Frankie Frize on choosing volleyball over football and Olympic ambitions
Stretford volleyball star Frankie Frize says turning down both Manchester United and Manchester City was the spark to ignite her sporting journey. Frankie, 16, initially excelled at football before falling in love with all things spikes, sets and volleys from an early age.
Share this story
Both United and City recognised her promise on the pitch, inviting her for trials when Frankie – who studies at Urmston Grammar School – was just 11-years-old. England Volleyball also came calling and Frankie, who has now racked up caps for her country’s Under-17s side, says she has no regrets about turning her back on football.
“I’d been playing football since I started school, but there wasn’t the same drive as there was when I was going to volleyball training,” said Frankie, one of 10 athletes financially-supported by a partnership between SportsAid and Gateley - the leading legal and professional services group.
“I remember being in school and my mum called me to say I’d been selected for England for volleyball. On the same week I’d been asked to trial at Manchester United and Manchester City, so I had to choose at the age of 11 because they were both going to take up a lot of time. But there was no competition. I told the football clubs that I’m not bothered about going – I was going to the England trial and there was no debate about it.”
With an England youth call-up up already under her belt, the travels and expenses that come with being involved in sport at an early age can be demanding. So Frankie was delighted to have been recognised by SportsAid and Gateley – who work with forward thinkers and new talent, in both business and in sport.
Gateley are proudly partnering with SportsAid to give additional support to promising stars across the country and Frankie, whose mum Louise first inspired her passion for volleyball, says the funding is a major boost for her family.
“It’s extremely important for me,” she added. “My mum’s a single mum, so it takes the pressure off her because it’s really expensive to play volleyball. With the travelling and the kits, it all adds up, and it’s a really nice feeling to be recognised out of everyone who applied.”
Louise encouraged her daughter to get involved in a six-week volleyball programme at school and the Manchester ace has gone from strength to strength ever since. Lockdown brought its challenges but Frankie enjoyed playing with her sister, Tilly, to keep her sporting skills up to scratch.
Volleyball has never enjoyed the visibility of other elite level sports in England, with the international side competing at the Olympics just once at London 2012. So Frankie has had to look further afield for inspiration, finding exactly that when travelling to Italy for a European tour two years ago.
Frankie is in a minority of non-white volleyball players in England but relished gaining an insight into the multicultural nature of the European game. She’s determined to be a female trailblazer herself and hopes Olympic qualification can lay the foundations for inspiring the next generation.
“There’s not been many players in England, but I went to a competition in Italy and we watched these Italian teams and there was this incredible black woman playing,” added Frankie. “I thought that was amazing – I’m probably one of the only non-white players in the whole of England. There’s very few.
“I would love to play in the Olympics, but we haven’t qualified in the past that much. But I’m hoping by the time I’m old enough to play in the seniors we’ll have a nice strong team so that we can.”
Gateley is a legal and professional services group working with forward thinkers and new talent, in both business and in sport. They are proudly partnering with SportsAid to give additional support to promising young athletes across the country in a variety of sports.
