The 2056/26 season is back and so is our Stories From Our City series, with Katie Lockwood the latest player to speak to us about her journey.
For Katie, she wanted to put a spotlight on the people who have helped her throughout her career. Without their support, she tells us, the midfielder would not be the player she is, have the memories she has made or have the drive to always push for being the best version of herself.
"I think everyone has a reason – a person – why they started playing football. For me, it was my older brother Craig.
From as young as I can remember, I was chasing him around the garden. If Craig wanted to do it, I wanted to do it. A typical little sister.
But, he enjoyed me joining in. He liked that he had someone to practice all his tricks and flicks against. As for me, well, I was just chasing the ball around in those days!
Everything changed when I found my competitive streak. Neither of us wanted to lose.
It’s probably the reason why I’m the player I am now. The worst loser in the world. I’ll fight for every ball. Compete until the whistle. Never give up.
That playing around in the garden with Craig soon led to my mum and dad thinking: “Oh, she might be quite good at this!” so that was a turning point.
A football-mad young girl now just wanted to play the game she’d fallen in love with – it was going to be easier said than done, though.
Every local team turned me down, I was a girl, and that was enough for them to say no. All but one of them. Malcolm Boyle. My first-ever coach.
He didn’t care if I was a girl. He said he’d make three teams if it meant having space for me. And that is exactly what he did. He made three teams and there were four or five other girls. He made the space for us all.
Without him, I’m not sure what would have happened. Would anyone else have looked past the fact I was a girl? Malcolm just wanted everyone to be able to play if they wanted to.
I wouldn’t be here – a professional footballer who has played in four countries across two different continents – without him.
I still cherish things from those Dalton Dynamos days. The blue and yellow stripes on the kit. Even some of the training sessions.
There was a drill where we all had to show off a trick. One boy did a rainbow flick. Right away I knew I wanted to be able to do that, too.
So, when it came to my turn, I went and did it. Remember that competitive streak I mentioned? It’s made me determined, too.
To be able to share memories of my career with those who mean the most, those who helped me get to where I am now and those who shaped me means everything.
Malcolm came to Hampden when I played at the national stadium in the Scottish Cup with my old team Hearts.
Even now, he is still only a text away, asking how I got on in my last game.
Not a day goes by where I don’t talk to my brother. Whether it’s just a quick hello or me asking him how we he thought I played, needing some advice – he is there.
Whenever I need someone to be honest with me about how I played, I go to Craig. He’s very straight with me. That is a special part of our relationship.
And I appreciate him more than words can probably say. I think a lot of my teammates would say the same about their families. The sacrifices they make for us to chase our careers – they matter.
I know Craig probably had to take a bit of a backseat at times when we were younger, with mum and dad driving me up and down the country for trials or training. But, he has always been proud of me. Never has he made that a secret.
In some ways, I’m still that girl in the garden playing with her brother, still chasing the ball, still pushing myself, still playing with the same love for the game.
But now the goals have changed, gotten bigger. Don't stop chasing that ball. Appreciate the people who helped you achieve your dreams and keep pushing you to be the best version of yourself you can be."