Sport
Bannerman-Lloyd thrilled about big move to Arsenal
Not many schoolgirls aspire to becoming a professional footballer. Then again, Macey Bannerman-Lloyd is not your average schoolgirl.
September 19, 2017 16:09
Not many schoolgirls aspire to becoming a professional footballer. Then again, Macey Bannerman-Lloyd is not your average schoolgirl.
September 19, 2017 16:09The youngster, who turned 12 this week, has just beaten off stiff competition from around 150 other girls to secure a spot in Arsenal’s U12 first team.
Arsenal supporter Macey, who recently joined JFS, had tried out twice before for the Emirates-based team but never made it past the first round — until now.
Her proud mother Orline said: “This is what she wants to do – her dream has become a reality.
“If she carries on and continues to have the drive and passion that she does, she could do it and become professional. She’s not one to give up on her dream.”
Macey, from Totteridge, started playing football at her primary school Wolfson Hillel when she was eight-years-old, according to her mother. Mrs Bannerman-Lloyd recalled: “She came out one day saying, ‘I know what I want to do when I grow up – I want to be a professional footballer and become the first woman on Fifa.
“We took her to football trials with local clubs, thinking it would just pass. She played with Whetstone Wanderers for three years before moving to Watford Ladies for a year.”
The Arsenal team started training at the beginning of August and Macey was initially nervous but according to her mother “she’s getting there and her confidence is going up”. And having secured their first win against an all-male rival, it’s easy to see why.
When it came to the trials, there was only one option for Macey. “Football is my passion and it’s the best girls’ team in the country,” she said.
So devoted is Macey, that she is spending the evening of her birthday training with her team.
She told the JC that she is enjoying the experience so far and that her motto — no risk, no reward — is helping her rise to the challenge.
Describing his daughter as “determined, fearless but also quite humble”, Macey's father Justin Bannerman-Lloyd added: “We are so proud and happy for her. She really deserves it.”