She had learned, over time, what it felt like to be overlooked. At twenty-five she trained with Sydney FC Women knowing her name would rarely be the one called first. She ran the drills, followed the systems, did the quiet work that never made highlights. Football had never been kind to her, but she loved it anyway - loved the rhythm of boots on grass, the early mornings, the belief that one good moment might still be waiting. The ocean was different. At Bondi Beach, she was certain of herself. The whistle, the flags, the endless stretch of water - this was where she belonged. Here, she was trusted. Here, she didn't disappear. She watched the tides the way others watched scoreboards, reading danger before it arrived, moving without hesitation when it did. Steph Catley had passed her more than once. At training. On the edge of vision. Another player, another lifeguard, another presence easy to miss when the world was already loud. Until the morning the sea turned. Until the whistle cut sharp through the air and Steph looked up in time to see her run - not away from danger, but straight into it. Calm. Commanding. Unafraid. A woman who did not need an audience to be extraordinary. And just like that, everything shifted. This is a story about the space between who we are and who the world sees. About loving two callings, even when one never loves you back. And about a quiet kind of devotion - built not on trophies or noise, but on the moment someone finally notices you properly, exactly as you are. Between the flags, she had always been enough.

After being recruited by Wolfsburg after the 2019 World Cup, Mila Bakker was determined to become the best forward of her age. After being named the Young Player of the Tournament, there was no doubt that she was on her way, with the Dutch, right-winger becoming a staple within not just the national team but also the highly competitive Wolfsburg squad. In 2020, after the disrupted season that left Mila questioning almost everything, new faces joined the Wolfsburg team, including German midfielder, Lena Oberdorf. With Mila's larger-than-life personality and Lena's down-to-earth spirit, both players found an unlikely friendship, despite the light bickering, and when Germany once again shut down, the two found themselves as roommates, trying to survive the lockdown together. With Mila always sneaking around the rules, and Lena having to come to her rescue more often than not, tensions began to brew between the two. At the national team, Mila's long-time best friend, Jill Roord, was dealing with her own problems, and after two seasons at Arsenal, she returned to Germany, to play alongside her best friend and Dutch teammate, meeting someone unexpected along the way. Yet, despite Mila's ever-giving love and compassion, there are pains that lie within her past. There are childhood hurts that are present throughout her adult life. After leaving her home country forever, and seeing her family ripped apart in front of her eyes, Mila's trust in others is never too strong. The love she has always seems to fail her. The heart others give, she can never give back. And it takes one determined person to help bring her out of that. You're On Your Own, Kid is the final installment of the Swiftly Pitched series, representing that it is important to depend on those who love you and that the friends you hold dearest may always bring surprises. The Story of Mila Bakker in the Swiftly Pitched Series

I'm always forever running back to you You're always gonna be someone that I want ---------- The twenty year old Evelyn McNeil was a wild card on the pitch, with her insane speed and strong tackles she was unpredictable. Off the pitch Evelyn got along with everyone, she was always down to do whatever whether it be going out clubbing or staying in and watching a movie. (She wasn't good at sitting still for them but she enjoyed watching them none the less) One person, however, clashed with Evelyn frequently both on and off the pitch. After getting her first England call up she excepted immediately with loads of excitement. Will she stay that exited when she finds out who she's rooming with? ---------- Grace Clinton x OC

✨ Three sisters. One legacy. A story stitched with love, rivalry, and the threads that bind them together. ✨ Clara Glotzbatch has always been the youngest, the brightest, and the dreamer of the family. With sketchbooks full of ideas and rings stacked on her fingers, she's ready to take on the fashion world, one stitch at a time. But being part of the Glotzbatch family isn't simple. With a fiery middle sister who feels left behind, and an eldest who can't always control her sharp tongue, every family dinner is a battlefield. Between ambition, rivalry, and love, Clara finds herself trying to hold the pieces together while chasing her own future. And then there's Leah Williamson, the steady hand to Clara's chaos, the quiet love that feels like home. As Clara prepares for the biggest moment of her career, she'll have to balance the weight of her family's expectations, her own dreams, and the fragile threads that keep them all tied together. Fashion. Family. Love. This is just the beginning of Clara's story. Book One

Alex McCabe is a force of nature. A powerhouse in midfield for Arsenal Women and the Ireland Women's National Team, she is known for her brutal strength, unmatched skill, and an attitude that makes even the fiercest of opponents think twice before crossing her. Built like a brick wall from relentless hours in the gym, her body is a canvas of ink, tattoos covering her from head to toe, each one telling a story she rarely shares. Her presence alone is enough to silence a room. Her reputation? Infamous. Fearless on the pitch and reckless off it, Alex has long lived a life of no consequences. She moves through the world as if nothing can touch her, and maybe nothing ever has. Every nightclub is her hunting ground, every woman she meets a potential conquest. She doesn't do love. She doesn't do attachments. And she definitely doesn't do guilt. Cheating, lying, and running from emotions? That's all just part of the Alex McCabe experience. Because when you're one of the best footballers in the world, people look the other way. Her teammates know her as an enigma, someone they admire for her skill but fear for her unpredictability. Everyone keeps their distance-except for two people: Katie McCabe, her older sister and the only person who has ever truly known her, and Leah Williamson, England captain and Arsenal's golden girl, who knows every inch of Alex's body just as well as she knows her own. Alex and Leah's relationship is complicated-if you can even call it a relationship. It's sex. It's comfort. It's late nights after games, tangled sheets, and bodies pressed together in the dark. It's something unspoken, something that neither of them acknowledges when the sun rises. They don't talk about it, because talking would make it real, and real is something Alex has never been good at handling. Leah understands that. She never asks for more. She never expects anything. That's why it works.

Gracie had always heard the stories about Alexia Putellas' obsession with football, but it wasn't until she joined Barcelona that she truly understood. The captain seemed to live for the game, nothing else mattered. At first, Gracie couldn't stand it. She had joined the team to prove herself, but Alexia's cold, relentless focus felt like a barrier she couldn't break through. But as the season went on, Gracie started to see what lay behind Alexia's intensity, a fierce drive to win, to lead, to be the best. And slowly, without realizing it, Gracie found herself drawn to it... and to Alexia in ways she never expected.