Welcome to ‘Together We Rise’, a new editorial partnership from VERSUS and Nike exploring the women who are blazing a trail to shape the future of sport and culture. Nike’s Third Kits for the 24/25 season have turned the Swoosh vertical to mark the non-stop rise of women’s football – and this is where we celebrate the players and fans who have made this change possible.

Lenna Gunning-Williams isn’t your typical teenager. The 19-year-old’s first love has always been football but there wasn’t a blueprint for her to follow when making the decision to turn pro. Having played the character of ‘Jack’ in the popular CBBC children’s TV series, “Jamie Johnson”, for several years, Lenna was faced with a difficult choice: do I pursue an acting career or fulfil my dream of becoming a footballer? Luckily for Spurs fans everywhere, she made the decision to perform on the pitch over the screen. Born and raised in Enfield, North London, Lenna has worked her way through the club’s academy ranks, making her senior debut at just 17. She made six appearances for the first team before joining Ipswich Town on loan where she ended 23/24 as the club’s second-highest goalscorer with 14 goals. The sky really is the limit for this young baller.

Lenna spoke to us after wearing Spurs’ new third shirt to discuss the power of community, the importance of having football kits that empower players and fans alike, and her words of advice for the next wave of changemakers.

Is there group chat and does it pop off when people know this is going to happen? 

You just know the ones that are going to go all out. I'm definitely one of the ones that goes all out, as well. Most of the time at training, I'll just wear a tracksuit because I just woke up. When I know there's pictures, I might slap a jean or a cargo on, a nice jacket. You can kind of tell when there's pictures there.

‍How important is it for women's football to operate in cultural pockets more, like music, fashion and gaming?

I think it's very important because it puts us more in the spotlight that we deserve to be in. It shows that we're not just footballers, that we have personalities outside of the sport. The girls at Spurs, we love music. We've got so many different cultures and genres of music as well. Sometimes we'll have a Swedish song, or we'll have a Spanish song, or we'll have an English song. I like the fact that we can all get involved in things like that and I want the public and the wider world to see that women footballers are also interested in the fashion side, the music industry and community projects. We're not just robots and we do like doing other stuff as well. I think it's important that we get highlighted doing those things so that more people are influenced and they see that we're not boring people, we're really interesting.

‍That is it right! You'll have people that will struggle to breathe at the airport because they know that someone like Erling Haaland is in the same terminal. It’s been that way with men's players for so long now. If you have women's footballers and women's athletes in those sort of off-pitch, cultural spaces, you're then going to get to a point where people are acting like that with them, too.

I think it's really good though. It's definitely started to happen over the past couple years. You see people asking for our shirts after games. You wouldn't think that anyone would ever want a women's player shirt which would be like any other shirt to someone, but you see them asking for autographs and signed shirts at the end of the game. We've got this new thing now where only a certain amount of us are allowed to stay out after games because it's just so chaotic, and as much as it's chaos, I love it. Sometimes I'll just stand and I'll see all these people are there to see us. They've taken time out of their weekends to come and watch us play simply because they want to. I don't think you understand it until you're in it, but it's a really heartwarming experience and I'm so young, as well.

I'm at the start of my career. In my eyes, I haven't necessarily achieved anything yet but the fact that people were asking for my shirt or people were messaging me like “I've got you on EA FC.” My card is rubbish by the way, it genuinely is rubbish! And you know what, I'm not going to argue because I'm on the game and some people aren't so I'm very grateful for that. Like even my family group chat was popping when I said it. They were like, “yeah, you're 57 rated, but you're on the game. People can play with you!” The fact that I've got teenage boys and girls messaging me being like “I've packed you!” saying they've scored a hat-trick with me. That is wild to me. A game like EA FC, like come on! We've all been playing that since we were young, before there were even women in the game, so now that I'm on it and this new uprising movement – it's mad to me. I could talk about it forever.

‍The fact that you are just at the beginning of your career that's so exciting.

It is so exciting and I feel like because I'm just on the cusp, I saw what women's football was like when it didn't get all this press, when it didn't get all this traffic. But now I'm seeing how much it's changed and I've not even necessarily been in it that long. I genuinely think the game's just going to explode and when I'm at my peak, whenever that is, I think it's going to be massive. I feel like I've come in at the perfect time and it's so exciting.

‍Have you thought about what it will be like at the peak of your career and how much more it can change?

I think about it all the time. Every time I'm at training, if I make a bad pass – and it's only recently that I've been able to twist this in my head because I'm very self-critical – before I'd make a mistake and I'd feel like I'm rubbish, I shouldn't be here, how did Spurs even give me a pro contract? But now I know I'm making these mistakes now but in five, seven years, whenever I am at my peak and really thriving, these mistakes are going to mean nothing. In my head I'm going to be thinking, “yeah I did a rubbish pass but I'm Lenna Gunning-Williams and I scored a brace the other week and I've done this and I've won that”. I just think it's so exciting to look at the future and I'm very much a ‘be where your feet are’ and ‘stay present’ person because the future can be very daunting, but the future is something you can change. You can affect your future, we can't affect our pasts – as much as we think we can and we want to – and sometimes the past really haunts us. The future is something we can actively change so that just excites me. It's all on me. I take full responsibility for my development and my progress, and when I fall down I know that it's on me. So I just know as long as I keep my head screwed on there's nothing really stopping me.

‍If you could give advice to your peers who are still grafting, and the next generation to get to the point where you are, what would you say to them?

