Gemma Bonner, a defender for Liverpool, has carved out her own history in the hallways of The Academy in Kirkby.
The center-back, who led the Reds to consecutive WSL crowns in her first tenure on Merseyside before returning for a second stint in January, is the first female player to have a changing room named in her honor at the club’s training camp.
As a result, she has earned a place at an elite table alongside notable people like Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, and Sir Kenny Dalglish, who all had locker rooms named after them.
Academy director Alex Inglethorpe came up with the concept, feeling that the “time was right” to honor one of Liverpool Women’s most renowned performers. As a lifelong Reds fan, Bonner sees the action as yet another demonstration of the team’s dedication to creating a true synergy between its men’s and women’s teams.
She tells the ECHO that it was a huge surprise and really emotional. Having something like that amid such exceptional guys who have unquestionably created a history at the club is, in my opinion, a great honor. It was so emotional for me to see my name up there, and I don’t believe it’s really hit home yet.
However, I hope that by sharing my story, I will encourage not only young ladies but also young boys who will attend the academy in the future. It’s a big step, in my opinion, for the club as well. It is really significant to me.
The timing of the honor could not have been more appropriate. Bonner, who now holds the record for the most appearances made by Liverpool women, will play in her 150th match for the team this week if she is chosen to start against Chelsea.
This season, the defender has made 17 appearances in the WSL and has been instrumental in the Reds’ return to the top division. Even while Bonner is still focused on making sure Matt Beard’s team finishes in the top five, she is moved by the idea of accomplishing yet another noteworthy milestone while wearing a Liverpool shirt.
She says, “I am (very proud).” Since returning, time has flown by, and although I never would have imagined as a small child that I would have performed this so much, I am really proud of it. Every day I strive to be the best version of myself, and perhaps there will be a few more to come. Although I don’t really think about records, I suppose I will in the future. It’s extremely special for me to be able to put on the jersey that many times.
She feels it helps that we’ve had a fair amount of time to get ready for the game. We know we want to compete and place as high as possible on the table, but we are not under any pressure to perform well coming into the game. We’re in a good spot, I believe.
We must approach the game fearlessly and capitalize on the fact that they played (in the Champions League) over the weekend. It goes without saying that we have had some tough outcomes against the best clubs, but we have also defeated some of them.
We should be excited for the game and ready to give it our all because it’s at home and we’ll have a great crowd behind us. Although they have come so far in so many years, you have to respect them to some extent, but we can’t treat them too highly going into the game.
Bonner thinks this team has a lot more left in them for the upcoming years. “Looking back it probably started towards the end of last season with some of the results we got,” she explains.
We’ve been able to bolster the roster, and the arrival of young players has brought a lot of freshness. We are confident that this squad has a lot more left in them; all they need to do is find a way to execute consistently.”