International Women’s Day 2019 takes place on Friday 8th March and as one of the most female-empowered clubs in the Football League, Tranmere Rovers in the Community are highlighting some of their most inspiring women in the build up to the big day.
IWD is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender balance. The day is a fantastic opportunity for local organizations to showcase some of the amazing women working and living behind the scenes, making a difference in their local community and acting as role models for others.
In the first in a set of exclusive interviews, the community team sat down with Lynn Carter who has been playing for Tranmere Ladies for over 26 years.
Starting out at the TRFCSoccerSchool in 1992, Lynn has played alongside some of Tranmere’s most successful players throughout the years as well as captaining the first team herself.
Talking about how she first got into the game, Lynn said:
“It all started when I first went to the TranmereRoversSoccerSchool in 1992, I was 14 years old and Steve Williams who was running it really took me under his wing and helped me gain a lot of key skills. After that I never stopped playing really – it's been 26 years now!
"The community team did a great job in getting everyone involved and we all just really enjoyed the game, I’ve been lucky enough to keep that atmosphere my whole playing career and have kept in touch with a lot of the same people I started with.
"Of course joining the first team was scary at first, walking into the changing rooms with a group of women quite a lot older than me, but everyone was so welcoming and lovely I felt at home straight away. Tranmere is my local club, I’m Tranmere through and through and I always have been so I’ve never wanted to play anywhere else.”
Starting almost from the beginning, Lynn has been with Tranmere Ladies through some of their most successful seasons and has played alongside the likes of England’s World Cup Golden Boot Winner Jodie Taylor and star player-turned-pundit Sue Smith.
Despite raising two children, Lynn only retired brielfy before returning to her beloved Tranmere. When asked about her motivation and advice for upcoming players, she said:
“If there’s one piece of advice I would give a young girl wanting to start out in football it would be to just go to your local club and see how you feel. If you don’t enjoy it at that particular team, don’t give up.
"There’s so many other options out there and there’s no harm in moving around and joining different clubs just to see what suits you the best. It’s about who you get on with as well so don’t give up, don’t feel pressured into doing something you don’t want to do but keep trying new things until you find the right place for you.
"Football has been my life for the past 26 years and apart from raising my kids it has been the most important part of it. I don’t think I will ever not be a part of Tranmere Rovers.”
Throughout the week the community team are asking everyone to give a shout-out to their inspirational woman, whether it’s a celebrity, sports star or family member! In this case Lynn chose her mum, saying:
“My mum has always supported me, despite probably wanting more of a girly girl instead of a tomboy! She always encouraged me to go to training, even on the days where I used to hide behind the couch from Steve when he came to pick us up. She always pushed me to keep going and told me to stick at it and I’m so glad she did.”
Keep an eye on the Community social media accounts (@TranmereFITC) throughout the week to keep up with the International Women’s Day coverage.