The football journey of Josie Green, in her own words

While we continue to deal with a world without football, I felt that it would be a good opportunity for me to share my football journey with you, our supporters. Before I start, just remember that this period of uncertainty and worry that we’re going through is temporary. We will get past it and all of us will be playing and watching the game we all love very soon, so make sure you keep positive, keep safe and keep smiling!

So here goes, my football journey from the beginning, no filters. I hope you enjoy it.

I fell in love with football from as early as I can remember. My family have been the biggest influence on my playing career, my parents in particular. I used to play with my dad Clive and my brother Nick in the garden whenever I could get them to join me. I remember always going to watch my brother and while he was playing, I would be kicking a football around the sideline. At 19 years old, I sadly lost my dad, the man who took me to every training session, watched every game and signed me up to my first football team St Albans Girls FC. I was completely heartbroken. A massive football fan, he absolutely loved watching me play at any given opportunity. When I was growing up I was playing for two teams at one stage. I was at Watford’s Centre of Excellence on a Saturday and then I played for a Sunday team Bedwell Rangers as well and he would travel to both games. 

Even when he was ill and found daily life tough, he would never miss me kick a ball and would always be there in the stands. If I could have one thing, it would be for him to see how far I’ve progressed in football because he was always the one who encouraged me most. I hope he’s proud of the player and person I’ve become on and off the pitch. I know I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for him. My mum Liz too, she is like my number one fan and she also came to every game and used to take me to training. I have such fond memories of singing in the car with her on the way to training to pass the many miles she was driving me. She comes to every single game at The Hive in her Spurs jumper that I gave her and is always there to give me a hug at the end of match. I feel lucky to have such supportive parents and a family who have always encouraged and championed me in everything I do.

Joining Spurs 

My journey at Spurs started in 2016. I wasn’t really enjoying my football at the time but that quickly changed when I signed for the Club. I went along to training with Megan Wynne at New River Sport Centre and after a meeting with Karen Hills, I decided that Spurs seemed like the right fit for me. The club were doing well in what’s now called the FA Women’s National League Southern Division and Karen emphasised that they were trying to attract better players and push for promotion. At that time, I was playing for Watford in tier two and it meant that I had to drop down a division to play for Spurs but all I wanted was to start enjoying the game again and Spurs proved to be the perfect place for me to do that. I’ve been here a good few years now and that positive environment that drew me in at my first training session and welcoming atmosphere has never changed. I think it’s what makes us, us. That family feel is part of our philosophy. My former team-mate Rachel Furness said she went through a period where she wasn’t really enjoying football until she came to Spurs and she really loved her time with the girls and being at the club. I knew exactly what she meant by that, because I experienced it myself. It really does feel like so long ago since I joined the club and all I remember clearly is really enjoying my football again and I’ll always be thankful to Spurs for that.

When I think back to those early days, it’s hard to believe how far this team has come. Lucia Leon, Sophie Mclean, Jenna Schillaci and Chloe Morgan were all in my first training session and look where all of us are now. From training at New River, twice a week, in the evenings after work to training full time. I don’t remember having much analysis back then or if we did it would be once a week at most, whereas now it’s a complete professional set up and it feels like a world away from where it begun. I never even dreamed back then of being a professional footballer, even this time last year, I didn’t believe it was a possibility for me. I was still teaching at St Thomas More School and playing football part-time so I didn’t really know how things would pan out for me. It’s amazing how everything has changed in such a short space of time.

The quadruple and promotion to the Championship

My first full season at the Club felt like a dream. There were so many highlights, I wouldn’t even know where to start. We won the league, the Championship Play-Off, League Cup and Ryman’s Cup. Our biggest rivals were Charlton and we played against them several times that season. It makes me smile looking back because I recall having to mark Kit Graham out of the game, she played for Charlton at the time and was formidable for them. That would be our tactic against them. The time would come when we would play them again and I knew Juan would say “Josie, you are going to mark Kit Graham the whole game.” I remember us battling against each other for the entire game. Kit was the league’s top scorer and it would be our mission to stop her whenever we played them. The results were always very close, they were great games to be involved in. Kit and I always joke in training now that we miss playing against each other. She is a quality player and a good person to have around and always makes it competitive.

