Chloe Kay - Proving Girls Can Do More Than Clean and Cook

Hey I'm Chloe and I'm 20 years old. My lifetime ambition is a little different to other girls, I don't want to be a vet, or a doctor, nor a teacher, no I want to be a football manager. You might think I'm crazy, but I'm deadly serious. Football is a 'boy' thing people say to me, but how is it? Why can't girls play football or like football? It's a question I've always asked in my mind, but it's something I have always told the doubters.

Anyways, I love football with a passion, it's something I grew up adoring, I don't think I couldn't like it! I would regularly attend my local teams matches, which being Barrow AFC. I was a very loyal supporter and I loved them to bits. I remember the first time I attended a match, I was a small 7 year old girl, that didn't really know many players, just the 'stars' of the top divisions, I didn't really mind, I just wanted to watch the players score goals. I loved cheering when they scored.

You may of thought my life was a dream, it wasn't all a dream. During secondary school, a girl and 3 or 4 boys would bully me, by bully, I mean really bully me. They would really make me upset, saying things about me and my family and I'd cry. It was the worse thing to do. This would happen from year 7 until the Christmas holidays, in year 11. I haven't many friends during this period and I consistently would try to commit suicide. This was the only thing I had in my mind. But on a better note that ended in year 11 (after years of attempts,) I was really glad I did stop, because soon after people realised I was not the girl to hate, but the girl and 3 or 4 boys that bullied me for all those years.

During the years at secondary school, I still had that passion for football and once I left, I took sporting badges and things like that, to improve my dream of being of a football manager. I successfully completed them and I was really happy, I was in floods of tears when I completed them. That's when I knew, I had finally made it, just one more step... that was to apply for a job and get it... this was the difficult part... how would I do this? I wondered for hours on end, but the answer finally got to me, that was be yourself, tell the team you apply for your qualities and hope for the best... that's all you can do.

Next time I write here in this 'mini scrapbook' hopefully I can tell you that I have applied for a job and maybe... just maybe landed it...

Authors notes

Hey all, this is a real life story based on me. Obviously I'm not 20 and not the cleverest so I will make some mistakes potentially, just tell me in a PC and I'll correct it, if I can EVERYTHING apart from my age is real, I can't believe I have put down some of what I have, it is quite sensitive, but it's best knowing more about me, to put into the story! Thanks guys <3

Wow, what a start.

Good luck and nice start

Right, first of all, good luck.
I understand what you've been through and I know it must have been tough, but let's try and keep this story as football-related as possible. I appreciate that you want to include some kind of background to this, but please try and keep it as vague as possible. I'm not saying don't do it, but we don't want to upset or cause any distress with something as ordinary as a story.
Remember what gets said around here, Whatever happens in your every day life, coming here should be an escape from it; so cheer up and talk FM? So let's try and keep the next post as FM-based as we can, okay?

Thank you Josh and Captain, I'm really touched by your comments. Rab, yeah I get you. I just wanted to describe some other things, this will only probably be the only time the sensitive things are mentioned, so I'll take your advice.

Wow, Some of these thing you have typed up actually made me feel sorry for you, then when you stayed with the passion of football(and people say it's just a game. It's family, It's blood, It's a religion.) and got your sporting done, Made me think what are them bullies doing? Probs seeking jobcentre and not doing anything with their life at least you are making your dreams come true, I hope you do well in your future Chloe, - Jack.

A better title would have been... 'From cooking to cleaning, my life as a house wife'
Aha, jokes aside, good luck. Hope you can get some glory out of whichever team you land

Thanks Jack, yeah at the end of the year, when they go to college, they'll all end up flunking it and losing out on a job, I'll bet you (this is because I'm in year 11 atm) and Aaron omg! No way hahahahha:P

After a few weeks or so I had really been thinking about job applications and many things concerning my life, as a football manager. I didn't want to rush into applying for jobs, I didn't want to make a fool of myself, by making a huge error. I had often found myself dreaming about what the future may hold for me. Maybe I could actually become the next Wigan Athletic manager, or the next Barcelona manager. This dream helped me. This is where my journey may begin.

