In the ‘Making of a Lilywhite’ series, we sat down with Eloise to talk about her footballing journey so far and get to know her a bit better…
Sibling rivalry inspires Eloise into football…
“My big sister actually played football before me and I just wanted to kick a football around when I could, so my mum said, “Why not get her out of the house?” - and that’s really how it started. I personally think - and so does my sister - that I was better than them… even though they were three years older! I just wanted to do what she was doing. My sister did trampolining as well and I was really into that too, so I thought - why not do football as well since she was playing - there was definitely a competitive spirit. I eventually had to choose between trampolining and football – and I chose the latter because I just enjoyed it more and it suited my personality better. I joined my local grassroots side in Cambourne and played there for a few years before moving to Cambridge City. I stayed there for about five years, then joined Spurs at Under-14 level - and I’ve been here ever since.”
Venturing into Academy football…
“When I was at Cambridge City, there were three other girls, who were probably stronger players in the squad at the time, and they went on to join WSL academies, so my mum thought, ‘Why not test it and see if Eloise can get into an academy?’ She emailed Spurs directly asking if I could attend a trial and they were holding trials at the time, they invited me along and I went through all three trial stages and got in. I played at Under-14 level for a year, then Under-16s for two years, and now I’m with the Under-19s.
“I started at Spurs with Nife [Aramide], Grace [Bellwood] and Poppy [Neill]. Me and Poppy were close from day one - from the trials right through to getting in. It’s been really nice developing alongside her. We’ve had a strong core group coming through together, which makes the progression feel even more special.”
Stepping up to Under-19s this season…
“I played up with the Under-19s quite a lot last season, so I’d already tested the waters. But when it becomes your full-time team, training and playing with them every week, it’s completely different. It was challenging at first because of the level and the expectations. You only get two years at this level, so you want to make it count. The physicality increases massively, the intensity and the strength of the opposition - everything goes up a level, but I feel like I adapted quite quickly though. Having Poppy, Holly-Mae [Elmes] and Grace stepping up with me also made a difference, we could relate to each other and support one another through it.”
On her first international camp with Scotland Under-19s…
“It was such a good opportunity. I found it hard at first because, if you put the football aside, there was a lot of social side to it and this group of girls have been playing together for a long time. So, with it being my first one, it was difficult to fit straight in, but it helped me build my character. As for the football, it was such an honour to play on the international stage, being surrounded by such experienced players and coaches and playing against international players.”