I just want tp play football

• Hayley Reid, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2005

I Just Want To Play Football

We had won the NVSC (North Victorian Swimming Championships). My team. I was proud of myself. So were my family, my younger twin siblings, Sarah and Jack and my parents.

That was in the summer though, its now autumn. I’m glad that’s over. It’s the football season and I am madly in love with football. It’s all I ever think about and it’s actually kind of embarrassing, but unfortunately swimming is my life, but I don’t really enjoy it. My father pushes me and forces me to swim. I don’t like competitions. I really want to play football; I’ve loved it for years. I really want to play. I just know my dad won’t let me. He’ll make me swim forever. He believes that football is no sport for a girl. There is no point in asking him if I could join a team, there’s just no hope. He wants me to be just like his father. My grandfather died a few years ago, he was a great swimmer, and he won four gold medals. One day I want to play football for Waddaway. That is where I live. It’s a small country town in the North Of Victoria.

Today was Monday so I got up and ready for school.
School was normal. At lunchtime all of us girls went to watch the football game that was happening down at the oval. They needed an extra player so I played. I couldn’t control myself; everyone was chanting my name because they thought I was playing well. I know this is what I want to do, but I know I’d never get the chance.

After school Millie and I went to the street and had a talk while eating an ice cream. I told her about how I wanted to play footy and give up swimming for competitions, and how I was sick of my dad bossing me around. She was really supportive. We started to walk home but on the way I saw a poster about football carnival that was going to be on and they needed two more players.

There was twenty-one, all boy players standing around a circle. I knew them all. This was going to be embarrassing enough, but playing with all these boys that I knew.

“ Alicia! What are you doing?” Millie yelled from the gate of the football ground. She was stuffed; she had chased me all the way from the street.
“ I’m going to play football,” I yelled back.
She gave me a huge smile of support and I went over to the coach to sign up.
I decided to tie my hair back and put on a cap. It didn’t work though, they all recognised me. They didn’t stop paying me out for about week. I made a lot boy friends. I was happier than ever.

I knew my dad wouldn’t approve of this but it was what I wanted to do and he would have to get used to it.