Football Star Kiri Talks to Tab

2nd XI Nottingham Uni Women’s Football Club player talks Olympics, socials and varsity

| UPDATED

After years of buzzing under the radar of its male counterpart, a commendable performance by Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and a newly formed Super League has finally seen women’s football hit the headlines. In order to find out if this revolution has hit Nottingham University, The Tabs Sports Team has been grilling NUWFC (Nottingham University Women’s Football Club) star Kiri Madhani on everything from playing in the Premier Division, socials and beating Trent…

Tab: Hi Kiri, thanks for joining us today. It was quite a summer for women’s football, wasn’t it?

Kiri: Yes! The Olympics have really helped to raise the profile of women’s football in the UK to an unprecedented level. It really is an exciting time to be playing football right now.

Tab: We all know the women’s game has made incredible strides in recent months, with the likes of Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey outperforming Ryan Giggs and co this summer, but have you guys caught up with the men on the social side yet?

Kiri: NUWFC have a social without fail every Wednesday; most of them are themed, and ALL of them end up at Crisis! We do have occasional sober socials for team bonding purposes, but in terms of catching up with the boys, I think we’ve managed that already! We are looking into doing some joint socials in the future with other sports teams too.

Tab: So with things looking pretty rosy on the social side, how were the performances on the pitch last year?

Kiri: We did have a great season last year: the 1st XI got promoted into the Premier Division for BUCS, while both they and the 3rd XI won their individual varsity games against Trent.

Tab: And what a varsity game it was between the two 1st XIs! Tell us about that game.

Kiri: The atmosphere was incredible. It was played down at Meadow Lane [Notts County’s famous old ground, with a capacity of 20,000+] with the whole club coming along to support the girls. Friends and family of the players came down as well and everyone managed to generate a fantastic noise. While our support was far better than Trent’s, we’re definitely hoping for an even greater turn-out this summer. It was just so exciting and our win actually secured the Uni of Nottingham’s win in the varsity series!

Tab: Sounds like it was a fantastic occasion. After a wonderful season like that, what are the hopes for this year?

Kiri: The 1st XI are obviously now in a very competitive league and will be working on developing the team into one that can be a threat this season and for many seasons to come. With regard to my own team, the 2nd XI, we’re hoping to finish in the top three and – just like the 1st XI and 3rd XI – to beat Trent in the Varsity later next year!

Tab: Do you have any personal advice to the girls at University looking to get involved in the team?

Kiri: Joining the football team has contributed tremendously to making my Uni experience so far such a good one. I really couldn’t imagine being at Uni and not playing football! Not only is it a fantastic way to keep fit, but I’ve met so many lovely girls and made some great friends. I would urge people to come along to our varsity game in the summer and have a watch.

More than that, if anyone has football experience and wants to play for a university team, get in contact with myself or the club president. Just like any level of football. The standards have never been higher, so it’s the perfect time to get involved!

Wonderful to hear from you, Kiri, so thanks again for talking to us. If you wish to get in contact with the Nottingham University Women’s Football Club, check them out on Facebook (NUWFC) or email President Lindsey Gordon at [email protected]