Spurs in Spain: Our three Academy players reflect on experience

Ahead of preparing for another intense training session under the sweltering sun in Spain, with temperatures at around 38 degrees, Heidi Hills, Sophie Jackson and Jhanaie Pierre spent the morning at our base to relax and take in all the emotions of a whirlwind pre-season so far.

For Jhanaie and Sophie, they have been in and around the first team environment for nearly 12 months now, but the experience continues to be beneficial every single day.

There was also a special moment for ‘JP’ who celebrated her 18th birthday with the whole squad on camp, which resulted in Sophie bringing out a cake and the players singing ‘happy birthday’ after the dinner.

Whereas for Heidi, this was a completely new exposure. The youngster had been training with the first team since the first week of pre-season and has made her mark with Martin Ho and his coaching staff.

Arguably one of the highlights has been all three of our Academy players spending their downtime playing a number of card games with the likes of Kirsty Hanson, Jess Naz and Araya Dennis, connecting on a personal level to individuals they have watched up on TV while growing up.

After 12 days on camp in Spain, they told us what it has been like to work under Martin Ho and the first team as they prepare for the 2026/27 season in the Women’s Super League.

What has the experience been like with the first team on the performance camp in Spain?

Sophie: “It's a really good experience to see the difference between the academy level and the first team, and how we've come up through the academy and then we've gone up through into the first team, the pathway to get here. Seeing the way the players act on and off the pitch is a big thing that we can learn from their behaviours but also get to know them on a more personal level.”

Jhanaie: “It’s s a great opportunity that we've been invited up to go on tour with the first team and I feel like the girls have been quite welcoming. They're easy to talk to and there's a lot of experience in the group that helps us in the training. Off the pitch, standards need to be maintained while on the pitch, the tactical side plays a big part in what Martin wants to do and what he sees that the team can do.”

Heidi: “It's a very eye-opening experience, it's very different to anything that we've ever done before. The way you interact with the players and get to know them has been something. It’s been interesting to learn the standards on the pitch, but then also away from the pitch, there's players like Kirsty that have been really good to help integrate us with the team.”

Heidi and JP, you had the opportunity to come on against Granada and gain valuable minutes with the first team. What did it mean to get that opportunity under Martin?

Jhanaie: “It was good. Getting minutes against a good side in Spain and I feel like it really shows us what we could possibly experience going into the season. The pace was different, much different to what we're used to at academy level, and I feel like it was a good experience and it just helped us overall.”

Heidi: “Experiencing senior minutes for the first time was a bit surreal, having the opportunity to come on against Granada. I think that it helped set an idea of the standard level for them to reach and where we need to set ourselves to compete at this level on a more regular basis.”

Sophie, what has the goalkeeper union been like, especially with Selma Panengstuen coming in?

Sophie: “Selma coming in has added another good personality to the group. With the goalkeeper union, you have to be able to push each other but also support each other, and I think Selma and Lize [Kop] are really good at doing that with me. I feel like I always can ask them questions and learn from them. Then, hopefully, they feel the same that I can support them. Also, with Ian [Wilcock] as well, the way he handles the three of us has been really good.”

You have now seen the support from fans back home and even in Spain, how does it feel to represent the Club at a senior level?

Jhanaie: “I feel like it's great. It's great to support Spurs and it's great to see we have a big support system. Even coming abroad to watch our games is massive for us, and we're grateful for them coming out and supporting.”

Sophie: “I think JP summed it up well. I think having the fans at the game and the support that they give is really important for us and our performances. It shows that we're a big club and there's a lot of people that want to be out here supporting us, so we try and give everything we can for the fans.”

Finally, how did you spend your downtime in Spain to connect with the first team players more?

Heidi: “We had quite a bit of downtime, so we spent it chitchatting with different players from the first team to get to them better. Us three played a lot of card games with the likes of Kirsty [Hanson], Araya [Dennis] and Jess [Naz]. We also played a bit of table tennis as well. It's good to spend time with the people that you may not have spent time with before, off pitch, to connect on a personal level and all the first team players have gone out their way to get to know me and all the Academy players.”