Mother’s Day | A catch up with Lisa Owen

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we spoke to City wing-back Lisa Owen, who balances playing for City with motherhood.

In September 2022, Lisa gave birth to her daughter Rori and since then has continued her fantastic commitment to the Club.

The defender, along with her Bluebirds teammates, train three times a week in preparation for Sunday’s fixtures.

“Is a huge commitment and finding a balance can sometimes be difficult," Lisa began. "Life isn’t always straight forward, especially with a toddler, but I know if I were ever to become overwhelmed, I’d receive the support from the Club and the girls.

“I know when my daughter is older, she will be so proud of me and what I have achieved with Cardiff City. I honestly couldn’t play for City if it wasn’t for my partner Andrew. He pushes me to play and supports me so much around football with my little girl.

“I love playing knowing I have my daughter in the stands watching. After any game, she’s the one person I want to go see and celebrate with. It pushes me to be better. I want to keep improving and it’s all because and for her. I want to prove and show to her that women can do anything.”

During their playing careers, City duo Owen and Emma Beynon have become mothers and have returned to become key members of the Bluebirds squad, while wing-back Danielle Green is currently expecting a baby.

Lisa added: “There are more women taking the time to have families within the game now. When I first started playing, it felt like a distant dream. The game felt very male-dominated and taking that time off would have felt a risk, but the game is becoming more and more equal and being a woman playing the game and taking the time to grow and mother a child can certainly be done.

That shows between me, Emma and others who have had children and others who are going to. Our children are the next generation and they’re our number one fans. It’s more than possible with the right amount of support and commitment.

“I’d say that the game is so important to us, but so is a life outside of football. We are all human and being women in the game, there’ll always come a time where we will have to make sacrifices, but having a baby certainly didn’t affect me playing. I just had to work that little bit harder and pushed myself that little bit more and it was all worth it.”