It's a sweltering Friday in Lisbon ahead of the UEFA Women's Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona. I'm sitting with England and Manchester City legend Jill Scott in a rare patch of shade, talking about women's football, which – given we're about to watch a final at the sold-out Estádio José Alvalade – is still reaching new heights.
While most people had written off Arsenal as underdogs against two-time champions Barcelona, Jill still held out hope for the North London girls. So too did long-time Arsenal fans Amelie Margaret Kirk and Sophie Hurst (founders of Girls Watch Girls Play), who we met in their lucky pub, The Twelve Pins, as part of their pre-march ritual. The twist? The pub had been recreated and delivered over 2,200 km from its home in North London to the heart of Lisbon, as part of Heineken's celebration of superstitious football fans.
“It means absolutely everything that Heinken have not only backed women's football, but also backed two girls who have a superstition and want to make it come true for their team. It's brilliant and it's incredible for us. It makes us feel more secure about our game and how it's going to go,” says Sophie.
She's not alone; half of football fans have matchday rituals, and nearly as many (46%)* believe their superstitions can influence the score. “I love that Heineken is matching the energy of superstitious fans at the UEFA Women’s Champions League final,” says Jill. “It makes me happy to see hardcore fans of the women’s game being acknowledged and celebrated in this way.”
And it clearly paid off; Arsenal pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year to take home the trophy.
Here, Glamour speaks to Jill Scott about superstitions, being an inspiration for young girls and boys, and her love of poetry.
Glamour: Hi Jill! It's great to chat with you today. How does it feel to go from being a football fan to being someone who is adored by fans of your own?
Jill Scott: That's a very nice thing for you to say. I know the Man United fans didn't adore me. My whole life's been football. I was going to the Sunderland games from the age of six with my granddad, had a season ticket pretty much all my life, and I just loved watching football. When you play for England, play for your club, it's a special feeling.
Even now, I was walking around Lisbon and I saw a couple of Arsenal fans just walking past and they're like, ‘Hi Jill!’ And I remember them giving me some grief back in the day, but you know what? It's all fine. I just love the atmosphere of football.
Can you talk me through the atmosphere of women's football and how special it is?
I think the atmosphere is so good at women's football. As soon as you asked us that question, I just thought of families. I think of little kids who have got their faces painted, they've got the best player on the back of their shirt, and they're just so excited to go. And I think there's something really special as well when you see a dad with his daughter going to the women's games. And I've bumped into loads of fans who say, you know what? I used to always take my son on a Saturday, and now I've got you to blame because I've got to take my daughter on a Sunday, and the weekends are just taken up by football.
Don't get us wrong. There's still a lot of passion. When I used to play for Manchester City versus Manchester United, there was a lot of passion. They'd maybe shout some stuff at you at times, but afterwards you'd go and sign autographs, you'd have pictures. I think it can be intense for 90 minutes because you really want your team to win. But then after that, what I love about women's football is you can sit, have a pint of Heineken, or you can have a coffee, and you can chat about the game and just kind of enjoy what you've just seen.
What do you make of Heinken's bringing Sophie and Amelie's lucky pub from London to Lisbon?
The lengths that Heineken has gone to, especially for Sophie and Amelie, so that they can go to their lucky pub and then hopefully Arsenal get the win for them is incredible. I used to think that maybe only us as players had them, but to hear fans how they always wear the same shirt, they always go to the same pub. They even leave at halftime because they feel that out of the 50,000 people there, they're the ones who are affecting the result. It's been so interesting, and I love how Heineken have really opened our eyes up to what goes on, obviously on the pitch, but also off the pitch.
Did you have any superstitions as a player?
I'd always put my on right shin pad, followed by my right sock, right boot on etc, probably sat there looking a bit weird to be honest at times. And then I'd always touch the top of the tunnel whenever we went out. And if I didn't do these little things, that would play on my mind like, ‘Oh my God, am I going to have a bad game?’ So yeah, I think everybody has them kinds of weird and wonderful things, but it's all about preparing you for the gaming, you feel like, because football, there are so many things that can happen that are uncertain that you can't control. I think that fans and players will want to control as many elements as we can.
Are there any particular fan interactions that stick out to you?
There was actually a really cute one recently where a young girl had saved her pocket money and come into my coffee shop [Boxx2Boxx Coffee in Manchester] and bought me a journal because she knew that I love to write poetry. And I thought that was just so lovely. She had a hot chocolate, I had a coffee, and we chatted. To think of her saving her pocket money to give me a gift, I just thought it was lovely. And I love writing poetry, so maybe I'll write a poem about that, actually.
Is a poetry collection by Jill Scott on the cards?
Hopefully. I've got a real passion for it, and I've got about 50 poems now. Football is such an intense sport and you always get told to bit tough and have a smile on your face. And obviously, we all have feelings like human beings, so I always find it easier to write down how I'm feeling rather than speak about it. Maybe it's about helping the next generation because I get a lot of young girls, who say to me, ‘Oh, this is happening at the minute,’ and you've gone through the same thing as well. So hopefully, through the poems, you can show them that they're not alone.
Are there any particular things that young girls come up to and say they're going through?
Maybe not so much now, which is a great thing, but definitely a few years ago, probably getting bullied because they wanted to play football. And I went through that from a young age.
And what would you say to them?
I would say follow your dreams, follow your passion. And I've had stories where I've gone into a pub all these years later and there's probably someone there who used to say some nasty words to us when I was little, and they'll just go, ‘Can I you a drink?’ And I'm like, yeah, you can actually. And I don't say anything, but I think to myself, ‘I showed you.’ I just tell them that if they've got a passion, a dream, don't let anybody stand in your way.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
The Lioness and Chelsea forward talks representation, inclusivity in sport, and the power of football to bring people together.
