As back-stories go, Sophie Howard has plenty to draw from.
Born and brought up in Germany, with English and Scottish parents and having also spent time in America, Howard is a multi-cultural footballer who heads to her second World Cup, having been to an under-20 version with Germany.
Her experiences within the other countries’ setups – she was once called into an England “Next Gen” training camp squad – had not left her totally enamoured with international football. It was only when Scotland came calling that she felt truly at home.
Howard said: “I grew up in Germany. We came over to Scotland and England quite often when I was smaller. The more football I played, the less we came over. I played in Germany up till I was 18. Then I went to the States for a few years, came back to Germany and moved to England to play for Reading.
“I had a very British upbringing in the house. I went to a German school and I had German friends, but when I came back, it was quite British. We had British traditions. We celebrated Christmas on the 25th. For everyone in Germany, it is the 24th.
“It was all about going home to see the family on mum’s side. I see a lot of them now obviously. They’re in the Edinburgh area and I stayed with my uncle last week. I’ve always had a close relationship, even when I’ve been living in another country.
“My roots are British – my mum, Sarah, is Scottish and my dad Neil is English, so I can’t say I feel English or Scottish. I spent a lot of time here, now living here, but all my holidays used to be England or Scotland. My home is Germany, because my mum and siblings still live there. I have a younger brother, who lives in Paris, and my dad just moved to Spain!
“I grew up in Germany and my childhood friends are still there. If I say I’m going home, I’m going to see my mum. But my roots are here.”
Scotland’s women face England in their World Cup opener on Sunday, their first experience of going to the tournament. However, Howard was part of the Germany squad that went to the under-20 World Cup in Japan in 2012, although she did not to play as they finished runners-up to USA.
Howard said: “At that time that was my biggest experience. It is the biggest crowds I had played in front of, or been involved with because I didn’t play. I do know how to deal with that pressure. That was with Germany and they went into that tournament as one of the favourites and having experienced that, I do know how to deal with pressure.
“But this is a completely different story. This is the full national team and this is Scotland. We have the whole nation behind us and we know we have their support. The pressure on us is the pressure we put on ourselves. We want to do well.
“Obviously that was a great experience but that’s not the highest you can go. I knew even then that I didn’t just want to be involved. I wanted to play a part.”
The 25-year-old, who was born in Hanau, played in boys’ teams until she was 16. Her twin sister Samantha also played football, as the sport played a crucial role in the Howard household.
There have been no discussions though with her father about his allegiances. He will be firmly in the Scotland camp.
“Obviously he’ll support me – he has no choice. They have always been supportive, whatever I’ve done. When I was playing for Germany’s youth team, that was the same. My mum’s heart is obviously with Scotland, though.”
