WHEN Chloe Arthur was a little girl, she spent much of her free time kicking around a football in the streets of Erskine until dark.
Yet despite her passion for the beautiful game, she never thought that her hobby would one day become a professional career.
Fast forward some 20 years, however, and Chloe has now joined Crystal Palace as a midfielder following her release from Women’s Super League (WSL) side Aston Villa in the summer.
The 27-year-old Scottish international recorded an assist on her debut for the South Londoners – a 1-0 win against London City Lionesses – and started the 3-0 win against Coventry United.
And despite suffering a 2-1 loss to Southampton on Sunday, Chloe remains optimistic about the prospects of the Eagles this season.
She told The Gazette: “We’ve got a brand new team, and that can take quite a while to gel, but the people there are amazing and I absolutely love it.
“The three main things that I value is having good people, good coaching and being happy, and all three of them have been ticked off.
“The demands from our coaches are high, with everyone is putting in the work and trusting the process.”
Chloe has won 33 caps for her country since making her professional debut in 2015 and was recently called up to Pedro Martinez Losa’s squad for the 2-1 friendly defeat against Holland and the 6-0 World Cup qualifier win against the Faroe Islands.
They play Austria in the first round play-off tie at Hampden Park next month, with the winner taking on the Republic of Ireland for a spot at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Looking ahead to that international fixture, Chloe, who started out with Celtic before moving to Hibernian in 2014, and then to Bristol City a year later, said: “I think as a team we are feeling quite confident. We have had quite a period of time together now to work on the style of playing that we have adopted.
“Next month is going to be massive for us and hopefully we can win on the night, especially since it will be at Hampden.
“It’s amazing to represent Scotland. To put on the shirt every time is such an honour and when the national anthem starts playing, that is when it properly hits you.”
Chloe admits that, over the years, the pressure to perform at a high level in every match has put a strain on her mental health.
She said: “Football looks so glamorous from the outside, but there’s lots of lows with it as well.
“You have to love it to still be in it, because mentally it can be really draining. It’s either really high or really low, there is no in-between.
“You have to have that real passion for it to play it at a professional level.
“I wouldn’t say that I have overcome mental health, but it’s a hurdle that I have had where for years and years I was silent about it.
“It’s the main thing that I have dealt with and still deal with, I guess.
“I’m in a really good place now, and that’s why moving to a club where what I value aligns with what the club values, because at the end of the day, you are the most important person, and you have to be happy.
“I have been at clubs before where I have been really happy and not happy. Being in the middle to the bottom end of the table in the WSL, where you’re constantly being defeated, it becomes really draining.
“It’s something that I am proud of to say that I have managed to overcome it and speak about it – it’s a massive subject and a lot of people do struggle.”
Despite these hurdles, Chloe has no intention of leaving the sport she has adored playing since she was a child, along with family members such as her brother Ryan and late dad Gary, who was one of 10 people killed in the Clutha disaster in Glasgow in 2013.
The former Park Mains High pupil said: “I have the most amazing memories growing up playing football. The first thing that pops up in my mind is being out all hours, with no phone, just having a laugh with nothing to worry about.
“I’d say I still have the same passion for football, but it’s a different type of passion. Now it’s a job and there’s pressure in an elite environment, so it’s a different feeling from what it was, but I guess that’s why I’m still playing football to this day, because I still have that passion for it.”
And with the England women’s football team clinching a 2-1 victory over Germany in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 final, Chloe believes there hasn’t a better time to be playing the sport professionally.
She said: “We went to watch a lot of England’s games, including the final, and the atmosphere was unreal.
“I think it’s boosted the nation a little bit and, even though I’m Scottish, it was amazing to see for women’s football.
“Some people still might judge women’s football without even having watched a game before, but I think it’s popularity has grown massively over the summer.
“I think this will continue, as it can’t really go backwards now, so that’s exciting.”
Chloe believes any girls who may now be considering a career in football should “go for it.”
She added: “The main thing is that you enjoy the sport, because when it becomes professional, it can be very pressurised and you also have to put the graft in.
“But if there are people saying you can’t do it, I would ignore them, because you 100 per cent can.”
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