​Molly Stroud is aiming to turn her dream of becoming a professional footballer into reality, with the support of a two-year academy deal at Manchester City. Coach Dave Leonard believes she could easily play in the Women’s Super League, if not compete in the Champions League, highlighting her potential as the 16-year-old from Plymouth joins City after being scouted while representing Wales Under-16s last August.
Stroud is set to move from Devon’s Under-16 boys’ league to training alongside the global best at the reigning WSL and Women’s FA Cup champions. She says the opportunity reflects the payoff for her hard work and dedication, especially given the limited exposure she receives living in the South West. “Living down here we don’t get as many opportunities or exposure as you would up there, so this move up is fantastic,” she notes.
As a centre-back who has played with boys since primary school, Stroud believes the experience has been crucial to her development. Although she jokes that the boys still tower over her, she recalls being the tallest in her group at age 12 and notes that playing with boys since age ten has kept her challenged physically. She thinks she can still compete technically, though she admits this season may be her last with the boys, making the transition bittersweet after so long.
In addition to her club duties, Stroud captains Devon Girls’ Under-16s and helped them win the ESFA Inter-County Cup final last month, defeating Durham 2-1 at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium. Devon coach Dave Leonard says Manchester City is among the biggest teams in Europe, if not the world, and praises Stroud’s attitude, determination, and steadily improving technical and tactical game over the past five years. The boys’ game experience has given her the strength and competitiveness needed for the women’s game, and Leonard believes she will thrive at the next level.
The move will require Stroud to relocate to Manchester, living with a host family about 300 miles from her Devon home. Her family is proud of her achievement; her father, Brett, a former professional rugby player with Plymouth Albion, says City’s stature underscores what she has earned through sheer drive. Since childhood she’s been known for lacing up a ball and begging her father to kick it around, a sign of her lifelong passion and dedication.