Zara, who played alongside Maddy in the England under 17’s match against Estonia, trains with the Women’s 1st Team for Liverpool FC. “The intensity and professionalism is on a different level – I love it,” she says.
Evie plays for Aston Villa FC. She has been involved with England since the under 15’s and played her first match aged 15 in the under 16’s. She has since captained the under 17’s team in a match against Belgium.
All five players have allocated a portion of their award to football boots. “When you’re playing football six times a week, they get wrecked so quickly so you constantly need new pairs,” says Mia Endacott.
Both Mia and Maddy are also using the money to pay for 1:1 football coaching sessions and gym sessions. “I’ve been doing strength work for football for two months and I feel a lot stronger and I’m playing better,” says Mia.
Sharing their advice
When it comes to advice for other girls playing football, the players seem to speak as one:
“Do it for yourself, not for other people.” - Mia Endacott
“Don’t be afraid to dream big and don’t think about what other people think.” - Evie Rabjohn
“Always believe in yourself and your dreams. Anything is possible if you work hard.” - Zara Shaw
“Work hard and have belief in yourself. You have to trust yourself before others trust you.” - Maddy Earl
“Don’t give up and always put in 100%. Take a negative and turn it into a positive. Prove them wrong.” - Mia Enderby
Their words can be applied to many pursuits, from starting a business to starting a bank. Here’s how our CEO and founder Anne Boden concludes the list of thank yous in her book, Banking On It: “To the person who first said to me: it can’t be done. Thank you. I do respond well to a challenge.” Anne is the first woman in UK history to start a bank.
To find out how Starling supports women’s football beyond our sponsorship of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament, follow our social channels for updates.