Fara Williams is the most capped Lioness in history, and has won trophies for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton, but her journey to the top was far from simple
Fara Williams believes England’s Lionesses “saved her life” after she spent seven years homeless while playing top-flight football. The ex-Lioness, who is now a popular pundit on BBC and Sky Sports, began her footballing career at the tender age of 16 playing for current WSL champions Chelsea.
From there, the midfielder appeared for Everton, Liverpool, and Arsenal and made her England debut at just 17 in 2001. However, Williams was facing an internal battle outside her career as she became homeless while earning caps for her country.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football ahead of the Women’s Euro final between England and Spain, the 41-year-old described the obstacles she was forced to face at a young age, including balancing work, sport, and not having a roof over her head.
Williams said: “Yeah, it was extremely difficult. As a kid, I think you mentioned it there, if you think back to when we first entered into grassroots football at a very young age, there were so many barriers. There were so many barriers that were different to today in terms of access, in terms of there not being enough teams out there for young females to go and play.
“Of course, that’s changed over time. The biggest barrier, in terms of my journey, was becoming homeless whilst playing and having that to overcome – it was difficult.
“I think football, I’ve always said, saved me in terms of the kind of direction I could have went in. It was a real strong tool for me to kind of focus on and, you know, put all my energy into that and all kind of the other stuff that was going on, I always remembered that football was there, the football community was there. So I did always have that.”
The former footballer became known as a set-piece specialist for England, scoring 40 goals during her time for the national team. In 246 total career appearances, Williams netted 106 times and won a multitude of honours, including the WSL title, the Premier League Cup and Women’s Cup.
For England, the midfielder came runner-up at the UEFA Women’s Championship – now known as the Euros – in 2009 and third place in the World Cup in 2015. She is still the most-capped player for the Lionesses, but Williams is all too aware of the struggles many young women face when it comes to breaking into professional football.
Discussing her struggles as a teenager, Williams said: “Financially it was always difficult growing up, trying to manage jobs and play and find facilities. But that’s where being a JustEats ambassador for the tournament [comes in] and it is partners like them that are pumping money back into the game.
“The Feed the Game campaign, for me, is one of the reasons why I’m so excited to work with them, because obviously we talk grassroots, we’ve seen how expensive the game is now.
“I spoke about there not being enough teams when I played and now there’s a lot of teams, but in terms of equipment, in terms of coaching, in terms of it being free. I know a lot of football now you have to pay for which is another barrier for some underprivileged families.”
Williams believes change is coming, slowly but surely, and attributes this to the work the current Lionesses team has put in in building the game with success.
She added: “So it’s difficult, and the fact that these companies are pumping money into grassroots, not just for young females, but for young women as well at grassroots level, that have been inspired by the Lionesses. So I think if I had that, obviously back when I played, it would have made my journey a little bit easier.
“In terms of equipment, you know, kit is so expensive, shin pads, boots etc. So there’s definitely a lot to do around that area, still now, but there’s a lot more that’s being done. But the games in a really good place, but a place where, without that investment, opportunities will be few and far between.”
There was one person who truly paved the way for a young Williams was her former England coach Hope Powell. The current women’s technical director at Brighton took charge of the national side from 1998 until 2013, and one of the key people in Fara’s life as she juggled her life’s dream alongside the reality of her personal life.
Williams said: “Hope carried a lot of power and had a huge impact on me – not just football, but personal life as well. In terms of that support network, in terms of it going the way it needed to, it kind of put things into perspective for me.
“People talk, you know, my teammates used to say that like I was the leader of the game, and I want to do it day in, day out. But she was the one who forced me to grow outside of that natural atmosphere at camp.
“I’ve always been really appreciative of Hope, and she knows that. She was a big standout supporter of me. She guided me and my coaching career, and said it would be a great skill for me.
“She always played a part, she mentored me with that [coaching], and she’s not just [a former coach], now she and I are retired, we are great friends.”
Nowadays, Williams spends more time boosting the game that saved her as a youngster, although she admits the current Euro 2025 journey for England has been an “emotional rollercoaster” for the average fan.
When asked for her prediction for the game, the ex-Lioness added: “I can’t even give a score prediction because, as I said, I reckon that this England team will put me back on that emotional roller coaster – you know, the frustration, joy, whatever you want to say – because yeah, it’s been a tough watch but an enjoyable outcome.”
Building on their long-term support for women’s football, and to celebrate the Women’s Euros, Just Eat is providing training equipment to 100 women’s and girls grassroots teams via the Feed the Game Fund so they can continue to play the sport they love. Teams can apply for training equipment at justeat-101.co.uk.
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