Inspiring the next generation of women footballers

A sports scholarship in football has helped Abbie Jackson to follow her dreams and regain her lost confidence.

Abbie, who is currently studying BSc Sports and Exercise Science, said that she started questioning her passion for football at one stage, “I was struggling at my previous club due to not getting the deserved playing time and losing my confidence and love for football.”

Now with a clear goal in mind for her future, she said “I'd love to make it professionally in sport to inspire the next generations and prove that, in a heavily male-dominated sport, there are females who are just as good/even better. If I cannot play, I’d love to teach or promote the game to help exposure. It’s an exciting time for women’s football now, so would be great to help progress the game further.”

The people and the high-quality teaching is what makes Essex so special according to Abbie.

“It has helped me to create friends as a commuting student and it has really helped me to afford being able to get to and from university for training, lectures and events due to the cost-of-living increase.”

We're looking forward to following Abbie's journey at Essex and seeing where her skills in and love for football take her.

Through our Essex Futures appeal, we're giving the future generation greater opportunities by providing scholarships to future pioneers, innovators and trailblazers.

This blog was written by Student Philanthropy Assistant, Jeswin Joseph.