Maria Thorisdottir, professional footballer for both Manchester United Women’s team and Norway’s national team has achieved a great deal both on and off the pitch 🏟️. She took some time to chat with us about her experience of learning English, the Women’s World Cup and the impact she hopes she and her teammates will make on the global football stage ⚽️.
A tale of two sports
Maria has been passionate about sports from a very young age- describing herself as an ‘active kid’. Growing up, she was always seen with a ball in her hands or at her feet, so it seems fitting that her love for sports led her to play professionally in both handball and football! After choosing handball first, it was football that scored the winning goal for her and in 2017, she moved to the UK to join Chelsea Football Club at which point she was learning and speaking English on a regular basis. After four years of playing for Chelsea she transferred to Manchester United in 2021. Despite having a busy football career and schedule, Maria dedicated time away from the game to achieve her MBA in Business Administration to help build foundations for her future. We hear all about this, and more in the interview below ⬇️.
Press play
Watch our interview with Maria Thorisdottir, and listen out for:
- Maria’s advice for those who are learning English
- Her inspiration for studying for her MBA whilst playing football professionally
- The evolving journey of Women’s football
- Her 7-year-old Golden Retriever, Theo!
Maria’s advice for students learning English
“Just trust yourself and just jump into it. It is really hard, but you will get there”
MARIA THORISDOTTIR
Are your students struggling with learning English? Or do they need some motivation to keep going? Maria Thorisdottir shares her advice for anyone learning English. Why not share this short clip with your learners!
The Women’s World Cup is being held in Australia and New Zealand this summer, so it’s a great opportunity to feature some football-themed activities for your classroom. Check out the following blog posts to help your students score lots of learning goals!