That was an immense season and I think that was the year when people really started noticing us, especially when we got to play at White Hart Lane for the first time. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I went about my routine as normal, but I found it so hard to concentrate on anything else other than the game against West Ham that evening. The team all got the coach together to White Hart Lane and I remember us walking into the changing room and seeing all our shirts hung up. That really got us all excited for the game, seeing something like that for the first time was really special for us. I scored in that game. I couldn’t believe it. I can just remember thinking ‘Oh my god, it’s gone in’! My first instinct was to run over to Karen and Juan so we could celebrate as a team. They’ve done a lot for me, bringing me in, showing faith in me and they helped me love football again. That was my way of thanking them for everything.

We’re a team who have always had a winning mentality but that season it felt like we could overcome anything. We believed in each other, and the vision that Karen and Juan had. We took the word togetherness to a different level. It was never about individuals. Every single person involved was just as important as each other and that’s still the case today. I really feel that season was when the magic begun and there was just no stopping us.

Chasing the WSL dream

Our debut campaign in the Championship was a learning curve for us. We finished seventh but it was about finding our way and I think we learnt a lot and knew what we needed to do to succeed in that division the following season. We beat two WSL teams in the Continental League Cup in that season and that was huge for us in so many ways because it enforced that feeling of being good enough to play against the teams in the top flight. 

The following season, building on what we had created, and the quality team we already had, the squad just needed a bit more depth. It was exciting to see the signings ahead of our second spell in the Championship. The new additions of Rianna Dean, Anna Filbey, Jess Naz, Angela Addison and Megan Wynne made it more competitive which helped us all improve as players.

The Championship was a tough league with teams such as Manchester United, Durham, Aston Villa and Sheffield United. At one stage we were all in contention to finish in the top two. Our away game against Villa proved to be the most important game of our season, maybe even our history. We just needed one point to seal promotion. In the build up to the game I felt really positive that we could get the result we needed on the pitch and we showed that we had something to play for. It was an intense match and Aston Villa really rose to the occasion. After going ahead early on from a moment of magic from Jess Naz, Villa equalised and all of a sudden, it got very nervy. I just remember all the girls putting their bodies on the line. We wanted promotion so bad. In the final moments, Ash Neville cleared a ball off the line and Chloe Morgan made a number of brilliant saves. The final whistle couldn’t come quick enough. We got there in the end and the celebrations that followed seemed to go on for what felt like weeks. We had worked so hard, we deserved it.

As everything started to sink in and it dawned on me that the season was coming to a close, I thought to myself ‘Oh, is that it then?’. The first promotion, I felt nothing but happiness and I was so ecstatic. I was just as happy after our second promotion last season, but I just didn’t want it to be the end. None of us knew what was going to happen and we had such a good group of girls who became my family. Deep down I knew that it was never going to be the same and I knew there would be many goodbyes. It was heart-breaking seeing some of the girls leave at the end of the season and I still feel sad about it. It was only the other week that I had a kick about with Sarah Wiltshire, I stay in touch with them as much as I can, I miss them all so much and all the memories we made.

Turning professional

When we went to Aston Villa and got the point we needed to secure a promotion, only then did I think to myself for the first time about the prospect of becoming a professional footballer. Everything was so up in the air, I was still teaching at the school months after promotion and no decisions had been made on the squad. I was in the process of buying a house and committing myself financially to a mortgage, it was a big time in my life to change jobs, I was making a big commitment. After I sat down with Karen and Juan, I took some time to digest the meeting and think about what the right path for me was. My heart was telling me ‘Yes yes yes’ and my head was thinking of a million other things. I spoke with family, friends and people I worked with at school who had been professional footballers before, and they told me I simply couldn’t turn down the opportunity and that I would never regret the decision. My brother is also a massive Spurs fan and I don’t think he would have forgiven me if I didn’t take up the offer.

