Finding Her Pitch: Anna Shiels' Journey Through Women's Football in Greater Manchester

When Anna Shiels steps onto the artificial turf at Ashton on Mersey FC's home ground in Sale, Greater Manchester, she carries with her the weight of decades of change in women's football. It's a journey that began with rejection and has led to her club being selected as one of just seven to celebrate on the iconic Coronation Street cobbles this July.

Anna vividly recalls the moment that first taught her about the barriers facing girls in football.

"I remember being sat in the changing room at secondary school, getting ready for football," Anna recalls. "They looked at me and said, 'What are you doing?' I said I was getting changed for football. They just said, 'No, you're not. It's boys.' I couldn't believe it."

That moment could have ended Anna's football journey before it truly began. Instead, it sparked a determination that has defined her life's work. By age 13, she found her way into open-age football—simply because there were no other options for girls.

"That was the first time I could play football properly," she explains. "There just wasn't anything else available for someone like me."

Building Pathways
Today, Anna's transformation of Ashton on Mersey reflects the broader changes sweeping through women's football, changes made possible through National Lottery funding distributed by Sport England. The club now offers opportunities from Wildcats sessions for five-year-olds all the way through to women's teams for players in their 50s, with approximately 250 women and girls participating weekly across multiple age groups.

"Without National Lottery funding, we wouldn't have had the full pathway," Anna says candidly. "We only had junior teams. We didn't have any adult female provision. Girls had to leave the club when they turned 18."

Anna's personal journey has come full circle—she now works as a Football Relationship Manager for Sport England, helping other clubs access the same transformative National Lottery support that changed her own club's fortunes. Her role gives her a unique perspective on how Sport England's investment creates lasting change at grassroots level.

The club's success hasn't gone unnoticed. On 12th July, Ashton on Mersey's under-14s team will join six other clubs from England and Wales for a special Big Football Day powered by The National Lottery event on the Coronation Street set. The celebration, featuring former England star Jill Scott and Coronation Street actors Jennie McAlpine and Alan Halsall, takes place just one day before England face Wales in UEFA Women's Euro 2025.

What makes Ashton on Mersey particularly innovative is its recreational football programme—a flexible, nine-a-side league that has expanded across Greater Manchester to five divisions, each containing eight to ten teams. This expansion demonstrates the ripple effect of Sport England's National Lottery investment, creating opportunities that spread far beyond individual clubs.

"The recreational football option is perfect for women who can't commit to traditional 11-a-side every week," Anna explains. "We play probably around two fixtures a month, and that's flexible in terms of when you play that game. It could be a Monday night. It could be a Friday night."

Anna's team reflects the diversity of modern women's football, including mothers of children in the junior teams, women who started playing in their 30s having never kicked a ball before, and former players returning to the game.

Real Impact
The impact extends far beyond football itself. Anna highlights how Sport England's investment has enabled the club to become a lifeline for women juggling demanding careers and family commitments.

"We've got an A&E consultant who really values coming to us because that's her downtime," Anna explains. "She's got kids, she works in the NHS. So actually having that offer for her is a real lifesaver in terms of just an outlet for her. We've got a few GPs on the team as well."

The ripple effects continue through the community. Around five or six mothers who initially joined as novice players have since completed FA coaching courses and now lead junior teams—a perfect example of how Sport England's funding creates sustainable change.

"They never would have had the confidence to do that before," Anna says. "Because they've now got a bit of confidence in football, they've stepped up to coach teams and give their children opportunities."

Personal Transformation
When Anna reflects on the changes she's witnessed—from being told football wasn't for girls to working for Sport England and seeing her club selected for a national celebration—she sees not just personal growth but societal transformation enabled by strategic investment.

"Both my nieces play football now," she says. "Just the opportunities that they have is just unbelievable compared to 20 or 30 years ago."

For Anna, the value of Sport England's approach isn't measured in producing elite players, but in the communities it builds and the barriers it breaks down.

"We haven't got any that have gone on to bigger and better things," she admits. "We're quite a social team. That's the whole purpose of the game. The whole purpose of the game is not to hit the heights and earn £500,000 a week - it's about giving women the chance to play."

As National Lottery players continue to raise £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK, Anna's story demonstrates how Sport England's distribution of that funding creates pathways from local pitches to major tournaments. Her journey from that rejected schoolgirl to a Sport England professional whose club will grace Britain's most famous street shows how strategic National Lottery investment has helped level the playing field for women and girls in sport—one pitch, one player, one community club at a time.