Keira Walsh – ‘Dare to walk into the city changing room in something a little bit different, and you’ll get rinsed.’
Photography: Gerrit van Keulen/VI Images/PA Images
Ahead of kicking off England's 2020 SheBelieves Cup campaign against the USA, Walsh tells Claire Bloomfield about her interests away from the game – fashion. The Rochdale-born player provides an insight into the hours she loses endlessly scrolling her favourite online stores, and how she squeezes in shopping sprees on international duty, usually led by teammate Leah Williamson…
"Some of the other girls in the England team will spend time doing their hair and makeup in the morning before going down for breakfast, whereas once I'm in the training facility I don't care so much about what I look like. I'm just there to play football.
"I feel like when I'm outside of football I don't always wear the most feminine clothes. I like to mix it up a little bit. Sometimes, if I'm going out, I try to be edgy – though I am probably not as edgy as Leah Williamson. I try not to dress too mainstream because I think it's important that we all have our own style.
"That said, at Manchester City, if you walk into the changing room in something a little bit different, you do get rinsed, especially if it's out of the norm. Janine Beckie wore wellies once, and Georgia Stanway was one of the first to make a comment. I don't think she has dared to wear them in front of us since.
"I like to look a little bit different, so I'll often try to find things that other people don't necessarily have. If I like it, I don't really care what anybody else thinks, to be honest. But Georgia does rinse me from time to time. I try not to tell her what I've got on because sometimes she tries to copy me. Ask her about the perfume her boyfriend bought for her after she heard that I was wearing it first.
"I like to go into Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in Manchester. Even if I'm not buying anything, I like window shopping.
"I have a soft spot for shoes and Converse in particular at the moment. I'm wearing Comme des Garcons at the moment and I've just added a pair of the Christian Dior Converse to my collection. I've probably been looking at them for ages and I've finally got around to treating myself to some.
"I think if you look at most of the girls now, they'll probably be wearing something designer because the trend is going a little bit more that way.
"I follow a lot of brands on Instagram to get ideas but when I'm at home, in my spare time, I'm always on websites for Zara and Topshop. Most of the time I don't buy anything, I'm just looking, but an hour could have easily gone buy and I don't even know. I've just been sat there scrolling on my phone and looking at clothes.
"Ellie Roebuck is the same. She sent me a picture just the other day asking if I liked some trousers that she had seen. Then I'll send her a picture of the trousers that I've just bought. I always know that if Ellie likes it then I'm doing alright because she dresses well.
"At some point during our stay in Orlando I'll be going shopping with Leah. Phil Neville is quite good at ensuring we have some free time when we're away with the team, even if it's just an afternoon. I'll often be with Leah, Georgia, Jordan and Lucy. More often than not we go out for something to eat or go shopping together.
"Leah manages to squeeze in shopping wherever we go. Even when we had a camp in London towards the end of last year, and remember Leah lives in London because she plays for Arsenal, and she can go into these shops all the time, she still wanted to go. She's crazy.
"I'm quite shy and don't necessarily like having my photograph taken in my own clothes but lots of the girls are doing photoshoots with big magazines like Vogue, and I think it's great that women's football is getting that sort of platform now."
Words: Clare Bloomfield
First published 5 March 2020