Rania Oukriss | The making of a Lilywhite

Having worked hard to become a Spurs player at Under-15s level, Rania Oukriss has faced plenty of adversity throughout the past year, but that has seen the exciting midfielder grow as a person – on and off the pitch.

In the ‘Making of a Lilywhite’ series, we sat down with Rania to talk about her footballing journey so far and get to know her a bit better…

Choosing football and working herself into an Academy…

“I remember my parents taking me to loads of after-school sports clubs in primary school when I was really young. I was doing tennis, rugby, badminton - pretty much something every day. Eventually, they asked me to choose one and, even though I enjoyed all of them, football was the one I loved the most. I was actually good at the other ones too, so it was a hard decision. I even won gold at a tennis tournament when I was younger, so tennis was definitely an option.

“Once I decided football was for me, I only played for my primary school team until about Year Three or Year Four and that’s when I joined my first grassroots team, a boys’ team called FC Cippenham – it was very local to me. Later on, one of my primary school teachers, who was a big advocate for girls’ football, created a girls’ team and invited me to join. We entered our local league, and I played there until around Year 8.

“At around Year Eight or Year Nine, I joined Wycombe Wanderers’ Academy. At the time, they were really good for exposure - they played against academies and had showcase games. That was my last team before joining Spurs at Under-15s.”

Becoming a Lilywhite…

“One of the trial days was actually on my birthday and I remember one of the recruitment staff speaking to my dad and saying they already had too many midfielders, which is where I played. They asked me to come in as a training player but train up an age group with the Under-16s. After a long wait, towards the end of that season, I finally got signed and, since then, I’ve still been here.

“When I first came in, I wasn’t really familiar with an Academy environment. It took a lot of adjusting, especially being so young and not having come through the system earlier. At Under-15s, I spent most of the season just trying to learn - adapting, understanding expectations and getting to grips with everything. Then, at Under-16s, that was where I really started to settle, I found my rhythm, started playing more and gained confidence. That season was also different because we played against boys, which exposed me to new challenges, tactics, and ways of thinking about the game.”

Overcoming injuries and setbacks…

“After Under-16s, I started performing well, but then injuries came along. Those setbacks introduced me to a whole new environment - learning how to take care of my body, understanding rehab and managing recovery properly. My journey at Spurs has been very influential, especially over the last year, it’s taught me a lot - not just as a player, but as a person.

“I suffered an injury while being in another country, on my own. It forced me to mature and become more independent. No one is going to wait for you just because you’re injured. You have to get up, stay on top of your rehab and push yourself to come back stronger. That responsibility added layers to me as a player, and I’m seeing the benefits of that now. I honestly don’t think any setback can mentally or psychologically affect me the way it might have before.”

Her style of play…

“Everyone’s going to have their own opinion, but for me, my game is quite expressive. Yes, it’s about points, winning, scoring, and assisting - but it’s also about what happens in between. That’s what defines players. I like to let my feet do the talking and, for anyone watching me for the first time, I’d say just sit back and enjoy it.”