Abbie Brown makes her Dad happy by realising the family’s Leeds United dream

Some things remain crystal clear, then, even if she’s not through and through as her Dad, a devout Leeds United supporter, might have wanted.

He blames Wazza for his Horsforth-born daughter’s love of Everton, as Brown took a shine to the star striker emerging at Goodison Park when she herself was a fledgling footballer.

As well as a Leeds fan, Brown’s father had hoped his first-born would be a boy. Under his influence, her interest in cricket didn’t last two weeks, but football stuck. She soon became the only girl on her local boys’ team and began dribbling around the garden in her tiny Everton kit, which she still has.

Following stints with Farsley Celtic and Old Modernians, Brown decided to take football more seriously in her adolescence and spent four seasons at Centres of Excellence, first in Bradford and then at Leeds, where she was inspired by two older girls pursuing college soccer in America.

While studying for her A Levels, Brown enlisted with an agency who sent a highlight reel of her trials to coaches all over the United States. Of 22 offers, she picked Middle Tennessee State University, a Division One school with top funding and facilities, who granted her a ‘full ride’ scholarship – she only needed to pay for her flights.

Two years later, she transferred to Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina. It was there that she really hit her stride. Scoring 16 goals in 17 games, Brown’s stellar senior year performance earned her a clutch of accolades – including selection for the esteemed All-American second team – and, crucially, opened the doors to professional football.

After a successful summer at semi-pro side Asheville City, Brown’s first pro contract took her to Portugal, where her time with Valadares Gaia lasted just a month – Brown spoke no Portuguese and, as the only international player in the team, she struggled to settle. Back home, she joined up with an ex-team-mate from Old Modernians, Leeds United centre-back Cath Hamill, and became a regular at Thorp Arch.

“It seemed like a really professional club, a solid set-up” she said. “It was an emotional connection, too – it’s my home club, I come from Leeds.

“When my Dad was a little kid, his dream was to play for Leeds. Now, I’m living his dream. That’s why I chose Leeds.”

Brown still had her sights set on a professional career when the transfer window opened in January 2020. She joined top-flight Israeli side Emek Hefer and, with fellow graduates of college soccer on the team, she felt at home: Brown was starting matches, scoring goals, and making friends. ‘‘If you’re happy off the pitch,” she said, “it helps you to play well.”

But once again, it didn’t work out. Two months in, the pandemic forced Brown to return to the UK. She has since qualified as a personal trainer, and when she’s not playing for the Whites or setting up her own business, she watches matches with her Dad and her brother. On Wednesday, she was wedged between two Leeds fans on the sofa as the Toffees edged out a victory.

“That’s football,” she admitted.