Getting to know: Amy Woodruff | OneFootball

In football, allegiances are often a family thing. Owing to that, Leeds United Women’s biggest fan is also their smallest.

“For Leeds to let me have that moment with Reuben, it was very special,” explains star striker Amy Woodruff. “He comes to every home game and comes to most away games. He is definitely the motivation for me!”

Reuben is 14 months old. His mum, a former firefighter, is enjoying her first season back involved in football after pregnancy and the subsequent maternity break.

The season’s curtain raiser, a West Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield Town was special for Woodruff who not only marked her return to action, she did so after carrying the Whites’ newest supporter out onto the pitch.

“I want him to grow up and not just have men’s football to watch. I want him to have an option and a choice to be able to watch women’s football and get involved in supporting a women’s team.

“Leeds have supported me since the day they found out I was pregnant, sending me flowers and congratulating me. They stayed in touch until I came back and then the icing on the cake was when he was allowed to be a mascot!”

We spoke with Woodruff in the build-up to the team’s important clash away at Middlesbrough in the FA WNL Division One North.

The temperature has taken a bitter turn; it is that cold that even the all-weather surface at Thorp Arch feels more like concrete under foot. All the layers are on.

“Baltic”, aptly, is the word she chooses. Yet with nine goals to her name so far this campaign in the league, one adrift of the division’s top scorer in the race for the Golden Boot, sub-zero temperatures aren’t stopping the Barnsley-born attacker, especially after her last few years.

“I had to have a caesarean, so it was a lot more difficult to do anything afterwards,” Amy adds. “In the first three months I could hardly move. But obviously, I am quite a motivated person and I don’t let things stop me. If I have got a goal, I will not stop until I achieve it. I have played football since I was six years old, so it was definitely a priority of mine to get back playing.

“Knowing the levels I had played at before, I just thought to take it at my own pace, really. That is the best advice I would give. Just listen to your body, but also don’t let it stop you. I have got training twice a week and I am very fortunate to have a really supportive family. I think that played a massive part in whether or not I could be able to commit back to playing for Leeds.”

The impact Woodruff has made on her return is clear for all to see. Her last appearance before her pregnancy brought silverware; a bullet header in the in the 2023 FAWNL Plate final helped the side to lift the trophy.

This season, the sharpshooter has been deadly in front of goal, owing a lot, she says, to the painstaking hours that of effort in between matches.

“I just feel so fit at the minute, like I am doing a lot of work outside of football, trying my best in training, and getting my rewards by scoring goals and helping the team as much as possible. I think I have achieved personal goals, contributed to team goals, and I think we are only getting better from here.”

Woodruff’s first memories of football were playing for her primary school team, before joining local side Hoyland Town Magpies aged nine and linking up with Barnsley’s youth side shortly after.

Interest from Sheffield United followed, and the Blades’ matches falling on Saturdays meant she could still represent the Tykes on a Sunday. That dedication paid dividends when, aged 16, she became the youngest player to make a first-team debut for Barnsley.

“After a few years, Brighouse Town came in for me and they were in the third tier. So, I thought it was a great opportunity to play higher-level football. It was such a hard decision because I had been at Barnsley forever and obviously made my first-team debut there.

“But I took the chance and I had two good years with Brighouse. When Leeds came in for me in January, it just felt right at the time to move.”

Now in her second stint with the club, Amy’s return has also seen the forward score in front of nearly 5,000 cheering supporters at Elland Road, as she got Simon Wood’s team off to the dream start early on against York City with an emphatic finish from inside the area.

“We had worked on a lot of combinations going into that one,” she recalls. The moment comes to her vividly; undoubtedly a career high that will be remembered for years to come, but one straight from the tactics board at Thorp Arch.

“It came from a throw-in, a few short passes, and then we got it out wide to Kath Smith. The second phase of that was bodies in the box. I knew I was playing in the number 10 role that day and the position I had to be in, so it was about being the first to react.”

Versatility is key, Woodruff believes. Alongside last campaign’s Player of the Season Jess Rousseau – now back in the squad after an injury lay-off – and the impressive Sian Gibrill-Keating, the Whites have superb depth in the attacking positions; each player pushing to start, yet eager to see one another succeed.

“It is good because as much as we are all a really close bunch, we equally have the same respect for each other to know that who we are competing with is a quality player. It keeps me pushing on to keep my shirt, keep working hard and vice versa for every position.

“I am quite an adaptable player that can play in different positions and I know I have got the fitness in my legs to keep running and running! In every position now we have got a few options and the girls know that we can’t switch off, not for a minute, because there is a chance of losing your shirt. We have got so much belief in each other and a willingness to work hard for each other.”

Reuben’s first year as a fan has seen his favourite player – we’d like to guess – be ruthless in front of goal. Not only is Amy driven to perform for her son, she wants to inspire new or soon-to-be mums to keep up with what is important to them.

“I didn’t want to have a child and just stop all my interests, because I think mental health is really important. Football is my very brief escape from mum mode, so I definitely always recommend trying a different environment.”

Leeds United Women continue their FAWNL campaign with a trip to face Huddersfield Town this weekend. Read our match preview HERE.