Ally Flan

Ally started out alone in her room in Ireland, posting videos because she felt lonely and just wanted to talk about women’s football with people. She was frustrated that she had never heard about it before, like it had been hidden from her. She wanted to change that. She wanted more people to know about the sport and the incredible players in it.

While studying full time, she built her account to over 40,000 followers, creating a space where people like me could finally feel like we belonged. Then, out of nowhere, she lost her account. We all thought that was it, that maybe she would give up. But she didn’t. She started again from scratch and grew it back to nearly 20,000. She kept going because she never cared about numbers. She just really really loves football.

Now she is living in London, doing exactly what she dreamed of. She is attending games, covering the sport, and helping it grow. But it is not as easy as it looks. She works so hard every single day to spread her love for the game, to make sure women’s football gets the attention it deserves, and to make people care.

I don’t think she is recognised enough. I don’t think people appreciate her enough. But I do. Because if it wasn’t for Ally, I don’t know if I ever would have had the confidence to love this sport as loudly as I do now.