The goalscoring midfielder got her Leeds career off to a flying start in pre-season with a goal and trophy on debut. Those the first of many she hopes, looking to help the club’s promotion push this season…
“I was about five or six when I first started kicking a ball at my local team, playing with the lads. I was five playing with the lads who were seven or eight and I absolutely loved it”, explains Leeds United’s new star Ellie White, a smile on her face as she recalls her earliest footballing memories and that first love of the game.
“That is what has probably made me quite a strong and physical player now, I dished it out a bit back then! My upbringing was always around football, going to watch the Leeds games and playing for my team.”
It was on those Crofton pitches that White’s footballing journey began, putting in the practice for hours on end as she trained with the boys’ team, before being told she would have to take her game elsewhere as she grew older.
“The women’s game has grown massively since then,” the midfielder quickly adds, keen to highlight the opportunities the up-and-coming generations have on offer. “I think now there are so many grassroots girls’ clubs and academies and it can only keep on growing, this is just the start of it. It is really exciting to be part of! It is nice to know the girls coming up through the ranks have the opportunities that some of us didn’t when we were their age.”
A childhood Leeds fan, Ellie’s footballing education took her to Barnsley from Crofton, before linking up with the North Yorkshire Centre of Excellence, where she would play against some of the top sides in the country, including Liverpool and both Manchester clubs, and work under her now current boss Simon Wood.
A switch to the illustrious Doncaster Rovers Belles followed. However, off-field issues hampered one of the once household names of women’s football in the country, with the South Yorkshire outfit unable to avoid the drop from the WSL 2, now Women’s Championship, and facing an uncertain future ahead.
Like many aspiring players, White met the challenges of navigating her education alongside her football, joining Bradford City whilst earning a Sport and Exercise Science degree from university, and is now a fully qualified PE teacher having progressed her coaching skills.
“It is difficult to balance everything, because being a PE teacher is a full-time job. You go home with your work and you are always thinking about it. I think that is the same for a lot of the girls here, so coming to football is a release to try and forget about our jobs. It is tiring but it is the school holidays now, so I am happy!”
Whilst a break from the classroom might offer some well-deserved time off, the hard work doesn’t stop for White as pre-season preparations ramp up a gear at the club’s Thorp Arch Training Ground. The 26-year-old joined the club this summer from Halifax Women, starring in her debut with a stunning goal in United’s 3-1 victory over Doncaster in the Julie Chipchase Trophy.
The match celebrated the life of one of the women’s games true pioneers, with Chipchase having led Leeds to their first ever Women’s FA Cup final. As Lionesses’ icon Ellen White watched on at the Eco-Power Stadium, it was namesake Ellie who opened the scoring for United, meeting a cross at the edge of the area to fire home on debut for her childhood club.
“It is amazing,” she laughs, sat proudly in her training gear at Thorp Arch. “I have supported Leeds all of my life growing up, going to games so it is surreal to be here now. It is amazing to be part of it. Stepping out on that pitch, wearing that badge and playing for the team is an amazing feeling.”
The questions put to Ellie are varied; for every serious footballing answer a more laid-back lifestyle question follows, with N-Dubz, Beans on Toast and Steven Gerrard amongst the latter’s responses. Playing With Fire by the hip-hop trio is the go-to karaoke song. The English delicacy is the pre-game meal – “always” she clarifies – whilst the former Liverpool and England legend was who she looked up to in her youth.
“I loved the way he played and the way he read the game, so I have always tried to be like that as a player. Ever since I was young, I have loved to get on the scoresheet, drive the team forward, making runs and creating chances for my teammates. I am a team player, so I try to be a motivator on the pitch, and I think my experience in the division above will be something that will benefit the girls. Hopefully I can bring something a little different to the team and can be that creative force going forward, from midfield.”
The 26-year-old, whose early years as a supporter saw her watching Luciano Becchio and Jermaine Beckford – the latter’s strike at Old Trafford firmly amongst White’s favourite ever goals – made the switch from third tier side Halifax alongside experienced heads Shauna Legge and Drew Greene, with the trio keen to help the club back to the heights of yesteryear.
“I have dropped down a league because I am passionate about Leeds United and I want the women’s team to have the value they should have, and to get that name in a higher league,” she says confidently, as discussions turn to the weekend’s FAWNL Division One North opener against local rivals Huddersfield Town.
“It is such a professional environment to be around; it is refreshing. Pre-season has been hot and sweaty, but it has been good. We are getting those yards in and those games in, so it is all looking positive so far. All of us girls want to be here. We want to train and we want to be as match fit as we can come the start of the season when we play Huddersfield. We are putting those yards in and pushing each other through pre-season, so we can be up there challenging.”
As women’s football continues its meteoric expansion both locally and worldwide, White’s final message is one to inspire those she hopes will follow in her footsteps.
“As Leeds United players, we will get a lot of supporters and it is nice to show them that anyone can get to where they want to be. All we do as players is go out, put 100 per cent effort in and show the little girls and boys that they can achieve anything they want to!”
Ellie and her teammates kick off their FAWNL Division One North campaign on Sunday 18th August, as they welcome Huddersfield Town to the Bannister Prentice Stadium in Garforth. Read our match preview HERE.
