Skipper Leanne ready to sign off with win
Published:
SHE will soon be swapping Mintlaw for the beaches of Rio and a new life in the USA.
But 18-year-old Leanne Reid will have only Scottish Shield glory on her mind at Forfar tonight.
Leanne captains Mintlaw Academy against St Augustine’s (Edinburgh) in the final of the Scottish Schools’ Senior Shield at Forfar West End’s ground (6.30pm).
It will be her penultimate appearance for the school before she leaves in the summer to take up a football scholarship at the Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.
She flies in the next few weeks to join the rest of her college team-mates at a special 10-day training camp in Rio, Brazil, before moving Stateside for at the next four years.
Leanne, who is also a Scottish youth international, is determined to sign off her spell at Mintlaw with what would be her fifth national winners’ medal in a row.
She said: “It would be the ideal way to say thank you to my team-mates and coaches at Mintlaw for the part they have played in helping to set up the next exciting chapter of my life.
“I’m really looking forward to the trip to Brazil and staying in the USA, but none of that would have been possible without the assistance of everyone at Mintlaw.
“I only started playing football seriously four years ago, so it’s amazing how quickly it’s all happened.
“It’s because we have great coaches and a great set up at Mintlaw.”
Former team-mate Kim Little chose not to take up a scholarship in the USA, instead signing for Arsenal.
Leanne, however, isn’t sure if she will choose to continue playing at a high level in the long-term.
“I’m studying PE in the USA and will take stock of things once I have my qualifications,” she said.
Leanne follows tonight’s final by also playing for Mintlaw in the North of Scotland Cup final at Dingwall next month.
She is also off to France in July to play for Scotland in the European Youth Championship finals.
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