Pitchside Interviews - Eleanor Lee

Our latest Pitchside interview is with the amazing Eleanor Lee.

Eleanor is a journalist for Sky Sports News, a Senior Writer and Presenter at Give Me Sport Women and a Liverpool fan. We asked her our big six pitchside questions to find out more about her love for the game and how it’s impacted her style.

What football team do you support?

I support Liverpool!

What is your earliest memory of the game?

My earliest memory is so cliché as a Liverpool fan, but it’s of our 04/05 Champions League season! I was 8 years old and I remember watching us beat Chelsea in the semi-finals and going onto the final against AC Milan. My family and I were in Mallorca for the final and managed to find a bar full of scousers. I watched it there as an 8-year-old and remember everything so clearly! That was the first time I’d truly experienced the emotion of the game.

What excites you most about the game?

 I love the environment and atmosphere, that’s what excites me most. That match day feeling when you know you’ve got a derby or a huge game coming up is like no other. I also love the culture and all the interactions that come with football. It has influences on music, fashion, travel, lifestyle, culture - all these separate factors can be brought together through football and I find that really interesting.

What has your experience been as a female football fan?

I think I’m lucky in the face I’ve had quite a good experience. In terms of match days, I can’t think of a bad memory that sticks out where I’ve been made to feel a certain way because I’m a woman. Whenever I’ve been to Anfield, there’s always been a lot of female fans there and I suppose that’s something that makes you feel a bit more at home - power in numbers. Aside from match days, I have fallen victim to the odd comment that you just have to brush aside. Things like being challenged to name a whole XI or explain the offside rule. I just laugh at stuff like that now, it doesn’t really bother me. Comments like that aren’t really worth our time - there are bigger issues within the game.

How does your passion for the game impact your style?

I think my passion for the game has influenced me to have such a varied style. It’s definitely allowed me to experiment more - I love a masculine, baggy football shirt paired with a really feminine skirt - it’s things like that. I feel like I’m quite brave with my style and like to mix it up. One day I’ll have a very ‘tom-boy’ feel going on with baggy jeans, a men’s t-shirt and classic trainers but the next day I’ll be overly girly. I always put thought into my matchday outfit and like to make it my own. Whether it’s a big pair of gold earrings, or my LFC top tied up a certain way - I like to put my spin on it. And I can’t talk about style without paying homage to scouse women. I love the way their style and confidence - something I wouldn’t have discovered without my love for football. Nowadays, I’ll walk around my home town in a tracksuit and my hair in rollers and get funny looks, but do that in Liverpool and no one bats an eyelid!

What is your favourite football chant/song you wish you could wear on a t-shirt?

I’m not sure if it’s already out there, but I’d like ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ on a nice t-shirt. That chant brings back good memories. I’d also love our Luis Garcia chant, the one that goes “he drinks sangria!” I love Spanish influences, the language and culture, so to combine that with Liverpool on a t-shirt would be cool. I’d say I want the Torres chant on a shirt, but I’m not sure how well that would go down with other Liverpool fans ...