THE author of a children’s picture book about a young female footballer has spoken of her excitement after receiving validation from Beth Mead, who said it was “just the thing to inspire future Lionesses".
Catherine Emmett, from Finchingfield, created picture book Sammy Striker And The Football Cup after noticing there did not seem to be any books of a similar nature with a sports focus.
She also wanted to continue the positive legacy of the Lionesses winning the Euros and the impact the win has had on young girls.
Central character Sammy initially struggles to kick a ball straight but then learns to embrace her difference and kick to the side.
The 43-year-old told the PA News Agency Sammy “captures the inner anxiety that you’ve got as a kid of the idea that everyone can do something, and you can’t”.
Catherine now hopes the book can encourage girls to believe in themselves, especially in more male-dominated areas.
To ensure her message reaches her target, she wanted the book to include a quote from a leading football figure and was shocked when English international Beth Mead - and Golden Boot winner at the 2022 Women’s Euros - supplied one.
Mead said it is “an absolutely fantastic book – just the thing to inspire future Lionesses”.
“She just personifies exactly what the book’s about,” said Catherine, who was amazed after getting Beth's backing.
“If you read her back story, she grew up in Whitby and was playing with the boys and it wasn’t easy, and I hoped the book would appeal to her persistence and resilience.”
Although Mead is not in England’s squad for the upcoming Women’s World Cup due to injury, she has been a pivotal figure in football and was crowned Sports Personality Of The Year 2022.
Ms Emmett tweeted about the quote on Twitter, which has received more than 20,000 views, and was met with a further comment from the football star, which read: “Amazing book, the next generation are going to love it for sure.”
“I always get a bit embarrassed about direct tagging people and I thought, is she going to be like ‘really, you had to tag me’, but then she liked it,” added Catherine.
“I’ve copied and pasted the tweet to keep forever now.”
Many Twitter users have also interacted with Catherine, leaving comments about how their daughters or granddaughters are “going to love this book”.
The Women’s World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with England’s first game against Haiti on Saturday.
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