“Thinking back now, I’m like wow, that’s kind of insane. It didn’t really process because I was quite young when I joined, so I just thought this was normal. But now that I think back, I’m like wow, that was actually really cool.”
Growing up as a Liverpool fan, Shannon Comer never expected to spend her childhood playing for the team she loves. Being part the academy was more than just a dream for the 19-year-old, who reminisces on the days she spent playing for the club.
“We got access to the coaches because for the girl’s team, they would send coaches from England, and they would train and practice coaching with us. Once they had a certain amount of time up, they would fly back to England and start coaching over there.
“We had the actual academy coaches coming over and training us, which was great because obviously, we got all of the best training techniques and all of the skills they would want in players over here.”
The journey started for the American after growing up watching her dad play football, and after he coached her during her childhood, Comer soon realised the time she spent with her dad was more valuable than any team she played for.
“My dad actually got approached by Yeovil Town Football Club when he was 15 and got offered a spot. But it meant he would have to quit school and go full time at the academy, so he missed the opportunity, but kept playing his entire life which is when he passed it on to me.
“I started off playing in AYSO, and he would be my coach for teams. He used to get super involved, and it was one of the main things that we bonded over, because I was then approached for an opportunity by one of the Liverpool scouts. I ended up going to try-outs for the team, got through and got a tonne of good feedback, and then started training for Liverpool.”
Despite landing her goal of playing for the club, the striker always knew her time playing football would come to an end, and after COVID-19 hit, the now-student was left with a difficult choice to make about her future.
“I was with them (Liverpool) for five years, but COVID hit which put a stop to all of my plans. At the same time, I also went into high school and started playing for the high school team as well. And basically, between the high school team, and Liverpool, and COVID, nothing was really happening.”
Education became Comer’s biggest priority with her going on to say: “When we came back, I realised that I didn’t have much time until university. I needed to figure out what I was going to do. I decided to stop because I needed to focus on education, and I wanted to come out and explore new sides of myself.”
Comer will be the first to admit that football can become an important part of your life, whether you’re playing for a team, or supporting them, with the Liverpool fan revealing that she misses the times she spent playing for the club.
“I absolutely miss it, I miss it so much that I’m trying to find teams, so hopefully I’ll be going back and playing again.” Her eyes lit up as she remembered the fond memories of kicking a ball around on the field every weekend. “Every week I’m thinking ‘I wish I was on the field right now’.
“My favourite thing to do was have a foot race with the defenders and it just felt like you were flying. I miss that so much and being able to sprint at top speed. There’s not many situations in life where you get to do that, and I really miss that.”
Football is more than just a sport for the UOG student, it was her life, and nothing will beat the feeling she felt when playing the game.
“The overall feeling and adrenaline I got when playing football was like nothing else I’ve ever felt. I guess scoring goals wasn’t bad either.” She laughed to herself about the silly remark.
“That feeling was truly amazing.”
