As part of the This Girl Can Series, we've been catching up with some inspiring women who have found their passion through getting active.
Team UCL Elite athlete, Emilia Nygaard Parsons, addresses the lack of opportunities in football and weightlifting for young girls while revealing what it feels like to be a strong, athletic woman challenging gender stereotypes in sports.
Sport: Football & Weightlifting
Have you ever found barriers that have stopped you from getting active in the past?
When I first started playing football there were no girls teams in my local area so I joined a boys team at the age of 6. I was the only girl out of 600 boys in total who played for the club. Playing against boys was definitely challenging as the opposition teams and my own team mates, once they got older, would make a few comments and not be able to take the fact that a girl had tackled or ran passed them. However, I stayed there until I was 11 and managed to get several awards in recognition for my football ability.
I was the only girl out of 600 boys in total who played for the club."
What motivated you to get active and what activities do you do?
I just love exercising, as well as it being so important for physical health it’s also so important for my mental health. It keeps me dedicated even on days I don’t feel like training, but I still turn up and once I get going I forget how stressed I am about other things. I play football for QPR women’s and also compete in weightlifting, as well as being UCL Barbells head weightlifting coach. I really enjoy coaching as I love seeing others become confident and strong in the gym. Especially if it’s girls as I know it can be harder to feel confident in a male dominated sport or being in the weights section of the gym.
...I know it can be harder to feel confident in a male-dominated sport or being in the weights section of the gym."
Juggling exercise with other commitments can be tough. How do you fit exercise into your routine and balance it with other things happening in your life?
I have 3 football training sessions a week and a football match on the weekend. We train in the evening, about an hour away from UCL, so I can still attend university, with few clashes. I also do weightlifting in the gym for 3 days a week.
I think the only way I can manage doing all of this is by staying organised, dedicated and motivated. It is sometimes hard juggling work, especially when there are exams or assignments due but if I don’t exercise I know this will also affect my academics as it’s so important to have a balance between exercise and academics so that university never gets too stressful. I also think because I play in a team and am part of Barbell society it is easier as it’s a really supportive community and I have made great friends.
How does your chosen way of being active make you feel?
I think playing or competing in mainly male dominated sports is tough however it is the best feeling when you feel strong in the gym or on the pitch. I feel very proud of myself for sticking to these two sports for such a long time, especially when access to girls football teams was limited and seeing both sports grow, with so many more young girls taking up football. The support and increased prevalence of women’s football is amazing. To see that we are all inspiring younger girls to play football, is great and I’m sure the participation in sports from women will just continue to grow.
We are all inspiring young girls to play football."
Impact of coronavirus - the coronavirus pandemic had a big impact on the ways in which we were able to exercise. Can you provide us with a short summary of how or if you managed to stay active or how your exercise routine was disrupted during this period?
Training during the lockdown was definitely harder, it was tougher mentality and harder to stay motivated. At the time I was playing for west ham academy and there was a period where we weren’t able to train. However we were fortunate that we only missed half a season before we were allowed to train and play matches again due to the FA being able to monitor the situation and allow us to have daily Covid testing.
When I couldn’t play football, I went for many runs and bike rides during that time to keep fit and not lose all sanity!
I also spent a lot of my savings on building a make shift home gym to allow me to continue my strength and conditioning so I could continue getting stronger at home whilst all commercial gyms were closed.