England international Gemma Bonner has high hopes for Leeds United’s men’s and women’s teams

The stylish Manchester City centre-half is the second-most experienced player in the FA Women’s Super League with almost 150 appearances and she has also earned 11 caps for her country.

Bonner, who grew up in Moortown, initially came to prominence with Leeds having come through their juniors and was an FA Cup runner-up in 2008 before winning the League Cup two years later.

However, when United’s bid to join the Super League collapsed and the club’s future was left in doubt, she moved on to Chelsea in 2011 and saw her career soar elsewhere.

But Bonner, 28, admitted: “Growing up through the Leeds ranks is obviously where I learned a lot about the game.

“I think I was there from the age of about nine.

“I’ll always be grateful for the experiences at the club and I loved playing for Leeds. I really did.

“When the news came that we had to leave Leeds as they weren’t going to be in the top league, it actually hit me so hard.

“I think everyone dreams of playing for their hometown club in a professional setting so to have it be so close and then just taken away it was a big moment.”

After impressing with Chelsea, Bonner moved on to Liverpool and captained the club to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014 before switching to City, the current league leaders, two years ago.

However, she clearly still has a lot of fondness for her hometown club and is desperate to see them flourish once more.

With leaders Leeds seven points clear in the top-two automatic promotion spots when football was shut down owing to the coronavirus last month, a return to the Premier League for the first time since relegation in 2004 is in touching distance.

Bonner, an ardent Leeds Rhinos fan who has been helping with Rob Burrow’s motor neurone disease charity, said: “Leeds United, in terms of the men’s team, belong in the Premier League.

“With the size of the club, the crowds, everyone around the city... there’s such a huge passion for sport, not just football.

“I always try and get back home whenever I can and I think Leeds – as a city – they do need to be in the Premier League.

“From a really early age I ended up with a Liverpool shirt – I think my cousin had one – and I ended up supporting them!

“But, with my Leeds connections, I remember going to watch those Leeds v Liverpool games as a kid and hopefully they can get back there this year.

“Obviously that depends on these current circumstances (Covid-19) but I’m hoping, off the back of that, it will also help the women’s set-up at Leeds.

“Hopefully in a few years we can see it gradually get more professional to a level where both Leeds United teams are in the top flight.”

After numerous financial issues, moves, name changes and once even going out of business completely since Bonner left, the women’s side is now back as Leeds United Ladies, part of the Elland Road club and playing in National League Division One North.

It has been sad to see them go through so many struggles but she said: “It’s been part and parcel of the women’s game.

“There’s been a lot of teams that have been at the top and then been at the bottom, drifted in and out or some have gone completely with some new teams coming in.

“At the moment, sadly, it’s still part of the game and, in a sense, normal; you still sort of expect it here and there.

“I’m hoping that the more the game grows, the more coverage we get from the media and the more money that comes in from sponsorship, that the game can be a lot more sustainable.

“That could then encourage a lot more clubs – on the women’s side – to get behind it and support it.

“That will give the opportunity to the teams and players and the quality will increase and the pool of players will keep increasing so, hopefully, the league can then be expanded to more teams and be more professional.

“But the key is being sustainable.”