FeatureMy Journey: Zara Shaw - from Huyton Corinthians to LFC Women
After recently putting pen to paper on her first professional contract with Liverpool FC Women, Zara Shaw looks back on her journey from grassroots football to the Reds in her own words...
It was always football for me. I started off locally in a boys' team called Mags where I was the only girl. I used to love playing with the lads and running rings around them!
From there I went on to a juniors' team; my team was called Huyton Corinthians. I stayed with them for the longest until I was picked up by Liverpool. The all-day tournaments are still some of my favourite memories from my childhood.
It was in one of those tournaments that I got scouted by Liverpool at the age of seven, and then I signed a year later and have been here ever since.
You start playing to have a kickabout with your mates and have a laugh, so for it to now be my full-time job and that I get to come into a facility like the AXA Melwood Training Centre every day never gets old.
I always think your grassroots coaches enhance your love for the game so much. I must shout out Lee McVey, who I keep in contact with now and he was at ours for a Sunday roast just a few weeks ago.
Family is so important to me and my parents are my absolute rocks. Making them proud is all I want. Growing up, they do everything for you - especially my dad from a footballing point of view.
When I was younger, we were at football four or five times a week, he was ferrying me around everywhere. He loved it as much as me, which made me cherish the memories even more.
My dad is a very calm, cool person. My mum is the total opposite so she was often told "you're not allowed to come and watch" as she would have been screaming on the touchline!
If my dad ever had any words of advice he'd wait until we got into the car and ask if I enjoyed it first and foremost and then be there for me for anything else. He was never pushy, just constructive when he needed to be.
I'm an only child so I'm just theirs! It's not just about on the football pitch; it's how I carry myself off it and I always want to represent them in the right way.
It goes without saying I couldn't have done any of this without my parents, but I also couldn't have asked for a better academy to have grown up in. The journey to this point has been amazing.
Once you get up to U21s level and balancing that with the first team, you're still in education, so it could have been difficult to manage. When I was in high school and training with the seniors I'd have a day release, so I'd be off on Wednesday.
The staff here were so crucial in helping with the workload and ensuring I wasn't stressed or feeling too much pressure on my shoulders. The communication and organisation side of it from all the backroom staff, which maybe people don't see, is a huge part of who I am today.
I can't really get away from the fact that the past few years haven't really gone to plan for me with the two injuries. When I suffered my first ACL injury at Birmingham I was just in shock and upset. I'd never suffered a big injury like that before, so it was a case of leaning into my support network and all the girls rallied around me unbelievably. Some had been through that kind of thing before, so I was able to get advice from them.
It was about breaking it down into taking it day by day, week by week and not getting too ahead of myself because there's always going to be setbacks along the way.
There have, however, been some special milestones already. My debut at Leicester was my first game back after the injury so I was hoping it would go smoothly from that perspective. Then it's your debut in the WSL for a big club like Liverpool and I'd been here since I was a baby.
It was the usual mix of nerves and excitement as it was a big moment for me and my family. It was a really nice way to end that season after all my hard work.
You're always going to feel a little bit of pressure in big matches and big moments, but that's part of the game. I think the saying is: pressure is a privilege.
It's our job, you're going to have high-pressure moments when you're at a club like this, but that's where you'll thrive if you look at it in the right way.
For now, I just want to get back on the pitch, be enjoying my football again and get a level of consistency. I'm back running a bit now out on the pitches. I've missed it a lot and one thing is for sure, my dad will be there kicking every ball with me.
