It’s all about education for Sheffield United Women’s Leandra Little

On Tuesday and Thursday nights she trains with Sheffield United Women. On a Sunday she will captain the side.

The rest of the week, including on Wednesday nights, the 36-year-old takes on her part-time job as the education lead at Liverpool FC’s Women’s academy.

One team is currently third in the FA Women’s Championship, the other is fourth. Both teams are rivals for a place in the Women’s Superleague.

“When I’m at United I don’t talk about Liverpool. When I’m at Liverpool, I’ll be sure not to talk about the Blades,” she laughs. “I keep it completely separate because we’re obviously both pushing for promotion.”

There is a serious message to the double life Little is leading, and something that she takes enormous pride in stressing to the women she teaches in Liverpool and leads in Sheffield – namely, to have a second job.

Women’s football may be a growth industry but it still has a long way to go to match the money on offer in the men’s game.

“It’s something I’m passion about and why I do the role that I do now,” says Little, who as well as working in the Liverpool’s women’s academy, is an education welfare officer for the FA.

“That’s why I’ve got into football education. The girls I work with at Liverpool are 16-18, and that’s so important to me to make sure that message is continually repeated that they consider a dual career.

“Women’s football is still a dual-career sport. Even if they’re at the top of the game and playing for England internationally they are still not necessarily going to set themselves up for life.

“The actual numbers that come through and make it as a top earner, at the clubs and in the England women’s team, is not that high so they’re going to need something alongside their playing career. So I’m trying to help them create the best foundations for themselves through their education, so when they do finish playing, like I have been doing, they are set up for what’s next, rather than wondering what’s next.

“Football can be really shortlived in terms of contract renewals and injuries. There aren’t as many career-ending injuries as there used to be, but you have to be ready for the what-ifs.”

Little came to football late. Growing up in Torbay she played all manner of sports and it was basketball that was her first career, playing for Sheffield Hatters upon moving up to the Steel City for university.

She got as high as representing England, but after missing out on the long list for the London 2012 programme, switched focus to football in 2007, signing for Lincoln. The sport has grown exponentially in that time, but Little believes there is more to come.

“There is still definitely areas for development,” she says, “but it’s far more advanced in terms of the support that is provided.

“Each of the WSL clubs has a dual-career academy attached to them, that’s the work I do at Liverpool. The support provided for the player pathway is far more advanced. They have nutritionists, sports psychologists, and an education team.”

Of more immediate concern is helping Neil Redfearn’s United Women’s team into the WSL.

The Blades are fourth, three points behind Liverpool and five adrift of leaders Leciester City.

“There’s no guaranteed wins and that shows the gap is closing,” says Little of the developing strength of the Championship, given United finished clear in second place in the curtailed 2019-20 season.

“Those without much resource are finding ways to be difficult to beat. Liverpool will have found coming down that they’ve got a fight on to go straight back up.

“At United we’ve got a good balance between experience and youth.”

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