Soccer Mums

When journalist and broadcaster Rosemary Laryea’s son tells her he has dreams of playing professional football, she soon learns that this involves a lot more than cheering supportively from the touchline. The role of an aspiring footballer’s parent – and increasingly it’s the mums who take it on – is multi-faceted. She finds herself learning about diet and wellbeing strategies, coordinating travel arrangements, and dealing with clubs, coaches and potential agents. Crucially, it also involves making sure schoolwork continues to be done, especially if, like her son Rahman, the A-levels are looming. We follow Rosemary over a six-month period as Rahman aims to make the step up from boys’ football to the world of under-23s and seniors. The early signs are positive. Impressive performances get Rahman noticed and the signs are that, like fellow Wembley boy Raheem Sterling, now an England star, Rahman many be on the road to a pro contract. Along the way Rosemary shares stories of maternal highs and lows with other dedicated soccer mums. She meets Jennifer, who spends so much time driving her two sons to matches that “I basically live in the car”. Toni, a PE teacher, tells us how the determination of her 13-year-old daughter to make the grade has seen the family’s routine re-jigged in support of the cause. And Pam, from a football-mad household, describes how she's taken on the role of post-match critic and analyst for her son's games. For all these mums, supporting their kids’ dreams is a job well worth doing. But it comes at the cost of sleepless nights as they worry about the all-too-real possibilities of injury setbacks and eventual disappointment. Picture Credit: Inigo Laguda Producers: Rosemary Laryea and Hugh Costello A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4