We caught up with Southgate Women’s newest recruit Imi Swann ahead of this weekend’s home fixture against Harleston Magpies…

Welcome to Southgate Imi, what made you choose to join us here at Trent Park?

I chose to join Southgate because it’s always been a prestigious club with a great reputation. I attended Southgate summer camps when I was younger, which gave me a real feel for the club. Now that I’ve moved back home after uni, it made perfect sense to join a club of Southgate’s stature.

What has been your favourite moment or highlight since joining the team?

My favourite moment so far would have to be beating the University of Nottingham in our pre-season game. It was the first time I saw the real potential of our team, especially considering they play in the prem.

What are you most looking forward to contributing to the team this season?

One thing I bring to the team is stability in the midfield. I’m confident in my ability to hold possession and rarely lose the ball, which helps maintain control in key moments.

What’s a piece of advice you received early in your career that still resonates with you today?

The advice that has stuck with me since I was a kid is to play because you love the game. You have to turn up to training every week, so you might as well do it out of passion and choice.

What do you think is more important for a team’s success: talent or chemistry, and why?

I believe chemistry is more important than just talent. Skills and technical ability can be taught but if the team doesn’t get along well, it won’t reach its full potential, even if you have all the talent in the world.

If your team had a theme song that played every time you took the field, what would it be?

The song i’ve chosen is Bring Me Joy by Rudimental and Karen Harding

How have you found your first games this season and what are you looking to see from the team as you line up against Harleston on Saturday?

I’ve really enjoyed my first two games for Southgate. I think we’ve played some great hockey, though we’ve been unfortunate with the results. However, I have a really good feeling about our home game against Magpies this weekend. We were pushing hard against Barnes, and this weekend should be a great game to watch. Hopefully, we can score some goals and get our first 3 points of the season.