Ruby Mace | The Making of a Lilywhite
From the fields at Buckhurst Hills to being named in the senior matchday squad in pre-season, midfielder Ruby Mace is determined to keep pushing following exposure with the first team squad earlier this season.
In the ‘Making of a Lilywhite’ series, we sat down with Ruby to talk about her footballing journey so far and get to know her a bit better…
Beginning of her journey…
“When I was younger, around seven years old, my best friend's family were very much a football family and I was very close to them. So, one day, me and my best friend were just playing it in the garden and, ever since then, I've just played it all the time. We both went on to join Buckhurst Hill, one of my local teams, and then her dad became the manager, so I played there until I was 14 years old before my move to Spurs came about.
“I went to this football camp and there was this scout for the Club that said that ‘I was quite good’ and he knew Jenna [Schillaci] so then I went to a Spurs trial as well for the Under-14s age group – and I have been here ever since.”
The start of her time at Spurs…
“I joined at Under-14s level and I was in the same team as Jhanaie [Pierre] and Grace [Breen] who I’m with in the Under-19s set-up now. It was all quite smooth sailing in my first season, then I went on to play Under-15s, then the Under-16s where I got my opportunity with the Under-21s quite early in. It was a Final against Brighton & Hove Albion and that was when I made my first appearance for the Under-21s – now known as the Under-19s.
“I played the rest of the season with that age group, stepping up an age group higher most of the time before getting my offer for the Under-19s. Unfortunately, I got injured quite early on and had about 10 months out. I managed to come back in December, 2024 for my first game, played a few matches, around a month or so, and then got injured again. But, ever since then, I've been back, I'm better and I have enjoyed the last few weeks.”
“I feel a lot more comfortable around the environment and having people that you’ve had from the beginning of your journey, seeing how they've grown and seeing how you've grown as well, it's been really nice and being able to play week in, week out with them is really fun and exciting.”
A full circle moment at the Club…
“Myself, Mia [Endacott], Jhanaie and Sophie [Jackson] were in the squad for the first team against Arsenal in pre-season in August, which was brilliant. It’s quite interesting because I remember when I was younger, I went to Borehamwood to watch a game, it was Spurs v Arsenal and I got a photo there. So, then being involved in that fixture many years later was a full circle moment and it was quite good motivation to see what you want, how to achieve it with the first team, helping you become who you want to be.
“Even being around the first team in pre-season, it shows you the level, Martin [Ho] was very open and honest about what he wants out of players and kind of gave me that stepping stone you want to be in the first team.
“I’m quite a calming presence on the pitch and I always try to get on the ball, keep possession ticking over with different style of passes – long or short – and try to make as much of an influence on the match as possible.”