Youcanbecomeacuphero
BY LISA GRAY WORLD CUP fever is gripping the country and the games in Russia will no doubt be inspiring the next generation of footballers.
And Joelle Murray hopes girls, as well as boys, will feel compelled to pull on a pair of football boots and give the beautiful game a go after watching Ronaldo, Messi and Co in action.
The Hibs Ladies captain grew up idolising former Manchester United star David Beckham and Scotland’s record goalscorer, Julie Fleeting.
So the 31-year-old would love to see other young girls follow in her footsteps by taking inspiration from both male and female footballers.
She said: “We’ve got the men’s World Cup on at the moment and I’d like to think there are young girls out there who maybe have a keen interest in football who will watch these games and take that interest further. It’s not only about seeing female teams on the telly or in the paper, it’s important that girls see the men’s side of the game as well.
“When I was growing up, I had a male hero as well as a female one. I looked up to David Beckham – he played in the same position as me and I wanted to be like him.
“In terms of a women’s football hero, probably like most female players of my generation, it was Julie Fleeting.
“She was, and still is, a role model and she made great strides down south and across the pond in America.”
Joelle is an ambassador for the Scottish FA’s dedicated Girls’ Soccer Centres, which are presented by sponsors SSE, as well as being the Hibernian Girls Academy manager.
She added: “When I was growing up, Julie Fleeting would probably have been the hero for most young girls playing football.
“Nowadays, there are so many role models across the country and especially now with the Soccer Centres up and running in every region.
“It’s great to have a variety of role models that the younger generation can look up to and I’m so proud to be involved.”
The midfielder has helped Hibs win the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup for the last two years, so she knows exactly what it feels like to get her hands on silverware.
Now our brilliant competition means one lucky reader will have the chance to design the trophy that will be presented at this year’s Final on November 4, as well as enjoy hospitality at the match and receive £1000 worth of sports kit for their school.
Joelle said: “As a player, the Scottish Cup is a competition you want to take part in and also win. For a young boy or girl to have the chance to be involved in the whole experience through this competition is massive.”
Also no stranger to winning trophies is fellow Scotland international Jo Love, who has contributed to seven of Glasgow City’s 11 consecutive league titles.
The midfielder, 32, said: “Winning never gets old for me. The seventh trophy I picked up with Glasgow City was just as good as the first one that I won with Kilmarnock Ladies 15 or 16 years ago.
“Whoever wins the Scottish Cup this year, it’ll be a day those players will remember for the rest of their lives.
“Hopefully, it’ll be the same for the youngster who wins the competition.”
To enter, readers can send their designs to the Daily Record via post or by uploading an image of their design to the website.
Online: Visit dailyrecord.co.uk/ssecupcomp to enter your details and upload your design.
Postal entries should be sent to: Daily Record Cup Final Competition, Media Scotland, One Central Quay, Glasgow, G3 8DA
How to enter:
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