“Players do well because they play on a team that’s successful, or because they have great players around them.”
Kim Little grew up surrounded by athletics. Both of her parents were extremely active, and her brother also participated in sports. Little tried her hand at cross country, cycling, badminton, tennis and soccer, which emerged as the leading candidate for Little.
“There were a lot of opportunities for me where I was from,” said Little. “My school had a girls’ team so I played with them, and most of the girls on my school team played for a club team we had in the area. That was pretty unusual going back ten or fifteen years ago to have a club and a school like that. I just kind of had a really good environment.”
Little’s many opportunities to train and play, would lead to her becoming known as one of the game’s best midfielders.
After starting her professional career with Hibernian in the Scottish Women’s Premiere League, Little moved on to play for Arsenal, where she would first meet then Arsenal assistant coach, Laura Harvey.
“She’s [Harvey] a very relaxed coach,” said Little. “She lets players [express themselves] and knows their strengths. It makes [her] a lot of fun to play under.”
During her time at Arsenal, Little would help the team to win three FA Cups, and win the FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) twice. Individually, Little was awarded FA Women’s Player of the Year in 2010.
Having showcased her skills with Arsenal for five years, Little made her move overseas to rejoin Harvey at Seattle Reign FC. Along with her move came the need to adjust to the American style of play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
“Sometimes it can be very hectic, and not particularly good football, but it makes the game so fast and kind of exciting and kind of tiring sometimes,” said Little “I think in Europe sometimes the play is a bit more controlled.”
“Playing a team sport I always find it a little funny when people get honored for individual awards because its primarily that you’re just doing your best for the team to win,” said Little. “Of course it’s nice, I’m not going to deny that. It was nice to be recognized and have that kind of highlight Seattle and the success we’ve had here for the past couple of years.”
Little’s real focus remains on the team around her, which is currently fighting for a spot in the NWSL playoffs.
“We know each other very well, and we want to do well for each other,” said Little. “We want to be resilient and finish the season on a high.”
Little will be available for selection in tomorrow’s match against the Chicago Red Stars. The game will be live-streamed on the NWSL’s official YouTube channel and can be watched at youtube.com/nwsl. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT at Toyota Park.
