Interview with Ann-Marie Said

by Ayrton Galea - 21st March 2017

Defender Ann-Marie Said has been one of the most consistent players for the Women's Team this season, after joining our Club this Summer. For this week's interview, we spoke with the talented player about her move with our Club and the team's excellent league campaign so far.

Said, who joined our Club this Summer on loan from Gozo FC, was quick to establish herself as one of the key-players in the team. Her defensive qualities have been essential for the team to have the best defence in the league, with only three goals conceded from fifteen matches.

Who is Ann-Marie Said?

Ann-Marie Said, 22 years of age. My interests include travelling, engineering and sports in general.

How did you start playing football? Can you tell us briefly your experiences before joining our Club?

I used to join my father at an early age to the Manchester United supporters club Gozo to watch the games. There I met my friend Julia Vella, who used to train with the SKVW boys U-10, which i decided to join at the age of 12. After a few months, the club formed a girls' team.

At first I used to play for both SKVW and Gozo FC. Once the gozitan league stopped I only kept on playing with Gozo FC. Playing for my home “town” taught me the real meaning of teamwork and passion. After that, I spent 2 seasons with Raiders Luxol FC where I kept on going with my development as I played in different positions which I was not accustomed to, whilst forming a great friendship with my teammates.

It's not a secret that Birkirkara were not the only club that were interested in your services this summer. Why did you join our Club?

Personally, I was not happy with the improvement I was making over the seasons and felt that, despite all the help from every coach I had, I was failing to make any progress. I thought that at Birkirkara there was the right environment, experience and willingness to do better that would help me improve a bit more.

What does our Club have different from your previous Clubs? How much was it difficult to settle with a team that has high ambitions?

Fortunately, I already knew a few of the players through the National Team and also one of the new additions to the team, Tracy Teuma, which helped me settle quicker and since the team's ambitions matched mine, settling in was not too difficult. In fact, I would like to take the opportunity to thank my team mates and all the staff for making me feel welcome from day one.

The team had a very consistent run so far, with fourteen wins from fifteen matches and it is still the only unbeaten team in the league. What has been the secret to success?

At a club like Birkirkara FC, there is a winning mentality and the lack of trophies in the past few seasons meant that there was more willingness and eagerness to win than before. The season started off on a bad note by losing the Super Cup, and this motivated us even more.

You have played a key-role in our team, being one of the most consistent players throughout this season. How much are you happy with your performances? In which aspects, do you wish to improve?

I am generally never too satisfied with my performances. I do believe that my game in general needs improvement however I think that I mostly need to improve on my distribution and fitness. Overall, I wish to play always at the best of my abilities and to always be consistent.

Only three goals conceded in fifteen matches, as we have registered twelve clean-sheets this season. What does in your opinion make Birkirkara a very difficult team to score against?

I think it is due to the style of play we have adopted as a team where we do not score too many goals but also are not conceding too many. I am lucky to be playing with some very talented players from the strikers back to the shot stoppers.

Which has been your favourite match with our Club so far? Why?

Tough question but I would have to say, the first-round win against Hibs has to be the one. Coming from a heavy defeat in the super cup, it was the perfect reaction from the team.

You returned to training with our team following a very positive experience in the Aphrodite Cup. What are your comments on this experience? What does it mean to wear the National Team shirt?

The Aphrodite Cup is a chance to check our development on a yearly basis by playing against opponents of approximately the same level as well as preparation for the upcoming qualifiers in April. It is always a great experience to play in international matches and especially to represent your country. I believe it is the biggest reward one can get.

We will start the fourth and last round on Wednesday evening against Mgarr United, where a win would put us just three points away from the title. What are your comments on this match?

Its vital at this point not to take any matches for granted and always focus on each remaining game individually. I expect the match to be a tough one as Mgarr have a talented team. As always, we will do our best to get the three points home.

What are your personal targets for this season?

My personal targets are usually similar every season. I strive to improve as much as I can on both my weaknesses and strengths and to be consistent throughout the season.

Regarding Women's Football in general, what do you wish for in the upcoming years?

I hope that in a few years' time Women's Football will be more recognized and appreciated and I hope we have many more girls joining the nurseries.

Write a message to encourage more people to follow Women's Football.

I do believe that Women's football in our country still needs to develop a lot, however, it has improved drastically in a short period of time and everyone involved in this game is willing to continue improving it simply because what we do is out of pure love for the sport.

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