‘DOWN TO EARTH’ is not a phrase that always springs to mind when it comes to footballers, but there are plenty of individuals who fit this description.
It is particularly the case in the women’s game, where players generally don’t earn millions from which male players often benefit and which can sometimes create a sense of arrogance and entitlement.
Lily Agg is one such example who comes across as a humble character genuinely appreciative of the opportunities with which elite sport has provided her.
The Brighton-born footballer, who qualifies to represent Ireland through her Cork-born grandmother, only made her debut in June following a protracted process regarding her eligibility. Already though, she has made a big impact, scoring two goals from four caps, including the all-important winner, as Ireland earned a pivotal win over Finland to confirm their place in the World Cup playoffs.
Agg paid tribute to her late Irish grandmother in the immediate aftermath of that game and spoke in more detail on her family background at a press event this week.
The 28-year-old also returned to her family’s roots this week, taking a trip to Cobh Ramblers and attending an U17 training session.
🇮🇪 @FAIreland #WNT star Lily Agg at our #WNL U17 training this evening
— Cobh Ramblers FC (@CobhRamblersFC) October 3, 2022
Lily is eligible for Ireland because of her Cobh grandmother and we were delighted to have her visit ahead of the upcoming play-off ☘️
She’s one of us now! 🤝#CRFC ⚽️🐏 pic.twitter.com/bfaBggKxNG
“I went back to see the family,” she says of the excursion. “It was really nice to have my mom with me because we never get a couple of days together.
“It was really sweet. We’ve lots of family and stayed with my cousins. I went back to my grandmother’s house. That was cute but a bit emotional.
“We went through a lot of photographs at the dinner table.
“It was a short and sweet trip, really nice.”
She continues: “It was the house my Grandmother grew up in, not where she died.
“Our own cousins still live in Cobh, so we stayed there and had a good tour of the place.
“Lots of my family work at the Commodore Hotel in different roles.
“We went there to have some nice coffees and they organised the logistics for the day.
From there, I went over to Cobh Ramblers, where my great-granddad [Michael Greene] was involved over [the course of] his life.
“Our family still does quite a lot within the club. I went down to meet the U17 team, they’ve just formed. It was really nice to watch them train and answer questions.
“You’ve got Michael, Liam, who unfortunately died recently, Finbarr and Brian. They are the O’Connors. My grandma was Breda Greene. My mom is Ruth Agg. They grew up with my mom in that area. We went through photographs of them around that era.
“It was really emotional. I’d like to think my Grandma would be extremely proud of me, for playing for Ireland. The family were really welcoming and it’s really important for them to see my mom again.”
Breda sadly died nearly 20 years ago, but Agg still has fond memories of kicking the ball around her garden as a young aspiring footballer.
“Yeah with my granddad,” she says. “Grandma was probably shouting about her plants and flowers, I’m pretty sure.
“It was one of them whereby growing up she used to laugh at me playing football. She found it funny that I had an older sister who hated football.
“She was so supportive and always allowed me to do it.
“It was an emotional few days for [my mum] to reminisce. She was close to her mother, as I am with her. The trip was very sentimental.”
And recalling the unforgettable night against Finland and how it sparked thoughts of Breda, the midfielder explains: “I looked at the sky and said a prayer because I wouldn’t be here without her. I do believe everything happens for a reason. Moments like that make it worthwhile.”
The player’s family were unable to attend that Finland match as “the flights went crazy”. However, speaking before Ireland’s playoff opponents had been confirmed, she added that they would definitely be there on Tuesday regardless of location: “There are two Air BnBs booked. One will be getting cancelled.”
Moreover, watching her produce a match-winning performance at Tallaght recently, it can be easy to forget that Agg leads a relatively ordinary life away from the spotlight.
When she’s not competing for Ireland or London City Lionesses in the Championship, she works in the education sector at a school in Barking around 20 minutes away from where her club team trains in Dartford.
“I still teach even though I’m technically full-time. Our schedule at City is training every day at 2pm. I go to work in the morning, teach and head straight to football and get home at 7.30pm.
“It is a full-time schedule because we’re there five days per week. A few of us who are a bit older work alongside it.
“It wasn’t quite full-time at the start but is now up to scratch even if it takes place in the middle of the day.
“Other clubs start at 10am. We’re doing different times but the same amount. This is my fourth season doing it and we’ve improved every year, as have the changes behind the scenes. We’re growing as a club.
“I’m working in further education, teaching boys aged 16 to 18. I did my training in secondary schools, PE teaching as such, but now I lecture students doing sports courses.
“The group I teach are good lads, to be fair. When I go in every Monday, they’ll say they saw my highlights or, recently, noticed I got sent off. I told them it wasn’t a sending-off. They watched it back and said it was a poor decision by the referee! I have good craic with them.”
She continues: “I go straight from school to training, having lunch on the go — that’s usually a quick bagel.
“They’re long days but it’s worth it. I enjoy it and they’re very good about it at work. They allow me to be off for these [Ireland] camps. It’s flexible and works well.”
So does Agg prefer having this variety as opposed to purely focusing on football?
“The way the game is going in the last few years, I could look at a club that I don’t need to teach alongside playing in terms of finances.
“But I’ve always done it because football was never my main income. It’s nice that you get paid whatever. I’ve always had to focus on teaching. It probably could change by looking elsewhere but right now the goal is staying with London City and getting promoted [to the Women's Super League]. I manage where I’m at alongside that.”
The job means that, unlike many footballers, Agg will have that safety net of guaranteed income when she does eventually retire from playing and does not need to feel too stressed about living the notoriously precarious life as a footballer.
“That’s why there’s a disparity in the WSL,” she adds. “With the top four, the girls are earning a great, life-changing wage — more than doctors. That’s fantastic but unfortunately, it’s not that glamorous in the rest of the teams. You’re just getting by on the bare minimum.
“When I grew up, I had to go to university for four years and think about something else because that was going to be my main income. Anything I get paid through football is a bonus. I think: ‘Wow, I’m getting paid to do something I absolutely love.’
“It’s really special that the young girls of today can say: ‘I want to be a professional footballer.’ They don’t have to worry, as such, about that.
“Also, I would recommend having something else because anything can happen in the game, like an injury, and it’s important to have something else, not as backup, but you can enjoy and happily go into.”
Consequently, it is no surprise that Agg is regularly imparting similar sentiments to her students.
“We’re at the academy where they do their education alongside training. It’s a bit like what I did at Arsenal [as a young player]. They’re linked to Barking Football Club and trying to play for the first team. There are some really talented boys and they don’t particularly want to be doing education.
“They want to be footballers but have people like me moaning at them, saying how important it is to get their qualifications. They can still be a footballer but have that in their back pocket if it doesn’t work out. They’re starting to slowly believe me and learn that.”