Central Coast Mariners star Brooke Nunn tells aleagues.com.au how her decision to walk away from Arsenal after eight years at the English giants reignited her love for football, and how she hopes to use her experiences to guide the next generation of Mariners stars.
Brooke Nunn was just 10 years old when a game of park football with her cousin’s friends led to an opportunity that changed her life forever.
“It’s funny how it all aligns,” Nunn told aleagues.com.au.
“I used to play football down at my local park with a load of boys. My cousin used to take me, it was all I wanted to do.
“Funnily enough, one time there was a scout just walking past and he must’ve been watching, and he gave his number to my cousin and said: ‘Bring her down for a trial, we want to see how she goes’.
“And it just rippled from there.”
The scout was from Arsenal. London-born Nunn supported Chelsea, and still does to this day – but that didn’t matter.
It was a chance to join an English giant that Nunn seized with both hands, beginning her journey from the Under-10s all the way to the first team, where she won six trophies in a decorated stint at the Gunners.
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But Nunn’s story followed an all too familiar arc for kids thrust into the academies of clubs in the European elite; the pressure to perform, and to make the most of the golden opportunity, sat heavy on the shoulders of a kid whose journey into adulthood was defined by her status at Arsenal.
So much so, that Nunn walked away from the game altogether.
Now the forward reflects on her two-year hiatus from football, and how rediscovering her love of the game sparked a journey through England, Turkey and Scotland to Australia, where she now calls Central Coast Mariners home.
“Playing for Arsenal felt surreal,” Nunn said.
“I was playing with world-class players like Kelly Smith and Rachel Yankey, and I had to level up, I couldn’t take my foot off the pedal, I had to be on the same wavelength as them or I was going to get left behind.
“And they taught me so much, and it’s just something I’m so grateful for. I’ve been able to bring that experience into my football and real-life scenarios so far as well.
“I was literally there for about eight years; I went through the ranks from the Under-10s all the way to the reserves, and then made it to the first team. Then I had Champions League and international experience there. That really built my foundation to set the tone for the rest of my career.
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“I was so young and naive, I just always thought it would be my life. It was all I knew.
“I got comfortable with it, thinking I was going to be a footballer. Then when I was older and in the Arsenal first team, it was more demanding, and I took a step away from it.
“I was like: ‘I need to find myself. I’ve just done football, football, football – is there more to life?’ That’s when I took a couple of years away from football.
“I do think it was very hard. Because you’re missing out on so much; my friends were doing this or that and I couldn’t go because I had training, so I feel like I missed out on so much in my childhood because I had to be so disciplined.
“If you see my resumé, I have a few years missing. Everyone was like: ‘Where did Brooke go?’
“I was just working normal 9-5 jobs. I worked at Tesco for a while. But I was living for the weekend, and it didn’t suit me. I thought: ‘I’ve got to get out of this’.
“I got to a place where I felt I needed to take control of my life, I wanted to make something of myself, and football’s what I’m good at. It slingshot me back into the industry, and I just put my head down and carried on.
“Football always had my heart. It was something I was really good at, and it was my escape. I felt so free and could be so creative, it was like it was my soul’s calling to play football.”
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At Arsenal, Nunn had achieved it all: two Women’s Super League titles, two FA Cups, two League Cups, and a Champions League debut as the youngest member of the Gunners’ European squad in 2011.
But for all the trophies, and the status that came with playing for an English powerhouse as an up-and-coming talent, Nunn forged an identity that didn’t sit well within her. She was a player who had forgotten the key reason why she loved the game in the first place.
“After my time at Arsenal, I learnt not to define my worth by my performance,” she said.
“I held onto who I was at Arsenal because I was a young and up-and-coming talent with all the potential. I remember people told me: ‘If you stop playing football, you’re going to be a massive loss to the women’s game’.
“I knew my potential, and knew what I was capable of, but I had barriers and wasn’t able to reach those heights. So I struggled a lot mentally.
“I always determined my worth on whether I was or wasn’t playing. It was like, if I’m not playing, I’m not good enough. I had to really go deep inside, get to know myself better and understand why I felt that way, what triggered me to not feel worthy and be able to love the sport for what it is, but not attach myself to it so much. It doesn’t determine the person I am.
“That’s the biggest challenge I’ve had with football: letting it define me, instead of enjoying the game and remembering I play it because I love it, because I’m good at it, and because it’s fun. Not because it’s my status, or who I am. I’ve been blessed to have never had an injury, it’s been more about how I perceive things, and how I look at the picture.
“Mindset is such a massive thing in football, and people don’t understand that. They think it’s all hard work. Yes, that plays a part, but if your mind isn’t right, if you’re not in the best possible place you can be, I don’t think you can perform to your best ability.
“Mental health should be pushed into clubs to focus on the person before the player.”
Nunn is now 32 years old and, after successful spells at Championship clubs London Bees and London City Lionesses as well as overseas sojourns at Turkish Club Altay SK, and Motherwell and Hibernian in Scotland, the experienced forward is continuing her career revival in the Ninja A-League at the Mariners.
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The exciting forward has been a breath of fresh air on the Central Coast; animated goal celebrations and energetic attacking play have been the hallmarks of her on-field performances in Gosford through 23 league appearances under head coach Emily Husband, en route to the Finals Series.
This week, the Mariners host an Elimination Final bout against Canberra United at Industree Group Stadium; the stakes are raised, but Nunn is making a concerted effort to ensure the playing group bounces into the weekend without fear of defeat, or making mistakes.
Her approach to football in her 30s is shaped by the experiences of her youth when raised stakes caused Nunn to forget what made football so important in her life – a lesson she’s hoping to teach to the Mariners’ band of exciting young players, highlighted by Young Matildas stars Tiana Fuller and Peta Trimis.
“I have quite a big, bubbly personality and I like to express that on the pitch,” Nunn said.
“You have fun with it as well. It’s not so serious, we’re not in the military. We scored a goal, let’s celebrate. I like to help that contagious energy to ripple around the team. Be free and express yourself, we’re all unique, we all have our personalities and character, we’re not just footballers, and you can show people that as well.
“Don’t hide away from who you are. I think it’s good to be authentic – then everything gravitates and aligns in your life. The people who judge you, they’re not meant for you, so be a free spirit.”
“We are a very close squad,” Nunn added. “So we’re very supportive and able to have open, vulnerable conversations and pull people aside if they’re not doing things right and encourage them in the correct way, and I love that. I’ve had my experience, and I can project that onto the up-and-coming talent.
“I think this league has so much potential and it’s really moving in the right direction, it’s created some amazing talent such as Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord, and I feel players like Tiana (Fuller) and Peta (Trimis), they have the world at their feet, and as long as they have the right support and guidance, they can do anything.
“My experiences helped me grow as a person, appreciate things more and to get an understanding of myself. To show that no matter what happens, if you really put your mind to something, you can achieve anything.
“I feel like I needed it, to give me the drive and persistence I have now, because you know there are a lot of people who go through that scenario, and when they stop, they think they can’t get back into it, or they’re too old, or it’s too late. No. You can do whatever you want to. It’s you against you at the end of the day.
“As long as you’re in control of your mind, then nothing can get in the way of that.”
Nunn and the Mariners welcome Canberra United to Gosford in Sunday afternoon’s must-watch Elimination Final. The winner will progress to the Semi-Finals to take on either Melbourne City or Melbourne Victory for a place in the Ninja A-League Grand Final.
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