I'd say it's just pushing yourself when no one's watching. I think it's very easy to flaunt yourself and try really hard when you've got a coach watching you or you've got a scout watching you, but I think it's what you do when there is no one else around you – when it's just you in the gym or on a training pitch. Off-season is a massive part of it. There's no one sitting there telling you to run here, run there. If I don't do my work it's not going to affect anyone else but me, and I've learned that I need to be pushing myself even when I'm not going to get praise for it. That's the advice I'd give: just do it because you want to do it. Do it because you want to achieve and then nothing's really going to stop you.

‍If you could choose a musician to pen a track for ‘Together We Rise’, who would you choose and why?

Mmm…I’m going to really think about this because the campaign is so specific and talks about something quite massive. Coldplay because I feel like they're very inclusive and every type of person goes to their concerts. They let everyone in and I've never heard anything about them being controversial or saying out-of-pocket things. ‘Together We Rise’ is all about inclusivity, so I would pick Coldplay. I think they'd make a great banger for it.

Spurs' 24/25 third kit is available to purchase now via Nike.com

---

Lenna wears Nike, Hey Harper, HOOPS + CHAINS LDN and LE KILT.

VERSUS: ‘Together We Rise’ is the messaging for this campaign. When you hear that phrase, what does it mean to you?

‍Lenna: It's the rise of women's football, but not just women being part of that uprising, but the men's side of the game also being a part of that. I think the fact that the Nike Swoosh is like this on the men's third kit as well is a really nice touch. That together, we all are united and we're all going for the same level of equality.

Why do you think it's important that it's a collective effort?

I think it's very easy to separate the sport into the men's side and the women's side and see it as two completely different sports. As much as we can possibly keep it as one sport and be very united on that front. I think that helps with everyone else that's not necessarily involved in football, getting involved in it because they see it as one game. Not just “I'm going to go watch women's football or watch men's football,” they're just going to watch football.

‍When I heard that phrase, ‘Together We Rise,’ it reminded me of the saying “it takes a village”. If you want to achieve big goals, of course it's important to back yourself and always have that self-belief. But sometimes, you do just need the support of the people around you.

Yeah, 100%. I agree. I think if you ask any sort of athlete, whether it's football, American football, golf – whatever it is, it takes your friends, it takes your family, teammates, coaches, everyone to make you the player you are. I wouldn't be half the person I am without my family and friends. And I definitely wouldn't be half the player I am without my teammates and staff. So it really takes everyone in your support system to make you the best version of yourself. I couldn't do it by myself and I know that for a fact.

‍This is my favourite kit of the third kit range. What do you like about it?

I think it's unreal. I love the colours and the badge is my favourite part of it. The retro theme. I love when brands bring the retro elements into kits, especially the collar. And obviously the Nike tick being the uprising one. It's my favourite kit out of the three, to be honest.

‍I really like the colour and I found out it’s to do with the seven trees that were planted by the Seven Sisters, hence Seven Sisters Station!

Oh, how did I not even know that? A lot goes into kits nowadays. Kits are a massive part of the game, just how they look as well as the fashion side of it. But now I know the heritage that goes into this kit as well! I do think kits play a massive part in football.

‍That builds into the next question: why is it important that Nike stitch these stories into kits? 

I think the impact is, it gets people talking, because the more people that talk about the kit, the more interest the club gets. I look at a team and the first thing I want to know is what their training kit looks like? What's their match day kit like? I think kits, and just fashion in football, is really becoming a thing because even non-football fans, you'll see them wearing football shirts when they're out and about. And if you can make the best-looking shirt, then you're going to sell more. People are going to unintentionally promote the kit because they'll just be out. I've got some of my mates that have no interest in football whatsoever, but they'll be wearing this kit and they'll be wearing the away kit, the home kit. I think kits have just become everyday clothing now. People aren’t thinking they can't wear jerseys because they don't play football.

‍The role that kits can play in pushing women's football forward. What do you think about that?

The fact that there are a lot more women players in campaigns now. I think a lot of kit shoots used to just be the top men's players and they'd be at the forefront of the kit and that's how it'd be advertised in stores and online. But now you see that women are the face of it and they're showing that, yes, it is one game, but there's the women's side and the men's side. The women's kit has a nicer fit to it - It feels good and I'm very much a believer in ‘feel good, play good.’ So I think the comfortability of the kit and knowing that it's different for the men and women because we just have different body types is a massive factor and I think it's an important factor and it's good that Nike's addressed it.

‍In terms of football and fashion, and you've spoken about it a little bit, those worlds are being pulled closer together everyday. What do you think about that – is that something that you want more of in the game?

I absolutely love it. I'm very much a ‘fashion girly’. I used to dress very “generically”, but nowadays there's just so much you can do. You can freestyle what you wear so much and it still works. Even just layering, and outside of football, I'll wear my old Spurs kits because they just go with the outfit I'm wearing and I don't care that it's a football kit. As long as it goes, it goes! We have our arrival pictures which I think are so cool… 

‍You know there’ll be a shooter there on the day, so you all plan your fits in advance? 

We get a text the night before saying there's going to be pictures on arrival, and some people aren't bothered at all, but I plan my outfit the night before. We've got to wake up extra early to make sure it looks and fits right in case I need to change it. I love it. I like being comfortable in what I'm wearing and if I feel good, I just feel like I radiate a bit more.