Lucia Kendall on cricket, England and her move to Villa

Aston Villa and England midfielder Lucia Kendall on scoring at St Mary’s, choosing football over cricket and her dream of going to the World Cup.

Lucia Kendall grew up at Southampton, scored for England at St Mary’s and took a leap of faith with a move to Aston Villa. Ahead of Sunday’s Second City derby against Birmingham at Villa Park, the midfielder looks back on the moments that shaped her.

Do you remember your first club or match, and what it was like?

I remember playing for Winchester City Flyers. My first coach was called Michelle and I must have been five, or six, and I first played in the under 9s so I was just a little kid. She took me under her wing, it was really nice.

Are there any small moments that mean a lot to you which people may not expect?

It’s not a small moment, but when I scored at St. Mary’s for England, that was such a special moment. People may look at it and think, ‘oh, she scored a tap in and she celebrated like that’ but I had grown up at Southampton, I had grown up at that club and to share that moment with the people who followed me along the way was so special. To have all my family, all the people who were there throughout my career was just special. Everything fell into place at the right time and it felt amazing.

Are there any songs that take you back to a special moment when you hear it?

It’s random but Boys that Sing by Viola Beach takes me back to a road trip I did with my family in California.

What’s the first thing you can remember saving up to buy?

It’s so funny, I remember saving up to buy a magazine when I was younger. I thought £1 was 60p, so I saved £3, so 180p, so I was counting it out at the supermarket, eventually my mum went in and paid it. It was a kids magazine, and probably had a good toy on the front of it.

Where are some of your favourite places to travel to?

I remember being in Portugal when I was younger, and I went to Lisbon this summer which was definitely one of the best places I’ve visited. Going to Orange County in California was amazing as well.

Who influenced you the most to help you get to where you are now?

My dad has come from a background of professional sport, he has always kept me level headed, and never too high with the highs, never too low with the lows. He’s always been in my corner, which is nice.

Who makes you laugh the most?

My sister is hilarious, she definitely makes me laugh the most. I think she is so funny, because you grow up and have the same experiences, so she has so many niche references from when we were growing up.

What’s the biggest risk you have ever taken?

I took a big risk when I had to decide whether to play cricket, or football. I got to 15, or 16, and I had to choose. But because I had always been able to balance them both when I was younger, I think it was the right decision at the right time and it felt right, which is another thing where my mum and dad kept telling me I could do both, so deciding which to do was a big jump was a big risk taken out of my comfort zone. But even moving to Villa was a big risk, leaving a comfortable environment and moving to something completely new was a big risk.

Has anything happened to you which has changed your perspective on life?

A lot of little things have changed my perspective, I have slowed down a lot and come to appreciate the small things. I have realised it's not all about the end goal, and there’s more enjoyment and joy to be found on the journey and day to day, so I try to tap into that.

What’s the best advice you have been given?

My mum and dad, there were times when I wanted to play cricket, and I was like well, I’m going to play cricket, I’m not playing football anymore and they were like ‘no, carry on,’, they said I could do both. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Is there anything you know now which you wish you knew when you were younger?

I think just enjoy everything, when you’re young you have so many ambitions and things you want to do in your life, but you have to work hard to get there, but I think you have to enjoy the hard work and day to day.

What makes you happy outside of sport?

I love cooking, I love trying new things. It’s not really about sport, or anything specific, but I like just getting better at things, the satisfaction, so I like to try different meals so I like trying to get better at things, I like music, I love listening to music all the time and going out for food and spending time with people.

What excites you about the future?

You don't know what's going to happen next, which can be scary, but it's exciting too because you can shape that. In terms of football, I want to go to the World Cup next summer, so my focus is to do that. It’s exciting but also to think about how good I could become, and in my head I try to focus on everyday, in the future I would love to go to the World cup and the feeling of representing my country. I have had a taste of that, and thinking about the future and hopefully getting more caps and that’s exciting for me.