FRANTIC DAYS KEEP VILLA’S CHLOE SHARP
GETTING up at 5am daily to go to the gym, working full-time in a school, then finishing the day with another training session – it’s no wonder Aston Villa’s Chloe Jones finds the balance between football and work hard to manage.
The lifestyle has become something of the norm for Jones, who first joined Villa to move closer to her family in February 2013, during which time she has maintained a frantic juggling act with multiple careers.
And, while it’s not something the midfielder will ever completely get used to, Jones knows there are plenty of other less desirable paths where life could have taken her.
“It’s a balance I struggle with sometimes,” she said. “There are times I work too hard because I’m the sort of person who puts 100 per cent into everything I do, but I think it’s something I’ve improved in this year,”
Jones, who teaches at Heart of Worcestershire College, added: “With it being the summer, we’ve also had the holidays off, so that’s allowed me a bit more free time.
“I’ve still trained twice a day. It’s been good to get into a rhythm, training regularly and having a bit more time to relax.
“It’s all about managing that time. I have a lot of commitments in teaching. There’s a lot you have to do, and balancing that with a social life is hard enough. Adding football in that mix makes it a huge challenge.
“But, at the same time, I love teaching, I enjoy what I do and it’s something I want to stick with.
“Football helps in a way, but when you put everything into all you do, something has to eventually give way.
“I just have to make sure that, for the benefit of Aston Villa, it’s not the football. But it is hard.”
The work Jones puts in does not go unrewarded. A regular starter in the Midlands, the former Leicester midfielder has become a focal point in the Villa side.
Despite that, things have been far from ideal for Villa this season, mustering only a mid-table position with just a handful of FA WSL 2 games remaining.
Jones, however, remains upbeat and believes the mounting list of experiences she can now boast of will continue to put her in good stead – on and off the pitch.
“It’s been a frustrating season so far because of the inconsistency. We all know how good we can be on our day,” added the 27-year-old, who spent time in Finland with Aland United before returning to Villa this summer.
“It’s all about solid performances week in week out, and the break allowed us to work through some more bits and pieces.
“Some of the defeats have come when we’ve played really good football. It’s been about not being able to finish, about getting clinical, it’s something we’ve been working on.”