INTERVIEW

As the sporting director of Los Angeles’ newest club, the ex-England forward is working with Hollywood royalty – and her heroes

How did Angel City come about?

They approached me – it’s a completely different project, because the club was starting from scratch in the upcoming National Women’s Soccer League in the States. They’ve got an incredible investment group – Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, [Reddit co-founder] Alexis Ohanian… so it really felt like a chance to do something completely different that will never happen again. You’re usually entering a club that has an established culture, and sometimes that’s difficult to change. Angel City has allowed me to put my stamp on things, recruit my own staff and all the players. It’s like someone giving you an amazing kitchen, all the ingredients and saying, ‘Right, go ahead and cook’. Moving to Los Angeles is something I didn’t expect at this stage of my life, and it’s exciting! We have 20 players and we’re excited to kick off.

What was the job interview like?

Terrifying, because all the owners were there! I put a presentation together and the panel was Mia Hamm – one of the greatest players in history, who I watched as a young kid – plus Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, then the CEO Julie Uhrman, Alexis Ohanian and Ben Grossman, who co-owns an MLS club [Minnesota United]. I remember thinking, ‘Just block them out and forget you’re presenting to legends of the game’. It went well –I got the job!