Grace's journey from City of Portsmouth College to Chelsea Women

When Grace Laidlaw was growing up, the notion of being a professional footballer as a full-time career wasn’t much of a possibility – but that hasn’t stopped her from being at the top of her game.

Determined to make a job out of the sport she loves, Grace chose to study Sport Performance and Excellence at City of Portsmouth College – and now she’s a Now Player Recruitment Analyst for Chelsea Women in the Women’s Super League (WSL).

As a young girl I wanted to be a footballer, but the opportunity was extremely limited,” said Grace. “I only had male football heroes to look up to and the chance to be a female footballer as a full-time job was non-existent. So, I did the Sport Performance and Excellence course at COPC alongside playing for Portsmouth to explore other routes of professional football I could still be a part of.

“I always thought maybe I could be a strength and conditioning coach as I took my degree in Sport Science but after exploring all paths of sport, player recruitment felt like the best fit for me.”

She’s been working at Chelsea for just over a year now, having begun her career as Head of Recruitment at Portsmouth FC Women.

“Chelsea are arguably one of the best clubs in Europe for women’s football and it aligns well with my ambition to win, have a competitive edge and be the best we can be in the world,” said Grace. “A typical day here is one extreme to the other. I could be at the training ground in Cobham watching training, interacting with the team and having meetings regarding upcoming transfer windows or lots of talking on the phone to agents. Or I am in a different country watching a tournament or some international matches to watch targets or look out for unearthed talent.”

And she still carries some of what she learned at City of Portsmouth College into her work today.

“Because I completed modules at City of Portsmouth College surrounding nutrition, strength and conditioning, psychology and physiology, I have a foundation of knowledge in these areas which I can take into recruitment,” she said.

“For example, I can analyse players’ on-pitch and off-pitch behaviours in greater detail, and take into consideration a player’s running mechanics or athleticism. It has given me a wider lens to consider all aspects of what an elite athlete looks like.”

Grace’s advice to anyone thinking of following in her footsteps and getting their dream career are simple: “Lean into every area of your course to determine what you like the most and pursue that the hardest. Make sure to do as much voluntary work in that field as possible and get yourself an internship at the earliest point you can. Get your foot in the door early and you will have a long career ahead of you!”

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