Girls United asked Club London coach Greer to share her journey as a coach for our Black Coaches Matter Project. A project dedicated to creating pathways for black women into football coaching.

When I was asked by Girls United to share a piece outlining and relaying the story of my journey as a  coach, I honestly felt a little hesitant. This was not because I didn’t want to share my story but because I wasn’t sure how to succinctly share. However, here is my attempt. My journey, is like so many others - but it’s also wildly different.  

Greer-Aylece, Girls United Club London

I’ve been actively coaching for the past year and a half - I gained my coaching qualification over 3 years  ago and I’ve been coaching with Girls United for a while now. But the journey to coaching for me hasn’t  been the easiest or most straightforward. Over the last few months, I have been reflecting on the reasons I  became a coach and what it means to be a coach in sports and in football. For me this also entails  reflecting on what it means to be a Black woman in sports, with intersectional identities - a woman who is  black, who is also a sports lover, a football player and a coach.

My reason for becoming a coach was to make an impact and create long-lasting change - in community,  society and in the people we’re coaching and beyond. In becoming a coach, I aim to change the same old  narrative, and offer difference, so that young people are able to see a face they could identify with, in a  field that is often dominated by white, male voices.  

Growing up, I loved participating in sports, all sports. I especially took to football - I played for my school  team, and in my spare moments, I would practice for hours — on my own, and when they opportunity  presented itself, with other players. For years my goal was to become a professional player. I had fallen in  love with the USWNT, as I saw that women were able to play professionally - but their team also lacked  diversity. So I was pleasantly surprised and motivated whenever Rachel Yankey, Alex Scott, Eniola Aluko,  Lianne Sanderson and Hope Powell from the England team, and Natasha Kai from the USWNT appeared  on my screen. I immediately felt a sort of kinship because they looked like me, and were in the field I  wanted to be in.  

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My personal goals of playing at an elite level never really panned out, but I discovered the grassroots and  the passion there. I had ambitions of being an advocate for young people, and a representative voice, I  believe that coaching was a natural progression for me - advocating at a grassroots level and allowing  spaces to open up for the young people I aimed to impact, to have better memories and experiences of  coaches and adults moving forward. Coaching is enabling me to help them with the best start in life, by  mentoring and representation.  

Being a coach in an often exclusive environment, is not the easiest thing, however, when you find a place  as clued-up and understanding as Girls United, you can realise the long-term vision and can begin to  understand how to go about making the impact that is needed.  

There was and continues to be a lack of adequate representation and a significant lack of female role  models in general and black female role models in particular, at all levels of football and in sport for that  matter. However, while this is slowly changing, there is still a lot of work to be done, and this is why this  Girls United’s ‘Black Coaches Matter’ project is incredibly important, especially for this generation of  players, parents and football lovers. I can attest to its importance because when I needed role models,  there were not many people playing, managing and commentating who looked like me.  

My coaching career is just starting, coaching in sport, mentoring and advocating for all young people -  who struggle to find their voice. I am happy that I am able to be part of this narrative. I am proud to be a  coach.