Studious Dowie hungry for a taste of Canada
Life after football. So often it seems like another world for players in the prime of their careers, with a decade down the line impossible to comprehend in the relentless schedules of the fully-immersed professional.
England's Natasha Dowie thinks differently, however. The Liverpool striker may only be 26 years old, but she has set her sights on a smooth transition between careers, with a place on the touchline her desired destination.
Coaching is clearly a passion close to her heart, and while fighting for a ticket to the FIFA Women's World Cup™ is her present goal, her eyes light up when she drops her latest achievement into a chat with FIFA.com. “[Coaching] is something I'm very interested in,” she explained, “I did my UEFA B [Licence] last year and looking to do my A in the next couple of years.”
That would just leave her UEFA Pro Licence – the top qualification in Europe – and from the sounds of it, Three Lionesses coach Mark Sampson is just the man to fuel her passion for teaching the game. “Mark's a real technical coach so he wants his players to become almost students of the game,” she explained following England's 2-1 win over China PR.
“Being a qualified coach, I like to study the game, so I think that comes naturally to me and he wants us to keep on improving. I'm only 26 but you've got to have a career beyond football. I'm very passionate about the game and want to stay involved with it.”
And Dowie has every reason to want to keep football as part of her life, with the game firmly in her blood. Her uncle is former English Premier League and Northern Ireland striker and manager Iain Dowie, while her father Bob is the former Director of Football at Crystal Palace and a coach as well. An eventual switch to the sidelines therefore feels like “just a natural progression”.
With plenty of expertise in her corner, Natasha is first to admit to the benefits of growing up in a football family. “It's definitely a bonus. [They] have been a massive influence in my football career. It's great to have two real role models in my life who have played the game at the highest level, coached and managed. They were always very supportive of me, ringing me up, seeing how I'm getting on.”
And there is practical advice as well as encouragement on offer.“[Iain] says I score more goals than when he used to play, but it's great to get advice off him whenever I need any, while my dad is a centre-half so he fills me in on what he doesn't like to play against!”
Diverse options on show
It is details like that which could be the difference between Dowie making it to Canada 2015 and not, such is the fierce competition for places up front for the recent Cyprus Cup winners. “You can't win a tournament with just 11 players, it's got to be the whole squad on and off the pitch. [Sampson] can potentially start with one pair and then with another the next game, who are just as strong, which is great.”
“Jodie Taylor's movement is very clever, Leanne [Sanderson] is a really good player and person as well, Fran (Kirby) has been doing well, Eni (Aluko) is there with her pace, so we all have those different edges that we can bring and that's why it's going to be a tough decision for Mark.”
And how about Dowie herself? “I think I'm a goalscorer. My hold-up play is very strong. I like to think I'm a target player and bring others into the game. My movement is quite clever but I like to think my main attribute is that I'm quite a prolific scorer.”
She was thought to be a shoe-in for the UEFA Women's EURO in 2013, but despite ending the season in September as the Women's Super League's top markswoman – and winning the first of successive titles with Liverpool – Dowie found herself omitted from Hope Powell's final squad. “I've never been to a tournament with the seniors so I'd love to be involved this time,” Dowie reflected.
“I feel I've proven myself at club level year-in, year-out so now it's just up to Mark. Missing out has only made me hungrier to get back involved.”