I remember going to our first training session after turning fully professional and meeting all the new players such as Becky Spencer, Rosella Ayane and Gemma Davison, who had already experienced playing in the WSL. I felt that I was out to prove myself and as the season’s gone on, I believe I have thrived. In my mind I knew I just had to be competitive from the start in training. The one thing I can control is how hard I work and that’s something I take pride in, I always give it my all. I knew I had to work on all aspects of my game, and I was determined to do that and I still am. I feel that my attitude towards football is my biggest strength and that comes from my work rate, on and off the pitch - it’s so important to set those standards for yourself. I have been a teacher while playing semi-professional football before, I know how hard it is. I feel so lucky now to have a professional contract and I am trying to make the most of it while I have this opportunity.

The big stage

Leading the team out at the London Stadium was incredible. It was derby day and it doesn’t get much bigger than West Ham v Spurs, especially away from home and in front of a huge crowd. We knew it was going to be another good turn out and we had to put on a show for our fans. It was an opportunity early in the season to show why we belong in the top flight and that we are good enough to compete. We really rose to the occasion that day and we scored two brilliant goals that I haven’t stopped watching since. For Rianna Dean’s goal I remember playing it out to Rosella (Ayane), who whipped it in with her left foot, a quality cross considering it was on her weak foot and after that I just don’t know how Rianna managed to put it in the back of the net. What a moment that was and what a statement of intent we made that day.

From the minute the fixtures were announced, all eyes were on the north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. We always take it match by match, but it was hard not to think about a game of that magnitude. I remember feeling really nervous the day before the game purely because I knew how big it was us, for the fans and for the club. When it came to matchday, I was carrying a bit of a dead leg from being away with the Wales national team which obviously wasn’t ideal. I went and spoke to Karen and Juan before the game and they said “I know you’ve got a knock, do you feel you are ready for this?” and I just replied “If I’m stepping on that pitch, I’m leaving nothing out there so you don’t have to worry about me”. That was my mindset throughout the whole game. I was captaining the team and all I wanted was to make our family, friends, fans and everyone proud and I feel we did that.

We wanted to really show what we are about and it was the perfect opportunity for us to do so. When I walked out at the new stadium, the atmosphere gave me goosebumps and I remember thinking ‘Oh my god, there is a lot of people here!’ When I got on the pitch and started playing, I managed to block it all out, but I heard the fans chanting the whole game so I wasn’t surprised when I heard that we had broken the WSL attendance record. They were immense and they really helped us believe in ourselves.

I think we shocked a lot of people that day, coming into the game as underdogs, we caused Arsenal lots of problems, particularly in the first half. I know we gave it everything but I couldn’t help but feel gutted. We just lost a football game at the end of the day and we had our chances to get something out of the game. I was sad and just wanted to see my friends and family who were all there and hearing how proud they were just made everything a bit better.

Representing Wales

Former Spurs Academy player Terry Boyle was the man who gave me my first senior cap for Wales at 16 years old against Azerbaijan. I was in the team frequently for a couple of years following my senior debut but then a new manager came in while my dad was really struggling with his health - I just wasn’t in the right head space to push for my place as I was focussing on my family. Then around five years later, while back enjoying my football at Spurs, I got recalled. Playing for the national team is a massive honour and means a lot to me and my family, who are always proud when they see me in my Wales shirt. I remember missing a camp once when my sister Sophie was due to give birth to my niece Thea, it was a difficult choice for me because I wanted so badly to be in two places at once but I knew I needed to be there for my sister, like she’s always been there for me. The girls on camp are a great group and lucky for me, I get to be with my Spurs team-mates Megan and Anna. It’s a high standard to play at as you’re coming up against the best players in the world and it’s a real challenge, but one that’s made me improve greatly as a player.

Becoming a leader

Becoming vice captain of Spurs this season has been a massively proud moment for me. I would go as far as saying it’s one of my proudest achievements as a footballer. I know my family are so proud of me too. It’s such a nice feeling but it’s also a big responsibility and one I take pride in when the opportunity comes. I’ve learnt so much from Jenna and she’s one of my best friends at the club. To captain the team in her absence is an honour. This year, in particular, because we are training full-time together, we have developed such a good relationship. It’s nice to have someone close who you can look up to and she’s helped me so much along the way in my football journey.