Jess Naz inspires students on return to former school

After being placed on standby for England in her first senior call-up earlier this week, Jess Naz returned to where it all began for her today (Thursday 16 May) at Oasis Academy Enfield.

Jess met with students and her former teachers to reflect on her path from school to representing the Lilywhites at Wembley, before taking part in a girls’ football session run by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation.

She said: “When I was at this school there weren’t many girls playing football, so to see a whole group of girls is brilliant, and they were all playing with smiles on their faces. I used to be the only girl on this pitch playing against the boys!”

Since helping the Club achieve promotion to the Women’s Super League in 2019, Jess has gone on to become a key feature of the Spurs team.

“I think it’s been a good season for the Club, everyone has been enjoying it and I’ve been building a lot of confidence alongside my teammates. We’ve done really well and built good foundations for next season.

“It’s been a dream come true to be called up to England and see all my hard work pay off. I’m going to keep knuckling down and hopefully good things continue to come.”

Jess also emphasised how the Foundation has an important role to play in opening up opportunities for girls in the area.

“Especially in these communities, having access to training sessions like this is so important for the girls and hopefully helps encourages other to take up the game.”

Steve Ambler, Oasis Academy Enfield teacher, recalled: “One of my earliest memories at this school was watching Jess play near this pitch and you could see straightaway she was going to be very successful.

“She used to run rings around the boys – always fun to watch! You knew she was always going to be fantastic, she was so good at dribbling, like a little Messi.”

The session was led by a former Spurs teammate of Jess’, Renee Hector, who is now a programme coordinator for the Foundation.

Asked about the heights Jess has reached, she said: “I knew Jess had endless talent and the world was her oyster. She was probably the best player I ever played with.

“Not only that, she’s a really humble person and it’s been a joy to see the smiles on the faces of the girls here as Jess has come back.

“For them, it just shows the sky’s the limit and they’ll one day have a chance to achieve whatever they want, whether that’s in football or anything else.”

The Foundation’s head of programmes, Philip Rudling, added: “We deliver an increasing number of sessions in schools and the community for women and girls, in the hope of inspiring and nurturing the next generation.

“It’s thanks to the support of various funders like the Premier League Charitable Fund and People’s Postcode Lottery that we can continue giving everyone, regardless of background, a place to belong.”