Madhia Ishaq has always played football. Now, she’s gone from player to coach and is inspiring a whole new generation of girls to get involved in the game – thanks to BT Playmaker by England Football.

“I've been playing football all my life,” says Madhia. “I'd get in trouble all the time! My dad would say to me every day ‘get inside! Why are you playing football?’ But I'd just sneak out the back door and start playing football again.”

Growing up, Madhia could always be found on the local sports field, having a kickabout with a group of lads, and that’s what inspired her to complete our BT Playmaker course. She wanted to be a role model for the young girls in her community, and encourage them to give it a go. 

So why, despite having a full-time career, did she choose to get into coaching? 

As Madhia explains, “I would have loved for somebody to come down and tell me how to play. To give me some guidance, see how I'm doing, and tell me whether I could do things differently.” 

It’s this experience that made Madhia step up to become a Playmaker, seeing it as a foot in the door towards a career in coaching.

“I found the course pretty straightforward and easy to follow – you don’t need a lot of in-depth football knowledge to do it. And it teaches you a lot of tips and advice on all the basics, stuff that I could use in my sessions straightaway.”

Now that she’s completed the course, she’s bringing all her experience to the pitch, and thanks to her skills and enthusiasm, she’s become a role model for the next generation of girls in her community.

“As I’m coaching these girls, my love of football just grows! In fact, I’d say the main reason I've gone from a player into doing this is because I never want to be not involved in football!”

With every training session, Madhia’s confidence keeps on growing, and it all stems from an unconditional love for football. As she revisits the fields where she spent so much of her time growing up, it’s easy to feel her passion for the game. 

So, where will Madhia’s coaching journey end? Watch this space! 

Watch Madhia’s story in full below: