Weir’s Common Goal clear during lockdown
CITY STAR USES SPARE TIME TO GET INVOLVED IN CHARITY
THE sense of belonging to a team has been a struggle for footballers during lockdown.
But if the uncertainty and displacement from normality that has been caused by Covid-19 continues to throw up challenges, it has also provided some unexpected positives.
City Women’s star Caroline Weir has taken the opportunity to join another team with all the extra time the lack of a full-time football schedule has given her.
The 24-year-old has become the 150th member of Common Goal the network of football-based charities launched in 2017 with United’s Juan Mata that encourages people to donate one per cent of their salary.
“It’s always been in my thoughts but especially this time of the year has been so busy with fixtures,” Weir exclusively told M.E.N Sport.
“This is obviously normally a hugely busy time so there’s never been a chance to sit down for this length of time and take stock and think about what was going on. It was always in the plans and it just so happened that this was the time that it could happen.
“Isolation has given me a chance to take a bit of a breather and think about what is important.”
Those behind Common Goal have been blown away by the response to the Covid-19 fund they launched last month, with contributions from new and existing members as well as corporate organisations in order to try to limit the havoc coronavirus is expected to wreak on the poorest parts of the world.
That money is in addition to the normal function that the charity serves, allowing those in football to give back to causes that matter to them while they can.
Weir joins City team-mates Janine Beckie and Pauline Bremer as a member along with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and USWNT stars Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.
“I like Common Goal because it’s a huge team effort,” she said. “They’ve got some great names on board and they’re growing the game but also growing awareness of some great causes. I’m passionate about female empowerment so it was a no-brainer to get involved if possible.
“I want to keep it local to Manchester but also Scotland. I know Common Goal have links to both places, there’s a lot that needs to be done in this country but of course as well further afield and certain parts of the world where opportunities aren’t as easy.
“Covid-19 is maybe a priority at the moment but once this all passes there is loads to work for and be involved in. It’s definitely a longterm thing and I’m really excited to be a part of it.”
More immediately, Weir is still hoping to finish the season with City. The Blues are in the FA Cup quarters and in the middle of an exciting title race when the season was halted in March.
Six weeks on, the campaign is still scheduled to be played out but there is no clear plan over when football will return.
Separated from their team-mates and coaching staff and having to adopt new training regimes more focused on running given they can’t access the training ground, all the players can do is wait and hope that things will get back to normal.
“It’s difficult because there’s not really an endpoint right now. If we had a date that we knew we were going to be back it would be easier but we don’t so it is just about keeping motivation and training because, like we’ve seen, things can change quite quickly. It’s just about being as fit as possible to be ready for that,” said Weir.
“I think things will get back to normal. It might take a bit of time but if we resume the season we have to get back to normality as soon as possible because we’re in a title race.
“I don’t think it will be weird [to go straight into the title race].
“Because we have not been playing for so long we will be buzzing to be back and it is all to play for, it’s not like starting a season from the beginning or pre-season, we actually have to hit the ground running so that is a challenge in itself given what has gone on.
“That’s why we’re all keeping our heads down, focusing on what we can control and working as hard as possible because we do know that hopefully when we go back that that’s what we’re playing for.”