EXCLUSIVE: Toone and Mead inspire Real Bedford’s Thailand international Rhianne Rush | OneFootball

Rhianne Rush (Real Bedford FC)

Real Bedford’s new signing Rhianne Rush played her first international match for Thailand this summer.

It was a bittersweet moment. She qualifies to represent the nation through her mother, who passed away suddenly earlier this year.

The journey of sorting out the paperwork was a tortuous one, taking over three years, with Rhianne making initial contact with the national team via a direct message on Instagram.

“We had to make a Thai ID in Thailand, and my family hadn’t gone to Thailand for many years,” she explains.

“I had to wait for the off-season. That’s why it took so long, because I just had to make time to do it, and then I had to also bring my parents with me as proof.

“It was very complicated and long-winded, but I managed to get all my documents sorted.

“And during that time, my mum passed away. So it then got more complicated, because she was my only living proof to say [I qualified to play for Thailand]. Luckily all the documents went through.

“The Thai FA were really supportive. I managed to get hold of the officer who deals with these situations, and she was really supportive, and they managed to push things a bit quicker.”

Rhianne Rush: ‘Don’t give up’

Rhianne was also recovering from a MCL injury at the time as well, so once she was fit she was invited into camp, and in June, she made her debut for Thailand in a 7-0 win against Iraq in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers.

“The girls were lovely, and the standard of football was really good,” she says.

Rhianne has also played for MK Dons and Rugby Borough, and chose to move to FAWNL South side Real Bedford where she reunites with several former Dons team-mates as well as coach Charlie Bill.

She also made the move so she could spend more time with her father and 13-year-old sister, who weren’t able to be in the stadium to support her in her international debut.

“They’ve been really supportive,” she says.

And though Rhianne is young to lose a parent, she looks at two high-profile England internationals and sees how they handled similar losses – Ella Toone, who lost her father, and Beth Mead, who lost her mother.

“There are so many role models out there, and it shows you to not give up when you lose the person who most drives you to play,” she says.