Off The Shelf | Jenna Schillaci - now available on all platforms
Thu 13 July 2023, 12:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
The second episode of our all-new official podcast Off The Shelf is now available on all podcast platforms including including Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google.
Following in the footsteps of our launch pod with Ledley King last week - also available on all platforms - we now present an hour in the company of another legendary former captain, Jenna Schillaci.
Hosted by modern day great and fans' favourite Michael Dawson, alongside our Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles, Jenna takes us through her remarkable journey, her love of Spurs - she was a fan and a regular at the Lane with her family before playing for the Club - and gives her thoughts on where the women's game finds itself today.
An integral part of the rise of Spurs Women, Jenna first joined the club at the age of 16 in 2000 and after playing for QPR, Langford and Enfield, returned in 2009 to spearhead a remarkable climb up the women's pyramid culminating in promotion to the Women's Super League in 2019. Jenna retired at the end of that first WSL season, 2019/20, and in 11 years, made over 200 appearances, winning eight trophies, most memorably clinching the FA Women's Premier League South title by beating West Ham at the Lane in 2016/17.
Along the way, Jenna broke down barriers to reach the top - not bad for a girl who had nowhere to play as a youngster until her father set up Wormley Girls FC when she was six. "Ever since I can remember I had a ball at my feet," she says. "But going back almost 30 years, there were no girls' teams, so I couldn't really dream of playing (professional) football. I played with boys and on the street, and luckily I was quite good, so I got away with it! I guess I kept knocking on doors and, eventually, it all worked out. It's not until now I've stepped away that I realise what we did as a team and personally... to see where the game is now is mind-blowing!"
All episodes of Off The Shelf will appear first and exclusively on SPURSPLAY. After that, they will be available on all your usual podcast platforms including Apple, Amazon, Music, Spotify and Google.
Introducing... Off The Shelf
We are delighted to launch our all-new, official podcast, Off The Shelf.
Off The Shelf will bring you even closer to our great Club, telling often untold stories from the current playing squad to the legends who went before them, the staff who keep everything ticking over behind the scenes and, of course, our fans, the heartbeat of Spurs.
In our first series of six podcasts, we'll speak to legendary former skippers and Club Ambassadors Ledley King and Jenna Schillaci; our esteemed captain and World Cup winner Hugo Lloris; another goalkeeping legend, Heurelho Gomes; Academy graduate Oliver Skipp and from Spurs Women, defender Molly Bartrip, who has a compelling story to tell.
Each podcast is dedicated to its subject, shining a light on their careers, and the stories that define them. How did Ledley feel when he was told he’d have to retire? What has it meant for Hugo to captain our Club for almost 10 years?How did Jenna react when she was told she couldn’t play football as a young girl? How did Skippy climb through the ranks from Academy to first team? How did Molly overcome serious health issues to reach the top of the women’s game? What was the one thing Gomes wished for when he left home in Brazil to pursue his dream in Europe? You’ll hear those answers and more...
And who better to present our podcast than one of our modern-day greats and fans' favourite, Michael Dawson! 'Daws' joined us in January, 2005 and spent nine years at the Club, making 324 appearances in all competitions for us until departing in the summer of 2014.
Michael finally retired after 20 seasons as a professional for Forest, Spurs and Hull City in August, 2021, and stepped straight into new roles as our Club Ambassador and as a panellist on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. A true leader, Daws radiates enthusiasm - his love for the Club shines through.
Joining Daws is our Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles. 'Milesy' has been at the Club since 2000, interviewing our players and managers for 23 years - including every game of Daws' Spurs career! You may have seen him in the last couple of years as part of our N17 Live matchday team.
All episodes of Off The Shelf will appear first and exclusively on SPURSPLAY.
After that, they will be available on all your usual podcast platforms including Apple, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google.
