It’s crunch-time for St Mary’s sports teams as West London Varsity looms.
But for some, a “Simmies” team is not their only commitment.
Someone who has mastered this balance of sport at university and club level is Brentford FC women’s Holly Hawkes.
Hawkes, who plays as a forward, is an integral part of their B team. In November 2022 she scored six goals over the course of three games. Even more impressive was her role in Brentford’s 9-0 victory over Actonians in November 2023. It was during this match that she scored five out of nine points for “the Bees.”
“Luckily for me it balances out quite well”, Hawkes told theSports Gazette on managing her time between Brentford and St Mary’s women’s football.
West London Varsity
“Training with uni is Monday night and Brentford would be on Wednesday and Friday. It’s just having that balance where I can get the rest in between.
“Varsity training, everyone’s there every week so maybe for a couple of weeks, prioritise Varsity as we really do want to get the win this year. But luckily for me, it’s spread out throughout the week.”
For Hawkes, Varsity could not have come at a more eventful time.
Brentford women’s first team played their second annual game at the men’s home ground of the Gtech Community Stadium on March 23rd. Their victory against Bromley resulted in an additional promotion for Brentford, catapulting them to an even higher level of the English women’s football pyramid.
Hawkes could see herself playing in the Premier League stadium in the future.
Embed from Getty Images
“It would be awesome to play in a Premier League stadium, it was really good that they won and they smashed it. Definitely would love to if i’m still at Brentford in the next two years, one hundred percent. But yeah, it would be awesome.”
Hosting this year’s tournament, St Mary’s women’s football will be taking on Brunel at home on Wednesday at 10:30 AM.
Gina Bagnulo
Gina Bagnulo is a 22 year old sports journalist from Dubai. With a particular passion for women’s football she has written extensively for The South London Press, The National among others. She previously lived in Ireland and worked for Shelbourne Football Club’s media team.
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