Samantha’s journey proves where you start doesn’t define where you finish

A former Barnsley College student who started on a Level 2 course and repeatedly resat her GCSE Maths has gone on to graduate with First-Class Honours in Physiotherapy, establish two businesses and work at the highest levels of professional football.

Samantha’s journey has taken her from volunteering at a local football club at 17 to working with Manchester City, England Women’s Football and Team GB. But behind those achievements is a story of serious injury, academic setbacks, determination and taking a different route to reach her ambitions.

Football had been a huge part of Samantha’s life from the age of 10, with her playing at a high level and progressing to Leeds United FC. However, serious injuries to her right knee involving her ACL and meniscus led to multiple operations and ultimately brought her playing career to an end.

The injuries also had a significant impact on Samantha’s education. One operation coincided with her GCSE examinations, with Samantha sitting some exams in hospital while recovering from surgery and taking strong pain medication.

She said: “At the time, it was difficult. I felt like I was already behind before I had even started. Because of my GCSE results, I had to start on Level 2 and my College journey took three years rather than two. I also had to resit English and Maths alongside my main course, and Maths took me several attempts.

“When you’re young, it’s very easy to compare yourself with everyone around you. Seeing other people progress more quickly made me question whether I was academic enough or good enough to achieve the career I wanted.”

With her plans for a playing career disrupted, Samantha began considering other ways she could remain involved in sport. Her own experiences of injury, surgery and rehabilitation sparked an interest in physiotherapy.

Her first application to study Physiotherapy was unsuccessful, but rather than abandoning the ambition, Samantha began looking for another route.

She added: “I think I developed a mentality of finding another route rather than accepting that something couldn’t be done. There were plenty of points where I could have decided it wasn’t meant to be, but every setback seemed to make me more determined to find another way.”

While completing her studies at Barnsley College and resitting GCSE English and Maths, Samantha enrolled on a Level 3 Sports Massage evening course.

Samantha said: “College gave me the opportunity to build the foundations I needed to progress. I was able to complete my diploma while resitting English and Maths and, at the same time, I chose to complete my Level 3 Sports Massage qualification in the evenings.

“Having tutors who could see beyond an exam result and recognise what I was capable of made a huge difference. Without that foundation, I wouldn’t have been able to build the career I have today.”

After qualifying in sports massage at 17, Samantha volunteered and shadowed at Stocksbridge Park Steels Football Club to gain practical experience.

She said: “At that point, I wasn’t thinking about money or job titles. I just wanted somebody to give me an opportunity to learn. When I look back, there is a direct line between being a teenager willing to volunteer my time for free and the opportunities I have today. Volunteering gave me experience, contacts, confidence and, most importantly, a chance to prove myself.”

Samantha eventually achieved the qualifications she needed to progress to Leeds Beckett University to study Sport and Exercise Therapy. At 19, while continuing her university studies, Samantha established her own mobile sports massage business.

Her physiotherapy career was also beginning to develop. After gaining experience with Stocksbridge Park Steels, she progressed to Frickley Athletic before securing an opportunity with Sheffield United’s Academy and later working with the first team.

Alongside her work in football and private practice, Samantha gained experience in the NHS and developed an interest in education. She completed a PGCE and established a second business focused on training and professional education.

The ambition to become a physiotherapist had never disappeared. Years after her first unsuccessful application, Samantha applied to the University of Bradford and was accepted onto its Physiotherapy degree.

“I genuinely didn’t believe I was academic enough to become a physiotherapist,” she said.

“I had poor GCSE results, started at Level 2, spent three years at College, struggled particularly with Maths and didn’t get onto Physiotherapy when I first applied.”

While studying Physiotherapy, Samantha's career in elite sport continued to develop. In the second year of her degree, she successfully applied to join the England Women’s medical setup.

She said: “I remember seeing the job while I was studying Physiotherapy and thinking I might as well apply and give it a shot. It was definitely one of those things I thought I wouldn’t pull off, but it was worth a try. When I was offered the role, it was quite surreal.”

An opportunity with Manchester City followed, meaning Samantha was simultaneously studying full-time, running two businesses and working within elite football. The experiences helped transform the confidence of someone who had once doubted her academic abilities.

She said: “I’m still the same person underneath, but I’ve learned that confidence isn’t necessarily about being the loudest person in the room. For me, it has come from experience, preparation and knowing that I’ve earned my place there.”

In 2025, Samantha achieved the qualification she had once questioned whether she was capable of completing, graduating with First-Class Honours in Physiotherapy.

“Graduating with First-Class Honours in Physiotherapy is probably the achievement that means the most to me personally,” Samantha said.

“Working with organisations such as England, Manchester City and Team GB is something I’m incredibly proud of, as are the two businesses I’ve built. But the Physiotherapy degree represents something different.

“To eventually return to that original dream and graduate with a First was a full-circle moment. It wasn’t simply receiving a degree. For me, it proved that the limitations I had placed on myself when I was younger weren’t actually my limitations.”

Her healthcare career has also placed Samantha in situations where the skills she worked so hard to develop have helped to save lives.

She added: “To think that the student who once struggled to pass Maths could one day use her education and clinical skills to help somebody in that way puts everything into perspective. It also makes me appreciate why every stage of the journey mattered, including the difficult parts.”

Samantha's journey continued in 2026 when she was offered an opportunity to work with Team GB Football alongside her other professional commitments.

“Where you start doesn’t determine where you finish”

Today, Samantha is a qualified physiotherapist, educator and owner of two businesses, with experience spanning healthcare and some of the biggest names in elite football. Her advice to students is grounded firmly in where her journey began.

She said: “Your GCSE results are a snapshot of one period of your life; they don’t have to determine the rest of it. A disappointing set of GCSE results might change your route, but it doesn’t have to change your destination.”

For students questioning whether university or their dream career is achievable, Samantha has another message.

“Don’t make the decision for yourself before you’ve even given yourself the opportunity to try. I went from resitting GCSE Maths multiple times to graduating with a First-Class Physiotherapy degree.

“If somebody had told the younger version of me that I would eventually be a physiotherapist, run two businesses, teach other people and work within elite sport for Manchester City, England and Team GB, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.

“You might have to take the longer route, but the longer route can still take you exactly where you want to go.”