Millie Bright: ‘I’m really proud of Lucy Bronze for sharing her story’ | OneFootball

“When you experience the things we have in the women’s game, it does open your eyes to the struggles of others,” says Millie Bright. “It makes you more aware of all kinds of different barriers people might face. You really appreciate the struggles that people have to go through and the constant barriers and battles that have to be fought every single day just to exist. Literally just to exist. You’re not asking to be better than anyone, you’re just asking to exist and be able to do what you love doing, whatever that is, in sport or beyond sport; things that are just part of living a full life, and everyone deserves a full life.”

The Chelsea and England defender is sitting in the small stand at Cobham FC’s brilliantly named Leg O’Mutton Field talking about the power of football. Last year Bright was back in Killamarsh, the village in north-east Derbyshire where she grew up, visiting the “Millie Bright pitch” at her childhood club, Killamarsh Juniors. The club had previously benefited from Football Foundation funding. Since then, 30 3G pitches dedicated to prioritising women’s and girls’ football that have received funding via the Premier League, the Football Association and the government-backed Football Foundation’s Lionesses Futures Fund.

“That gesture was incredible because we didn’t ask for it,” Bright says of the pitches named after Lionesses up and down the country. “It was a really special moment at Killamarsh; really, really special. We all live away from our home towns now, playing for some of the best teams in the world. You sacrifice where you live and miss family and your community to be able to do that. So to know they’ve always got a piece of us there, no matter where we are in the world, is huge for us. Those players on those pitches can always see us and see the dream. Hopefully that’s what all the pitches represent.”

Bright is passionate about grassroots football and the impact it has on people. It has been an emotional afternoon for her. In her new role as a Football Foundation supporter she has been handed a small stack of letters written by girls who have played on her pitch. The tangible impact of England’s Euro 2022 success and World Cup heroics is in her hand.

“It really hits the spot,” she says. “There’s so many people in the village that have helped me on my journey. The message I want to send is that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what your background is or where you train: if you want to go and make it as a pro and play at Wembley and lift trophies, you can. No matter what anyone tells those kids, they will always have me to support them and say: ‘You can do it.’ If that’s what that pitch does for them, then I’ll feel like I’ve ticked a massive box. I want to give them the belief that they can go on and be amazing in whatever they want to do.”

Bright speaks with a confidence in herself and in her views that feels a little new. There is a purpose to her. She knows who she is, the power of her voice and how she wants to use it.

“Giving back is in my nature because of the way I’ve been brought up and what I’ve experienced,” she says. “I’ve got three nephews who I care for immensely and I want them to have all the opportunities that they deserve. I want to see them go on and shine but, ultimately, I just want them to be free and confident and feel like they’ve got the opportunity to go and express themselves. Football is one of the things which, like with me, might lead to something amazing but it also offers so much from a social perspective. It’s social, it’s therapy, it’s a safe space where you can confide in people if you need some support.”

Watching one of her nephews, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is autistic, has had a big impact. “He plays for his local team and the confidence that it’s given him and how his manager has helped him manage his emotions and expectations, which is very hard for someone who’s autistic and has ADHD, has really helped him develop,” says Bright. “His playing football also sends a message to parents, to his teammates and to other kids. Yeah, he is autistic and has ADHD but he is welcome in the team, he deserves to be in that team and he can play for a team. He scores, he defends, he works hard and he gets subbed off, the same as everyone else. He works with everyone no matter what their background is. We’re all different but that’s the beauty of being individuals: we all bring something different to the team.”

Just over a week ago, Bright’s Chelsea and England teammate Lucy Bronze spoke for the first time about her diagnosis with ADHD and autism. Having that example for her nephew “really is” pretty special. “Since she’s spoken about it we’ve had a couple conversations about it,” says Bright. “It’s just so misunderstood. It’s something that you can’t necessarily see and you can be judged in a certain way because you handle things a little bit differently. My nephew never smiles – he says: ‘I’m smiling on the inside’; that’s his little motto – but automatically people are like: ‘Oh he’s sad, he looks sad.’ I’m like: ‘No he’s fine, he’s actually fine, he just struggles to show emotion in that way.’ I’m really proud of Lucy for coming out and sharing her story and what she goes through. Autism and ADHD are not easy but I’ve always said that whatever makes you unique as a person is your superpower.

“That’s why I’m so happy to be on board with the Football Foundation, because they’re creating facilities and environments where kids can go and express themselves and parents can come and socialise and get to know each other and share stories. You’re building communities, you’re all on the same team, you’re all on the same journey. Lucy has sent a message for so many young people, and people of any age to be honest, that it’s OK to be different and that you can still go on and achieve whatever you want to achieve. It’s powerful and she’ll be changing lives by sharing her story.”

Bright wants to change lives too and is exploring ways to give back. Having spoken eloquently on verbal and online abuse of players, she hopes fans will understand that the growing game means signing shirts and taking photos with everyone after matches is no longer viable.

“It’s getting extremely hard as the crowds get bigger,” she says. “Unfortunately, we have a duty of care to ourselves and our bodies after a game. I have to recover and get in an ice bath. I can’t sign every single piece of paper or shirt any more so we are limited to 15 minutes after a game to get signatures done and then security are pulling us in. That’s their duty of care to us as players and as players we have to respect that too.

“We’re not in the days where we only have 200 fans and I used to sign everything. I would always give everything to the fans but there comes a point when something has to give. We try to do our best … this is more than just signing stuff too: it’s giving back more meaningfully, showing the fans that we care a lot.”

Header image: [Photograph: Liam Potter/Jed Leicester/Football Foundation]