If there’s one thing you need to know about Milly Boughton, it’s that she’s passionate about football, about her education and about her family.
Last week, the 17-year-old made her debut for Tottenham Hotspurs in the Conti Cup, becoming the youngest ever female Australian footballer to play for a professional English club.
Boughton entered the match in the 78th minute in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Bristol City – a surreal moment for the London-born Aussie. It took a few minutes for Boughton to get on the ball, but once she did, the talent of the youngster was apparent.
“When I came on, my heart felt like it stopped. How have I come from being a girl in Sydney playing in a local club, not even making the state team, to playing for Tottenham?” she said after her first Conti Cup match.
Boughton moved to New South Wales when she was two years old, playing for Football NSW (FNSW) Institute and attending Westfields Sports High School.
Halfway through her final season with FNSW Institute, she decided to move back to London for family reasons and trialled for West Ham United.
A year later, she was picked up by Tottenham Hotspurs, playing with their U21s squad. It was a quick rise to the top – not long after arriving at the club, the first team coaches asked her to train with them, just once a week at first, and then full-time.
“I went from playing just in front of my family, to playing in front of a crowd and having people cheer my name, people wanting to get my autograph and take photos with me.”
The professionalism of the Tottenham set-up, along with the quality of the world-class players she’s exposed to have exponentially improved Boughton’s game in the last 12 months.
“The best thing about playing in England is being so close to such big names. I’m training with Beth England and players who have represented their country in the World Cup.”
“The possibility of playing against clubs like Chelsea with the likes of Sam Kerr, Millie Bright and Lauren James in the WSL is so exciting.”
Now that she’s made her debut, Boughton is excited to get her next opportunity with Tottenham to continue doing what she does best. But first, she’s representing her country with the CommBank Young Matildas in China.
“If I told my 14-year-old self that I was going to play for the U20s when I’m 17, I would have thought, no way. The adrenaline I’m feeling is insane, but I’m ready to prove myself and prove that I deserve to be here,” Boughton stated.
But she isn’t just passionate about football – Boughton is extremely grateful for the support of her family, especially her younger brother Jack.
“I was an only child for 12 years until my little brother Jack was born. He’s been a big part of my life; I think I would have been quite spoilt if I didn’t have him.
“Having Jack is like having my own little fan. He is one of the only people I can hear when I’m playing, I can always hear him shouting my name. I’m so proud to be his big sister.”
Now in her final year of schooling, Boughton is completing two A-Levels after finishing her Higher School Certificate in Mathematics in Year 10 at Westfields Sports High School. With the support of the school, Boughton has been able to shift her focus to further developing her football.
The 17-year-old reiterated how grateful she was for supportive teachers and coaches, especially CommBank Matildas Head Coach, Leah Blayney, for supporting her both as an athlete and a student. Off the pitch, Boughton’s goal is to study economics.
“My economics teacher Miss Rees at my school has made me fall in love with the subject. I’m so interested in it; I just want to learn in every lesson. She is also so supportive of my sporting career.”
“Economics is what I want to study as well as play football, and I have her to thank for that. Without Miss Rees, I don’t think I’d still have that love for school.”
With passion and flair, there’s no doubt that this youngster is certainly one to keep an eye on.