A woman is now living the dream after she was approached by a man at a car wash.
Amy Gillingham from Southport moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2017 when she was offered a job as a PE teacher for the state. The 30-year-old took the job not thinking that in five years' time she would be working seven days a week and loving every minute of it.
Amy grew up in Southport and played football for Liverpool Feds and FC United of Manchester's women's teams before she jetted off abroad. Last year the teacher was approached by a man at a car wash while playing football with a group of children.
READ MORE ABOUT AMY: Woman makes history after being approached at car wash
After just ten minutes of talking, the man revealed he worked for a TV company and offered her the chance to co-commentate on a UAE football match in the future.
Taking it with a pinch of salt she said yes and three months later she managed to make history becoming the first-ever female football commentator in UAE history when she co-commentated with journalist and broadcaster Graham Clews on the UAE Super Cup final. Not only that, following her debut as a commentator, she was offered a contract to work on the UAE first division as a commentator.
She signed the papers and now spends her weekends travelling to matches across the Middle Eastern country covering ADNOC Pro League matches. She has even made an appearance on a football television show aired nationally called the UAE Football Show.
She told the ECHO: "I did the Super Cup final in January which was co-commentating and since then I signed a contract with the ADNOC Pro League which is the professional league out here in the UAE. Since then I've pretty much been getting a weekly game which is solo commentary.
"Out here for the league games, it's just the one commentator whereas in the likes of the Premier League there are typically two, out here it's just the one. So I've been solo commentating on a weekly basis for the Pro League.
"It's completely different to co-commentating because you might have one analysing the match and then one will jump in and add a bit more or recognise something else on the field. It's a lot easier commentating with someone else so doing it solo is completely different altogether but I love it."
Following success since the turn of the year, Amy now has her eye set on the World Cup at the end of the year in neighbouring Qatar.
She said: "[The World Cup] is in the back of my mind at the moment. So I'm just trying to see what kind of loopholes or if any opportunities arise. I'm putting myself out there and, and putting my name forward, I suppose, but it's early days. Let's see what happens."
