Hi, my name is Ashleigh Neville, I’m 16 years old and I play on the left wing for West Bromwich Albion women’s football team.

How I got into football >>
My mum took me to training camp with the lads when I was six-years-old. I trained every Saturday morning and it progressed from there. I went on to play for Park Hill until I was about 12, and then had a trial for West Brom. I got in and worked my way up through the teams.

Training >>
I train twice a week at Albion and twice a week at Sutton College. At West Brom, Wednesdays are fitness training, so no football, constantly working on fitness to make myself as fit as possible. We work in the gym and in the sports hall doing circuit training. On Thursdays we do pitch work, working with the coach to do set plays and reflect on last week’s game, looking at any weaknesses and trying to improve.

ashleighKick-off >>
I play every week with West Brom and once a week with college. Women’s football is 90 minutes just like men’s, 45 minutes each way. I am a first team regular, starting on the left wing for WBA. I like to get really involved in the game and I score plenty of goals.

My achievements >>
I’ve been the leading goalscorer in all my junior seasons and I’ve won various trophies, including manager’s player of the season last year for the under 16s. I remember when I was about eight-years-old, I scored 13 goals in one match. I love the feeling of scoring a goal, nothing beats it. Just the other day I scored a hat-trick, and on the second goal I went up to the away crowd and told them to shush and they all shut up.

My ambitions >>
I’ve played for the England college team; I play for my college and so many get selected to represent England. But I would love to play for the England women’s national team. I look up to people like David Beckham and Kelly Smith who have captained England; they are great role models. I want to go to university to study sport and carry on my footballing career, maybe going on to become a PE teacher or a football coach.

Check it out >>
West Bromwich Albion Community Programme is a leading provider of sport and education based initiatives within the Black Country, helping to create opportunities for young people to take part in the WBAFC experience.

If you would like to find out more about WBACP or any of the many activities call 0871 271 9840, e-mail info@wbacp.co.uk or visit www.wba.co.uk