The heroic Birmingham City Ladies team endured a heartbreaking end to the season – but now it’s business as usual again for one entrepreneurial player.
Blues Ladies were within touching distance of winning the Women’s Super League but ended the season just one goal away from the top spot after a 2-2 draw against Notts County Ladies on Sunday.
When she’s not setting up chances for Blues, central midfielder Jade Moore is setting up a company of her own – and plans to make a success of herself on and off the pitch.
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The 23-year-old has launched sports therapy business BeMore with Blues Ladies’ physiotherapist Tim Colledge.
Ms Moore said she regards the business as an “escape” from football which has increasingly become “more of a job than a hobby, as it has been before”.
She said the world of women’s football was transforming ever faster into a business – and believes that she can make the most of her natural confidence on the pitch to benefit her company.
“I am not a nervous player – you have got to have self-belief. It’s the same on the business side, you must have self-belief and I probably have more of it outside of football,” she said.
“I am lucky that I have Tim as a business partner, so he can focus on it as well. In the end we want to be taking a back seat.”
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Ms Moore founded BeMore in 2013 after building a career in sports therapy.
Working alongside BCLFC physiotherapist Mr Colledge, the business offers a host of services including rehabilitation, acupuncture and personal training.
The pair, who practise out of Solihull Moors Football Club’s stadium, started the business after previously being based in private clinics in the region.
Birmingham City Ladies ended the season on 25 points, an agonising one shy of the top spot, after missing a penalty against Notts County.
There was double disappointment as Liverpool’s win meant the team missed out on Champions League football for next season.
Ms Moore said she was confident the team had learned from the experience and would come back stronger.
She said: “We have a really young group of players, and I think that this is an experience which we can draw upon.
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“It is hard to come away from a season where we have been involved in so much with nothing. We haven’t got the Champions League, we didn’t win the title and we didn’t get second place – yet we were there or thereabouts for the whole time.”
She added: “To be honest, I am emotionless now. I have been banging my head against the wall saying ‘I can’t believe we didn’t do it’.”
Ms Moore, originally from Worksop, has played for BCLFC since December 2010 and won the Under-20s European Championships.
Money has started to flood into the women’s game and Blues have achieved beyond their means when compared to well-funded outfits like Liverpool and Manchester City.
But Ms Moore said her focus remained on the club and her new business, despite lucrative offers coming in.
She said: “Sometimes you have to allow the conversation to happen to see what other clubs can offer, but it’s a question of where you are happiest.
“You have to enjoy your football and I have enjoyed the four years I have been here. Other teams have offered me more money, but I’ve never been in it just for the money.”