Leah Williamson has witnessed plenty of ups and downs in her career to date. She has won seven major honours with Arsenal, the club of her heart, but has also seen title races and cup finals slip away in tear-jerking fashion. She has tasted tournament success with England, captaining the Lionesses to the European Championship title on home soil in the summer of 2022, but had to endure the pain of watching from afar as her teammates fell just short in the World Cup final last summer while she recovered from a devastating injury.
No matter how high or low these moments get for Williamson, though, they come as part of the privilege of being a professional football player, something that young girls couldn’t even dream of becoming when the 27-year-old was growing up. That’s all changed drastically in recent years.
Working with Pepsi on its latest campaign ‘Where There’s A Ball There’s A Way’, Leah has teamed-up with Pepsi ambassadors Jack Grealish, Vinicius Jr and Heung-min Son. The campaign sees the players take-on a group of locals in a game of "Don't Let the Ball Touch the Ground" and Williamson is the one who steps-in to save the boys just when defeat seems imminent. It's a celebration of all the different ways to enjoy the game despite the forest of 'Keep off the Grass' and 'No Ball Games Allowed' signs that have become a feature of our cities.
“I really feel proud to be part of it,” Williamson tells GOAL. “Pepsi’s new Where There’s A Ball There’s A Way campaign is all about encouraging people to challenge convention and celebrate the joy of playing this beautiful game. We want to celebrate inclusivity and show that football is a sport for everyone and anyone, whoever they are and no matter their circumstances.”
Discussing such a message clearly evokes passion from Williamson, who had to overcome plenty of obstacles on her way to becoming the first England captain to lift a major tournament trophy since Bobby Moore in 1966.