Bristol City’s Lily Agg quits the classroom for full-time football

After a stellar 2016 with Women’s Super League 2 newbies Brighton, Lily Agg’s made the move across the country to Bristol City, ready to try top-flight football.

Two weeks in, she’s having the time of her life.

“It’s a really good club, the girls are really welcoming, it’s a great feel, and obviously training full-time, it’s a real game-changer for the league and the progression in women’s football,” she said.

“To have that opportunity as well as settling into the team, that made the choice [to sign for City] a lot easier.”

Training for two sessions every day is an entirely new experience, which Agg describes as “great…but also painful!” That’s what she expected, though, and she added, “Once you get into a routine you’ll see the benefits.”

The midfielder has always wanted the chance to turn full-time, but sensibly had a back-up plan, training as a PE teacher and beginning her vocation at the start of the last academic year.

“In my head football is great but you can only play for so long,” the 23-year-old explained.

“Teaching is something that appeals to me – I’ve always enjoyed that. It’s nice that I can manage football for a little bit – it was always in the back of my mind if I got the opportunity I’d want to train every day if I could.

“And I can teach when I’m 40 if I want!”

In the meantime, Agg will enjoy her football and she’s looking forward to the forthcoming Spring Series in WSL1.

“They’re a good group of girls, they’ve all got the same mentality, they’re all very level-headed, there’s no cliques or anything,” she said.

“And they’ll strive for what they want out of the season – whether that’s individually or as a team.”