Regan Graver: A Week in the Life | OneFootball

Between work, football and her social life, Monday to Sunday is go, go, go for Brentford Women defender Regan Graver.

Known to fans as a tough, unrelenting presence in Karleigh Osborne’s backline, Graver puts in a lot of work Monday through Saturday in order to prepare for a Sunday matchday.

“Monday to Friday I go to my corporate job in insurance, I usually work in the office two days a week, three days a week I’m at home,” said Graver.

“Tuesday’s we will be here at Jersey Road doing gym sessions or a focus group with Ollie [Cottis], getting both the physical and the mental side of things done.

“Wednesday evenings it’s usually Sean [Hillier’s] night, he’ll take the session over at Bedfont, usually 8-10pm. Usually recovering after a Sunday doing a lot of the harder stuff.

“On a Friday, prepping for our Sunday game, that means it’s Karleigh’s day, he’ll take the session usually. We’ll work on shooting or defensive stuff.”

When it comes to the weekend, Graver uses this period as time to relax and mentally prepare herself for the upcoming game.

“Saturdays are kind of my only day off, only chill day. I like to spend time with my family a lot, going over to see my sister who just had a baby, or seeing friends. Just trying to fit as much as I can on a Saturday,” she explained.

“Before a gameday on Sunday, whoever we’re facing, we've got to mentally prep Saturday evening for that game and then go all-in on a Sunday.”

Now into her sixth year at Brentford, Graver is a leader in Osborne’s group - her voice one that is clearly heard across the pitch every weekend.

Looking ahead, Graver wants to continually develop, as she has done through her time in west London.

“I’d love to take football as far as I can. I’ve been at Brentford for six years now and we’ve only grown and I’ve seen that growth in myself as well,” said Graver.

“I’d love to take it as far as I could with the team, if not with the team go and climb the tiers if I could, maybe see me in the English squad one day, who knows, but I’d love to take it as far as I could.”

Regan and the Bees return to FA Cup action on Sunday as they welcome London Seaward to Bedfont Sports Club for a second-round clash from 3pm.

A win would see Osborne's side make the third round for the first time in club history.