Hashtag United's Emma Samways celebrates victory over Newcastle in the FA Women's National League Cup final. She was sidelined due to an ACL injury suffered in the semifinals. Photo: Ben Hoskins/The FA/Getty
For any player, the prospect of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is incredibly frightening. Arsenal winger Beth Mead described her experience as 'mentally and physically grueling', while England captain Leah Williamson doubted she would return after her own setback.
Suffering an ACL injury means a prolonged period on the sidelines, usually between nine and twelve months. Professional players receive the best treatment to ensure they can return as quickly as possible and without financial pressure. But that's not the case for every player in England, especially female footballers playing outside the Women's Super League and Championship. Hashtag United winger Emma Samways, who plays in the third tier of English football, tore her cruciate ligament during a National League Cup semi-final against Halifax. It was an incident that put her life on hold.
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After completing the five-hour bus journey from Essex to West Yorkshire and staying overnight in a nearby hotel, Samways and her teammates arrived at the Clayborn Ground to find the pitch almost unplayable. Within two minutes, Hashtag took a 1-0 lead, but disaster struck for Samway in the second half. "I was flat-footed and my boot got stuck in the mud as the ball came towards me," she says. "So I tried to wiggle it and as I turned outward I heard a pop. I felt pain, but I also thought I could get away with it, that maybe it was a twisted knee or a minor impact injury. Every time I blocked the ball, my knee was all over the place." The fear of a cruciate ligament injury initially did not occur to Samways, but after a few minutes the winger knew something was wrong.
"As soon as I got out, the physio did all the tests on me and everything went well," she says. "I was performing, I could move, I could squat, there were no problems, I wasn't even in pain. As I walked away I limped a little, but I didn't really mind that much. People usually go downstairs screaming."
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While this was happening, Newcastle United, who Hashtag would play in the final, were hosting Portsmouth at St James' Park just over 100 miles away. More than 22,300 fans watched the Magpies beat Pompey on a pitch that many would compare to a carpet - a stark contrast to the surface on which Samways and her teammates played.
Despite the circumstances, Hashtag won 2-0 and secured a place in the final. In the days that followed, however, Samways was told to fear the worst. The 24-year-old soon received the news she was dreading.
Unlike any professional, Samways relies on a job outside football for his income. As a police officer, she fulfills a proactive and physically demanding role, and after learning she had suffered a serious ACL tear, she was forced to step back. "It was really a pretty bad situation," Samways said. "I don't think it would have been so bad if I had had an office job. But now that I can no longer go outside and see all my colleagues going out... yeah, that's not fun.
"Time passes so quickly when you're with your colleagues and doing your work and helping people and suddenly you're stuck in the office, it's a long nine-hour shift," Samways admits. "Sometimes I feel a bit useless. I feel like I can't really do anything to fulfill my role and it's not very motivating to go to work every morning."
Not only did Samways have her job to worry about, she also had to find a way to finance the ACL reconstruction surgery. Because Hashtag United is not a professional club, the operation had to be self-financed. The NHS waiting list, around 12 to 18 months, was deemed too long given Samways' desperation to return to the field and her normal job. The only option was to go private, but that came at a significant cost. Samways was left stunned after being handed the £9,200 bill, especially when a 15-minute consultation alone cost £250.
Samway's parents offered to pay the bill, but she refused. "They've worked all their lives and will probably retire in five years, so I wanted them to use that money to treat themselves," she says. "I was very grateful, but I thought I would look at other ways."
Samways opted to set up a fundraising page instead, which raised more than £5,000 in a month. Some members of the club gave money to the fund, while donations arrived from as far away as Colombia. It illustrates the global profile of Hashtag, a club founded on social media. The Tags have a bigger following than some Championship teams and, led by Jason Stephens, produced an excellent performance to beat fully professional Newcastle United in the FA Women's National League Cup final at Kenilworth Road last month.
Speaking about the differences between her side and Newcastle, Samways said: "Even in the semi-final they had 26,000 fans at St James' Park and we had about 200. Obviously they are on a wage and in our team we have so many Frontline workers , we have a mother and a lot of people just trying to make enough money to pay the bills on top of playing football. It's a very different lifestyle. It's not jealousy; It's amazing that they do it, but it's just the difference. It's amazing how, out of 72 teams, we made it to the final two and beat them. I don't think anyone expected this."
As for Samway's own journey, she hopes to be running again in September and on the field before Christmas. "I have time this year to crush the recovery and do everything the physios tell me to do. I am willing to do that," she says. "It will be difficult with work, but that is the plan."
Discussion points
Blues take lead in first leg: Chelsea became the first team in five years to beat Barcelona at home with a 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Erin Cuthbert's 40th minute goal gave Emma Hayes' side a crucial away win at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Chelsea will host Barcelona in the second leg on Saturday.
Sørensen remains on: Everton have extended Brian Sørensen's contract until 2026. "I'm very happy, I really like it here," he said. "I love the club, I love the people in the club and I love the fans. There is a plan in place, we have a good future and a good team for the future. It is important to show in the background that there is a plan."
Bonmatí speaks out: Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí claims women's football in Spain has "not changed" since the World Cup. "I compare [it to] when England won the European Championship, everything changed. But we won the World Cup, which I think is bigger than winning the European Championship, and no, that has never changed, especially in the league," she said. "We have the same problems as always. We have a lot of problems."
Quote of the day
My assistant coach Aaron, who is from Australia, showed me the video of the Australian short skater at the Winter Olympics who was last in the final and then everyone slips and crosses the line first. The point is: are you ready? If someone else slips up, are you ready for it or have you already given up because you didn't think it would happen? - Jonas Eidevall on Arsenal's WSL title chances.
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