'It's a movement'

This article was first published in August 2024 and updated in July 2025

Leah Williamson will lead the Lionesses at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 this month – but will dash back afterwards to make it to a golf day in memory of her grandfather.

The 28-year-old joined the Arsenal academy in 2006, dedicating her life to football as she rose through the ranks to become captain of both club and country.

Despite her obvious aptitude for football, Leah tried her hand at most other sports when she was younger, finding a particular fondness for golf – in no small part because of her grandad’s passion.

“Golf reminds me of my family,” she said.

“The best day of the year for me is the annual memorial golf day for my grandad, John Baker, which is held in Milton Keynes every summer.

“He loved his golf. And it’s one day a year when loads of people come together to help raise money for the hospice he was in.

“I’m not sure how good he was but I know that he used to go on golfing holidays. My whole family love golf.”

When Leah first started playing football, average attendances in what is now the FA Women’s Super League were in the low hundreds.

By the time she led the Gunners out against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in February last year, Leah was playing in front of over 60,000 people. Not to mention the 87,192 fans who watched her lift the Women’s Euro trophy at Wembley in 2022.

And with this year’s AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl set to be the biggest women’s sport event to be held in Wales, Leah detailed her pride at seeing the growth of another women’s sport.

Leah said: “I’m so proud and grateful of the work that’s been done in women’s football. It wasn’t an easy ride. It was a constant grind to get the game out there and get us noticed.

“There were so many different moments along the way. The London Olympics [2012], the World Cup in Canada [2015], but when we won the Euros that kind of put us in a new stratosphere.

“So I absolutely love seeing other women’s sports take off in the same way, particularly golf. I genuinely believe that when one women’s sport grows, we all grow together.

“I don’t think it’s just about women’s sport. I think it’s about women empowering other women. It’s a movement.”

However, far from simply being an advocate of women’s sport, Leah is a golf nut – and she attributes this love to her upbringing.

She explained: “Apparently I’ve always had a natural golf swing and I started going down the range when I was about 10. In fact, my strongest golf memories are going to the range with my dad and my brother.

“I absolutely love going for a round of golf or hitting the range for a bit. Doing something that probably doesn’t come very naturally to me is a challenge. I really enjoy trying to get every ounce of ability out of my body.

“But the thing I love most about golf is the social aspect. How often do you go somewhere where there are no distractions? No noise, no phones. You can just play golf and have a good conversation with your playing partner. Absolute bliss.”