Congratulations to Christy Grimshaw who has received her first call-up to the international squad. The 25-year-old Aberdonian currently plays for Seria A club AC Milan in a midfield position.
Christy started her club career at Deeside girls before making her debut for Aberdeen Ladies in the SWLP when she was 17-years-old. She then moved to Miami for university and played college soccer for Barry Buccaneers for five years, before accepting an offer from FC Metz where she played in the French Division 1 Féminine.
We caught up with Christy about her international call up while in Belfast for our friendly against Northern Ireland in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers in September.
How does it feel to have your first international call up?
It was a really proud moment; I couldn’t stop smiling when I found out. As a player, representing your country is what you’re always working towards, so it’s a real honour.
It’s definitely the right time for me. I’ve learned a lot on the physical side of the game from my time in America and all about the technical skills in Italy, so this experience has shaped me into the player I am today.
What did your family say?
My family is so proud. They have seen me play since I was a little girl and watched me work as hard as I could to fulfil this dream, so to see it now turn into a reality is just unbelievable. It’s made all the hard work worthwhile.
How did you find out about the squad selection?
I had a really relaxed chat with Stuart about a week before the players going on this camp were announced, and he said good luck for the Coppa Italia Final and don’t think about anything else – just focus on that. I didn’t think anything else of it as I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
I found out the day after the Coppa Italia Final which we ended up losing to AS Roma, so it was the perfect pick me up!
What do you think you could bring to the team?
I hope to bring speed and an attacking mentality. I see the goal and I just want to go for it. I’m definitely a team player, if someone is in a better position than I am, then it’s my job to give them the ball.
I used to play football just to play football, but now I’m really interested in the tactical side of things. At AC Milan, there is a huge number of staff behind the scenes, and they are very big on sharing the analysis and trying to improve our tactical knowledge, so it’s that’s something I’m really hoping to bring into this team, as well.
Have you learned a lot from playing in the US and Italy?
Playing abroad has been a big part of my personal development. I like to chase challenges, and I believe this is what has made me grow more and more into the player and person I am today. It’s really important to me that I’ve had all these different experiences playing abroad as I feel there were a few aspects of my game that definitely needed improving, and now I’m ready.
The Scotland squad is a really talented group, so it’s up to me to prove my skill and that I deserve to be there. I watch all the Scottish Women’s National Team games as well as some of the players in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, the FA WSL and oversees – it’s a really special team.
This is an exciting new chapter for me, and the one that’s meant the most so far, so I’m ready to give it my all.