A couple of days later, I began to scour the internet to see if there were any jobs available. Alloa, Brechin, Hinckley, were just some I came across until I saw Sheffield Utd... was this the team I would apply for? I drafted out what I was to say and then once I completed that, I made a quick check that everything was ok, then I went onto email the Sheffield Utd board, basically saying I would like the job and I'd be over the moon to get the job, also despite the fact I don't have much experience I have high coaching badges and then I sent it.

About 5 days later, I got a reply from the board saying, 'Sorry, we received your application, but we sadly will not be interviewing you over the job. We would like some more experience in our next manager. However don't be disheartened and good luck.' I was slightly disappointed but I knew that I could try again, it wasn't over.

Over the next week or so, I will be continuing to email board members over the managerial vacancy and hopefully I can get that interview and the chairman saying, 'Congratulations you are the new manager of so and so' words will not describe how I'd feel. I would be a lot more than amazed or anything else. I look forward to the week ahead, I feel I can do this now, I really am nearly there...

Over the past week, I've been really pleased with myself. I had applied for many jobs, which include Burton, Scunthorpe and Coventry. My personal life has really been stretched because of it, however I just want to find that job, that is my goal... I'm very much there.

I received many emails from all the teams mentioned above and many others, however there was that one email I wanted to open last, that being one from Burton. I was told the same thing I had been told from the Sheffield application, now I began to really doubt myself... maybe this isn't meant to be.... maybe I was destined for something else... I clicked on the Burton email and with serious doubt I'd see something good, I began to read it. The email stated, 'Hello Miss Kay, we would like to invite you to a interview at the Burton Albion training ground, for the open managerial vacancy. We have ordered for a member of staff to pick you up from Manchester station (Piccidily) and we have attached a picture of him, in case of some mistaken identity. We hope you will attend on Thursday 12th July, at 1:30. Thank you, Burton chairman, Ben Robertson.' I wiped my eyes with disbelief, they offered me a interview! I immediately phoned my mum and dad, who I shared my disbelief in, as we cried together.

It was the day of the interview and I drove down to Manchester station, I had printed off the guy who was meeting me picture, so I wouldn't of got on with another person! I eagerly waited. Then about 10 minutes later, he arrived and apologised for being so late. But as we were on the train, I was so happy inside my mind, I was dancing. It was crazy for me... I just need to be hired, I'm so close now... I can't give up....

Eww Burton *shudders* But in all seriousness, a great tart to what should be a great story

great start love! keep it up!

Great writing so far and it looks like it will be a great story. Please stick with this one lol.

Once I arrived in Burton and looked around the training ground, I was really excited, I was actually going to be interviewed to be a football manager. My life long dream was actually coming true. I found out the guy that was with me on the journey here was the assistant manager, Kevin Summerfield. He told me, 'Good luck Chloe, I know this is your first interview so I'll give you one tip, be yourself. That's all you need to do, be yourself, don't be somebody you're not, just make a impression.' I took his advice and he lead me into the training ground, where I would be interviewed.

With my heart pounded, I walked into the 'interview room' and I recognised the chairman, who was beaming at me, he said, 'Ah, welcome miss Kay, welcome. I couldn't say anything, I was too awe struck to say anything, he asked me many questions, such as, 'What philosophies do you have with the team' and each and every time I replied with confidence, something I hadn't much of over the secondary school years. Every time I replied, the chairman would smile, was I impressing him? I had to carry on, I had to stop worrying about that... all I needed to do was my best, that's all I could do. Soon after the interview was over, the chairman said, 'Thank you Chloe, I like your charisma, you're a top candidate, very much so. We shall be back to you tomorrow, to confirm if you will be the new Burton manager or not.'

I went home with so much pride, I was really happy with myself. I just had to wait until tomorrow to see if the biggest moment of my life was to happen. I went to bed, much earlier than I normally do. I was filled with so much happiness, it was hard to sleep, very hard.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, I heard the letter box too. Quickly, I raced out of my bed, picked up the letter and then went to sit down. I closed my eyes and prayed a little prayer. My breathing grew very heavy, I heard every single breath. I couldn't take any more and I opened the letter. That's when 9 words stood out in bold black writing, You are the new manager of Burton Albion, congratulations.' I collapsed into floods of tears, I had finally done it, my hard work all my life had paid off, wow...

I have finally done it... and I couldn't stop myself putting this certain phrase in this book...

Alex, TAT and Bayern: Thank you all and Bayern, as you can see I'm in love with this story lol