Transcribe your podcast
[00:00:00]

Were you surprised when you went undefeated?

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No.

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Named The Invinciables. This team is giving a whole new meaning to playing like a girl.

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All the boys underestimated us because we were girls, and so it felt good to prove them wrong.

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Along the Southern Coast of England, in a little town called Bournemouth, the Queens Park ladies are making international international headlines.

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To celebrate after edging their names into football history, we're very excited to welcome the Invinciables. We have together the Queens Park ladies.

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Come on, ladies. After joining the Under-12 League made up of all boys' teams, They went on to not just win the league. They went unde. What was it like going undefeated?

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So it feels like they always were a little bit cocky. So they were like, Oh, I'm going to do a couple of stepovers, try to skill you. But then when When you see us beating them 5, 6, 0, they were crying to their moms and dads, and we were just like, You shouldn't have underestimated us.

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After their decisive victory after victory, It'll be hard to ever underestimate these girls again. But their Cinderella story almost didn't happen. The team's manager, Toby Green, says that at first many thought it was a bad idea.

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Do you think it's better for for boys and girls to mix and play sports together before puberty?

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We know that once the boys get to those teenage years, get bigger, more powerful, faster, stronger, then yes, there can be a gap. But I think up until that stage, it's just about opportunity, application, and just getting out there and doing it.

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We met up at home with Tobi and his daughter Olivia, who's a captain on the Invinciables.

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What did you think when your dad said, Here's the plan. You're going to play soccer, but you're going to play against boys?

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I think much of it because I've always played against the boys, and I thought we could win. Every single game, we just went in positively. And if we went to go down, we didn't get our heads down. We kept encouraging each other.

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Check out your room. Olivia takes us upstairs, where she shows us her bag filled with many, many trophies.

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Oh, there's a lot of trophies and medals in there. Do you feel like people under estimated you and your other teammates? Yeah. How so?

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Well, some of the boys were laughing when they first played us and thought they was going to win by quite a lot. But we run. They were really surprised, and it just felt good to show them we can be as good as them.

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Before playing soccer, Olivia was shy and barely able to speak.

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How do you think you've changed in the last six seasons?

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When I first started, I wasn't as confident, but now I'm definitely more confident because of all our relationships with each other. And just playing football boosts my confidence.

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What is it about soccer, about football, that you think boosts your confidence?

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I think just playing because it just makes me feel proud of how far I've come. It makes me more confident.

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Today is game day for the Green family. Their mom, Haley, tells us watching her daughters get ready take the field is a modern day dream.

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How do you think sports for women have changed from when you were a kid to your daughters now?

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It's such a massive difference. I say to the girls how lucky they are. When I was at school, I would have about five minutes in a boys match, and it would be like a five minute pitch at the end of the game. And that's why my passion now is to encourage more people and help the girls as well in their football.

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Fed and ready, there's just one One more thing left for Olivia to do. The Invinciables are matching off against a team they beat twice before. On the sidelines, it's all business.

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So let's get out there and let's try and win.

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And on the field, it's all action. Right from kickoff, the girls dominate, quickly making the score two to nothing. Have you learned anything from them?

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Yeah, I think they work really well as a team, and their passes are a spot on every single time.

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Do you think their girls team, are they good opponents?

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Yeah, they're the best in the lead, easy. The girls making tight defensive plays, strategically, garder their territory. Even as their winning season comes to a close, the girls have gained so much more than just another trophy.

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I think her confidence outside of school, it's helped her massively. What about your girls? Yeah, they love it. I think it's great for their confidence. They've made so many different friendship groups through football that they wouldn't have had otherwise. They really trust each other. Yeah. And I think that comes really across in the game. The last two weeks have been unbelievable. But we literally just-We're trying.

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And while we were chatting-Yes. Where?

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Sorry, I made you miss the goal. I made you miss a goal. I'm sorry.

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Another goal. The girls bring on the W, a decisive three to zero.

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Good defense.

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How do you guys feel after the win?

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Amazing.

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Yeah, I like it. Invincible. Invincible.