There are few – if any – more dedicated supporters of the women’s game than Girls on the Ball, and they have got their odometer to prove it.
The intrepid duo, Sophie Downey and Rachel O’Sullivan, clock up around 36,000 miles a year, attending matches across the UK, Ireland and beyond, including almost every England international.
Lifelong fans of football, their quest began after watching Team GB defeat Brazil at London 2012. What started out as, and remains, a hobby has almost become like a second job with the pair now providing match updates, news and photos to their 20,000 followers on social media.
Downey said: “After the Brazil game at the Olympics we decided that we’d go to as many games as we could.
“We both work in digital marketing but we never really set out to do what we’re now doing with Girls on the Ball. It just started as a bit of blogging and kind of grew from there.
“We’ve been doing it for so long now I don’t think we could stop even if we wanted to. We absolutely love it, though, so I don’t think there’s any chance of that happening.
“We do spend a lot of time in the car. We share the driving and take our pet bunny with us sometimes, to keep us company on the longer journeys.”
Downey and O’Sullivan live in London so England’s game against Australia at Fulham’s Craven Cottage on Tuesday night is right on their doorstep.
But they are already planning their next long distance trip; to France for next summer’s World Cup.
“We drove over to Holland for the Euros,” explained Downey, “and France is even closer so we’ll be jumping in the car again.
“We’ll have a better idea after the draw but from a logistical point of view it would be handy if England’s games were in Nice!
“The women’s game has grown so much over the last six years and we’ve really seen that change up close. The quality on the pitch, the numbers in the crowd and the presence in the national media have all got better and better.
“Being in the stadium when England won the bronze medal in 2015 has been our highlight so far and we can’t wait for the next World Cup.”
If you’re driving to the Australia match make sure you check your tyres before you set off. A simple check of the tyre tread depth, pressure and condition will help to get you to the game safely.
