The coach of Millie Bright’s first team has described how his daughter — also a defender called Millie — has been inspired by the Lioness captain and wants to follow in her “bootsteps” to be an England great.
Bright will lead out the Lionesses in the World Cup semi-final against Australia tomorrow and will be cheered on by players at Killa- marsh Dynamos.
The Chelsea player, 29, is now a towering presence at the heart of the England defence but when she first turned up for the Dynamos, near Sheffield, she was “tiny but tough and brimming with potential”.
The current coach of the under-14s team, Paul Oades, said she had inspired a generation of girls, including his daughter Millie, 13, to believe in themselves.
He told the Standard: “My daughter is not the biggest but neither was Millie Bright early on. My Millie is also a defender and everything about the other Millie’s game makes her the perfect role model, that’s off the pitch as well. Our girls were invited to watch the England team train by her ... she offered the girls tips, she really is the most humble, lovely person. My daughter would like to be a professional and play for England and Millie Bright has been a trailblazer for her and so many other girls.”
The Killamarsh team have been watching the games together as they cheer on Bright. In her first season for her childhood club, she scored 80 goals. Mr Oades said she “has been fantastic and grown into the tournament having carried an injury at the start. She has done so much for us including fund- raising and even given one girl her boots. I think England can go all the way... if she has to take a penalty she will score. Her shot is so hard she’ll probably break the net!”
Bright’s first coach at the club, Andy Poulsen, previously told the Standard of Bright’s talent as an under-12 and said: “We won everything with her.”
