I fell into playing football completely by accident. I was hanging out with a mate one day when he mentioned his mixed 7-aside football team needed a second girl to join their team to make minimum numbers and asked if I would be interested. I was very clear that I had little to no football experience, I’d barely kicked a ball before! He assured me that wouldn’t be a problem. My first game, at 8pm on a winter Monday in 2023 was terrifying. There were all these rules I didn’t know, the game was really fast, and I was honestly pretty hopeless. The other guys were really lovely and the other girl on the team was hugely talented. I felt super welcomed, but I was also aware I was more of a hindrance than a help. My only value to the team at that point was that I was a girl, and was physically on the field so that they could make minimum numbers. It would have been easy not to go back, but I knew the team needed a second girl so I stayed. Plus I enjoyed being part of a team and to be able to watch the skill of the other players in action. Gradually I got to know the rules, and learnt a bit about defence. The guys would yell instructions to me and I would try my best to follow them.  I had been playing for about six months when I saw the Women's Football Centre advertised on Instagram. Highly aware of my limited skills and need to upskill, I decided to head along. Plus it was free! That first session introduced me to a lot of new concepts. I learnt how to dribble, how to kick a ball properly, how to pass. In my six months playing I’d barely touched the ball, let alone long enough to actually do anything with it. Through the subsequent sessions I actually learnt how to play as an attacking player, something I never normally got the opportunity to do in my 7-aside team. The best thing about the Centre for me was that it gave me the opportunity to make mistakes, and then be able to learn from them. I was able to try new skills or take a chance and do something different, knowing that it was just a practice setting, and the team’s score didn’t hinge on whether it worked or not. The sessions were also pretty fun! There was such a positive vibe brought to the sessions by facilitators whose primary goal was to get women playing football. Since I’d only ever played mixed games, where there were normally 10 guys and four women on a field, that environment was normal for me, but it was also pretty intimidating. I was constantly getting knocked over and I often had bruises from being kicked. The practice games we played at the Centre were relaxing in comparison. It removed the element of fear I normally played with so that I could focus on the game itself. Over the following year I continued to play mixed 7-aside, gradually getting better, and even taking over management of the team. Wellington hosted the Women's Football World Cup and I attended every game I could, cheering for all the teams and drinking in an atmosphere where women's sport was celebrated. I watched some incredible games, with incredible players. It was so inspiring! I attended the Centre again in 2024/25, spending sunny summer evenings kicking a ball around with a bunch of women from across Wellington. The Centre had advertised joining a club over winter, but honestly I assumed that club football was for people who were better than me, who had been playing for years. Plus, the idea of giving up my whole Sunday to run around in the cold was less than appealing. Early July, a friend who I had met hiking reached out to me. Her club football team was desperate for players for an upcoming game and she asked if I would be keen to join for the game that Sunday.  I’ll be honest, I took a full 24 hours to respond. I really didn’t want to. Playing for a full 90 minutes sounded absolutely exhausting. I wouldn’t know anyone else there. I was certain everyone would be way better than me. I’d also recently had wisdom teeth surgery. Essentially, I had many reasons to say no. Although at the same time, it was an opportunity to try proper football, something I had been wanting to do. Plus it would be my first game with all women on the field, an exciting prospect. So despite all my fears, I said yes. That Sunday I was terrified. My friend gave me a ride out to the game with another girl, who I’d actually remembered from the Women’s Football Centre. Arriving at the field, there were other girls I’d seen before at the Centre who were also in the team. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming and within five minutes I was also signed up to an indoor 5-aside team that they were starting the following week. I started to relax as we all put on our boots and went through a warm up. I’d never done a warm up before a game before!  The first game, my team lost by a ridiculous number of points. We were versing a very talented bunch of high schoolers that were much better than us. However, sitting in the clubrooms after the game, eating hot chips and laughing with the girls, I realised how enjoyable the camaraderie and culture was. When the team offered me the chance to come back, I accepted.  The first few weeks playing proper football games were tough. My second game, my quad muscle seized up while I was playing, unaccustomed to the repetitive kicking motion I was putting it through. Either that, or it was the level of sliding around we were doing on the muddy field. I hid the issue at the time, not wanting to come across as weak in front of my new team, but it taught me the importance of keeping my muscles warm in the cold winter environment. Mondays were basically a write-off for me those first few weeks. Luckily my job allows me to work from home so I would lie on the couch, muscles aching, exhausted from the day before. Refueling and stretching became much more important as I learned to manage the impact of the game. Gradually I adjusted to the games and the schedule. Having played solely in defence in my mixed 7-aside team, often on the outside of things, my coach put me up front, often into the striker position. This was quite an adjustment to my playing style, but my coach recognised that my speed getting up the field was an asset. All that sprinting around trying to keep up with the guys had paid off! I even found the games less tiring as the season progressed, able to go to Sunday market beforehand or catch up with friends in the evening. Really, what else would I be doing on a winter Sunday anyway?  When I look back at the season, several memories stand out to me. Road tripping to games across Wellington with my teammates. Playing 90 minutes in a torrential downpour, our stuff stashed under a tarpaulin and the ground covered in mud.  The first time I scored a goal and the calls of congratulations from my teammates across the field. Many an afternoon spent reclining on dining chairs in the clubrooms post-match as we savoured homemade baking and recounted stories from the games.   This summer I am playing football three times a week! On Mondays with my usual mixed 7-aside team, on Wednesdays with my club team in an all women’s 7-aside league and on Thursdays with the indoor 5-aside team organised by one of the girls from my club. At our first mixed 7-aside game of the summer season, one of the guys who has been in the team since I first joined in 2023 commented on how well I was playing. An example of how much I learned playing club football, but also how much more confident I was now thanks to the supportive club environment I’d been playing in.  I’d absolutely recommend the Women’s Football Centre, not only to anyone looking to get into football, but also to anyone interested in meeting some people and kicking a ball around on a sunny Wellington evening.