For many people, captaining a football team to a third promotion in three seasons would rank as one of life’s most significant achievements. For the Stourbridge captain, Amber Lawrence, it is only one part of her story.
The attacking midfielder combines bringing up her one-year-old daughter, Isabelle, with a full-time job and somehow squeezes in three midweek training sessions plus a match every weekend. For anyone complaining about life being too busy, Lawrence’s packed schedule would be a reason to reconsider.
A 2-0 win against Northampton in mid-April officially confirmed Stourbridge as champions of the FA Women’s National League Division 1 Midlands, although as Lawrence tells the Guardian, second-placed Doncaster Rovers Belles “would’ve had to have win all their games 15-0 to catch us”.
After a remarkable hat-trick of consecutive promotions, semi-professional Stourbridge will compete in the third tier of the women’s football pyramid next season, alongside opponents such as West Brom, Derby and Stoke.
This season may yet get better for the Glassgirls with a county cup final booked against third-tier Wolves at Molineux on 9 May. For Lawrence – a “massive Villa supporter” – victory in Wolverhampton would bring particular satisfaction.
Lawrence’s accomplished playing career has included spells at Stoke, Wolves, Aston Villa, Burton and Doncaster. At Burton, back-to-back promotions were achieved, now trumped by back-to-back-to-back promotions with Stourbridge.
“I’ve been here for all of them,” she says. “I came into the club at tier six, so to see it grow to what it is today is incredible. For us to be competing in the third tier [next season] as a non-league, part-time outfit is great for the community, it’s great for Stourbridge as a whole because it’s been a lot of hard work. It’s been a slog, four or five years in the making. It’s a massive achievement.”
Lawrence’s full-time job is a demanding role as sales manager, but she believes a full diary suits her best. “It’s hard to juggle, but I think if I wasn’t busy then I would probably lose my mind a little bit,” she says.
“When I was on maternity leave I struggled because all I had to do was one thing. It’s hard, but it’s definitely rewarding, and I just feel proud of myself. With my partner working in cricket, during the summer it gets quite difficult … childcare-wise it can be very difficult. Luckily our parents are very supportive.”
Life in the third tier – the Women’s National League Northern Premier Division is Stourbridge’s destination next season – will be more competitive than anything the group have experienced before, although they are not wholly unaccustomed to that level.
“We’ve faced Wolves a number of times in the FA Cup and county cup, and West Brom,” Lawrence says. “We played Derby when we were in tier five and beat them 3-2 in the FA Cup. So we know what that league is about – it’s obviously going to be a very tough.”
Stourbridge’s players are unpaid aside from expenses – “that goes a long way” – and Lawrence concedes life would be simpler as full-time professionals. “It has been difficult trying to fit everything around football and being a new mum,” she says, speaking as part of the FA Women’s National League’s Behind the Ball campaign. “If football was my full-time job it would be easier … [and playing] will only become more of a commitment as we go up the leagues.”
Lawrence, who scored eight goals in the current campaign, gives a somewhat surprising answer when asked to name her favourite footballer. “My favourite men’s player was Martin Laursen from Villa, many years ago,” she says. “I just loved his leadership on the pitch.
“In women’s football, I know Beth England from our days at Doncaster and I think she’s a fantastic player. I’ll often tune in when she’s playing. [The Tottenham full-back] Ash Neville as well. I know Ash from when she played in the National League. She has two kids and is married and juggles that extremely well.”
Football aside Lawrence comes from an all-round sports-mad family. “I enjoy watching football, but the other love of my life is cricket,” she says. “My partner works for Lord’s, and cricket is constantly on at our house. I probably watch a lot more cricket than I do football if it’s not Villa. We both play, we will play together on a Sunday when the football season’s finished, and I go and watch my dad play.”
The cricketing summer may yet be ushered in by a Stourbridge league and cup double. “Fingers crossed,” she says. “It’s not the most neutral ground in the world [for a final] is it? Wolves at Molineux. But we’ll take it. It’s a Premier League ground … There was hearsay the final was going to be at Villa Park, and I joked I would retire if it was. If we can go and win at Molineux, even better.”
With a hat-trick of promotions achieved, expect Stourbridge’s upward trajectory to continue.
