'If it wasn't for my parents I wouldn't be a footballer'

"It was always my dream. All I can remember from when I was little is being in the garden with my dad and brothers kicking a ball," said Beth Roberts.

After helping Wolves Women secure promotion to Women's Super League 2, Roberts, a 25-year-old university student from Staffordshire, has fulfilled her dream of becoming a professional footballer with the club.

She said her love of the game was fostered by her father, Tony. She started playing football with her family, before joining Bradwell Belles aged nine, later progressing through Stoke City's academy and joining Wolves.

"I'm proud of myself but I'm also proud of my family because I wouldn't be where I am without them," she said.

Roberts, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, described the moment Wolves secured promotion after beating Plymouth 1-0 in the play-off final at the end of last season as the "best feeling ever".

About 10 members of the squad, including left-back Roberts, have now taken professional contracts.

"I still can't get my head round it," she said. "I just can't believe that I'm a professional footballer."

For Roberts, chasing her dream meant giving up her job as a physiotherapy assistant at Royal Stoke University Hospital, where she was completing a degree apprenticeship with Coventry University. The university has allowed her to transfer to its full-time physiotherapy course, meaning she can continue her studies.

"I absolutely love physiotherapy," she said. "I would have been devastated to give up my degree but they've helped me find a way to continue my studies while following my dream."

Roberts said the transition to professional football had been "a massive change" for her and her teammates.

"Many of us left careers in teaching, healthcare and office jobs to take this opportunity," she said. "To go through that journey together and see everyone's dreams come true has been really special."

Along the way, Roberts has faced setbacks including a hamstring tear in 2018 and a fractured collarbone in 2020, which both needed lengthy rehabilitation. Those injuries helped inspire her interest in physiotherapy.

"I know how much it means to recover from an injury and I want to help others do the same," she said.

She added the growth of women's football had made it easier for young players to imagine themselves having careers in the support.

"When I was younger we were playing football in boys' teams and there weren't many opportunities," she said. "I've still managed to become a professional footballer, so if I can do it anyone can do it."

Playing for the Lionesses is one of Roberts's long-term ambitions.

"Sky's the limit," she said. "Just got to keep working hard and see how far I can get."

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