thoughts and help improve their mental fortitude.
Lilly says that by learning to exclaim one word she and the team can reset.
“Woosarr! It takes all the stress away and refocuses the moment and you carry on.”
Lilly enjoys playing in different positions for Fulham and her university team which adds variety to her game.
She adds, “I play attacking midfield at Fulham. At university I sometimes change to more of a defensive role and sometimes you will catch me in goal. However, at university I am more of a goal scorer but not at Fulham. At Fulham someone else can have that pressure.”
Lilly thinks that women’s football still has a long way to go to rival the exposure that the men’s game receives, although the situation is improving especially after the lioness’s success.
“While I was working at the pub, I was trying to watch the Chelsea Women’s FA Cup game that was on TV and this local came round and went, ‘can you put proper sport on please’. The same local a month later said can you put the euros (women) on, so it shows that it had an immediate impact on people” she explained.
This is encouraging, but as Lambird comments on the role of social media marketing at Fulham, the differences between the men’s and women’s games are noticeable.
“We now have one media officer who actually goes to St Mary’s, we are nowhere near the same level as the men’s team who have a whole media team, but she does do a great job and it has definitely got better” she says.
She goes on to comment that media coverage in lower league football is male dominated, where the equivalent national men’s league has a far greater platform.
“[The men’s game has] full time media officers, have bigger media teams and some of the games will get televised and streamed. We have a streaming platform just for parents to watch”.
When asked where she saw herself in 10 years Lilly said,
“Hopefully I would be at least having one international cap for the Ireland Women’s national team. I will probably be quitting football around then, but hopefully I will be a presenter on Match of the Day.”
Her ultimate dream she says is to be a broadcaster.
“I want to be Alex Scott; I just want her life!” she ends with.
Lilly Lambird is showing how with drive, determination and plenty of skill women can achieve their goals and enjoy meaningful careers in sport.
