The Girl From Barry Who Grew Up To Be World Class

Ingle has travel a agelong measurement since opening her inferior profession pinch Vale Wanderers, a boys' squad successful Barry.

She was forced to springiness up nan athletics erstwhile aged 12 because Football Association of Wales (FAW) rules meant she could nary longer play pinch nan boys.

Thankfully for Welsh football, Ingle returned to nan transportation erstwhile her Vale Wanderers coach group up a girls' squad erstwhile she was 14.

She past played for Dinas Powys Ladies and Cardiff City Ladies earlier joining Chelsea for nan first of 2 spells successful 2012.

By that stage, Ingle was an established Wales international, having made her elder debut successful a 2-1 World Cup qualifying conclusion to Azerbaijan 3 years earlier, only a matter of weeks aft her 18th birthday.

Ward scored Wales' extremity successful Baku, pinch Ingle coming disconnected nan bench.

"It was a horrible game, horrible pitch, but this kid conscionable made it look for illustration she'd been doing it her full life," Ward remembers.

"She's conscionable a apical player… method is unbelievable, nan measurement she sounds a game, nan measurement she tin find a pass.

"She's my favourite footballer successful nan world."

Adrian Tucker was nan head who gave Ingle her first cap, successful an era erstwhile nan scenery was very different successful women's football.

"She was bully technically but she was besides really bully connected nan beingness side, which was a really large point astatine that time," he says.

"Did I deliberation she would spell connected to triumph 150 caps? In 2009, I didn't deliberation Wales would play 150 games. We were struggling to get 5 games a season.

"But since past location has been a roar successful women's shot and Sophie has been connected nan crest of that wave."