Everything but the Football: Tottenham Hotspur
WSL Football sat down with Tottenham Hotspur’s Clare Hunt, Matilda Vinberg, and Olivia Holdt for a conversation about everything except the game they play.
Clare Hunt has always been into sports. With a dad that played league rugby and her older brother a professional cricketer, the Tottenham Hotspur defender grew up a self-professed ‘sporty kid’. Until her mid-teens, Hunt engaged in numerous sports through her school and wider community and it’s something she’s grateful for. “When you commit to a sport quite young, you see a lot of people experience burnout.” Ultimately, it helped the centre-back make a firm decision on her future. “It was really nice to diversify and enjoy lots of different sports while I was a kid, then once I knew football was the one thing I wanted to do, that seemed like an easy choice.” Now, the Aussie spends almost all her time focused on football…almost. “The Australian Open’s on at the moment so I'm watching it in the early hours of the morning.” Much like in her childhood, Hunt finds time to watch other sports as much as she can, “it's a nice time for me to chill out and spend time with my family.”
Unlike Hunt, Matilda Vinberg did not grow up with a sport obsessed parent. Nevertheless, along with her brother, the Swedish international spent much of her youth playing ice hockey and going skiing, both common sports in Sweden. Unsurprisingly, she is looking forward to watching the upcoming Winter Olympics being held in Italy and will be keeping a close eye on hockey. “Ice hockey is really fun to follow, [Sweden] are always winning.” For now, neither Vinberg nor Hunt have watched the popular ice hockey romance series Heated Rivalry.
However, the pair share a mutual appreciation of London’s world famous West End. Vinberg, whose favourite show is MJ The Musical, discovered musical theatre when she moved to the WSL in 2024. “I've never heard anyone talking about musicals [in Stockholm]. I moved here and asked the English girls and they said, ‘oh, yeah, you should definitely experience the musicals here’, and I'm like, ‘well, what is that?’” While Hunt’s last theatre trip was to watch Mean Girls with a group of teammates, Lion King is next on her list.
Olivia Holdt, who joined the Lilywhite’s in 2025 from FC Rosengård, also enjoys the theatre, however finds being in the city rather intense. “It's nice to go in and grab some dinner, but then after that I'm also ready to go home again. When you're not from a big city, it's a bit overwhelming.” And she’s not alone in having minor complaints about England's capital. “The traffic is horrible here,” proclaims Vinberg, with Hunt confirming, “the M25 is the worst.” Regardless, all three say they’ve settled in well to their lives in the United Kingdom. “It’s similar weather to where I'm from,” Vinberg notes, pointing to Hunt, “not for you, but for me.”
Of the trio, Holdt has the strongest interest in fashion. “I'm not that original to be honest,” she says, humbly explaining that she finds most of her style inspiration from accounts on Instagram. The 24-year old is no stranger to experimenting and making bold style choices. “I like to wear clothes that are a bit on the edge, that some people find really cool and other people think, ‘what are you wearing?’” Hunt and Vinberg implore Holdt to explain a recent example of this which both find amusing. Not long ago, the winger had worn a pair of pink Clarks loafers in front of Tottenham Hotspur captain Bethany England. It’s safe to say England didn’t approve of the sartorial decision. “I came in and she's like, ‘Oli what are you wearing?’” Holdt continues through laughter, “wearing joggers with loafers, Bethany England doesn’t even like that.” While she may be in charge on pitch, England’s light-hearted views on Holdt’s clothing don’t impact the Dane, “I think it's very stylish!”
For Hunt and Vinberg, comfort comes first when choosing what to wear in their limited free time. Hunt notes COS, Sandro, and Sézane as brands she’ll regularly purchase from, however, “when I need the basics, I'll do a lovely cheap little ASOS order.” Vinberg favours similar stores, prioritising a desire to not overthink outfits, “I think you do that when you're younger.” At the moment, she often dons a plain white t-shirt with a well tailored trouser. “And you look good,” Hunt chimes in. The Swede describes her look as Scandi, but is keen to note that she has no one specific inspiration. In Hunt’s words, “she’s too cool to have inspiration.”
Group trips to the theatre, time spent watching other sports together, and inside jokes have helped Hunt, Vinberg, and Holdt to connect with each other not just as colleagues but as true friends too.