Female Football Focus 2022 – Lara Cain (Llangefni Town Ladies FC)

It’s a big happy 24th birthday to Llangefni Town left-winger Lara Cain!

She is the eldest of five Cain children, all of whom are heavily into sport.

As well as Lara, there is Ryan, 22, Jody, 19, Jack, 17 and 15-year-old Kyla.

And not forgetting parents Patrick, photographer and video man for CPD Y Felinheli and CPD Merched Bethel, and mum Bethan, who follows all of her children’s progress very closely.

All brothers and sisters have four-letter names! (“We started with one and decided to carry on with it” says dad Pat).

Lara is having a fantastic time this season with the reformed Llangefni Town Ladies, who have produced some great results in the North Wales Women’s League.

One of the nicest people you could come across, we at Grassroots North Wales wish Lara a huge happy birthday. Thanks for all you and your lovely family do for us.

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Full name

Lara Cain

Place of birth

Bangor

Date of birth

16/02/1998

Height

5ft 6

Occupation

Primary School Supply Teacher

Please tell us a little about your family and what sports they play and who they play for

By now we all play football as Jody and Kyla play for Bethel and Ryan and Jack play for Felinheli.
We’re all also into running and have grown up competing in many races as a family although football has become more of a priority for most of them by now.

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How did you become interested in football?

Being one of 5 brothers and sisters who are all sporty and play football I’ve grown up with constant sports events happening between us all so I guess it became natural to become interested in sport in general.

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How long have you been playing football?

I used to play for Caernarfon U12’s then decided to get back into football when I was at Bangor University although it was nothing too serious.
After finishing Uni I realised how much I missed it so seeing Elwen (Evans) advertising that she wanted to start a women’s football team in Llangefni just felt like the perfect opportunity to get back into it.

What is your favourite position?

Being a left footer and actually enjoying running, the left wing is what I prefer.

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?

Strength – fitness probably
Weakness – Going in for a tackle (especially seeing as my sister is still recovering from a bad leg break after a football game in October and has missed out on a lot of opportunities these past months)

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What is your training schedule like?

We train once a week and I try to keep on top of my fitness by going for a run once or twice a week.

If you are not playing football or not working, what do you do in your spare time?

I take part in some running races here and there or try to do a parkrun when I can. I also volunteer to coach football for Llangefni girls and it’s so inspiring to see so many girls attending every week. There are certainly some very talented ones to watch out for in the next years to come so watch this space!

Do you like shopping? What are your favourite stores?

Zara, Stradivarius, Asos

Which female footballer do you admire most?

I don’t admire any female footballer in particular however I would have to say I admire all the mums on this team who have returned to playing football and are doing an insane job at balancing being a parent and finding the time to train and commit time to our football games.

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Which coach has influenced you the most?

Would have to be (current Llangefni Town coach/manager) Dan Gregg! He took us on after an uncertain start. He always has our backs in our football games and he’s somehow stuck with us considering the amount of notifications he gets from our group chat everyday. It’s safe to say, this team is never quiet (Sorry Dan) 😂

How do you feel Llangefni Town Ladies are doing in your first season?

Considering the initial plan was to start at the recreational league, I think we’ve all shown how determined we are by getting stuck in from the get go and accepting friendlies at pre season against the likes of Llandudno and Bethel from Tier 2. Although it was inevitable we were going to suffer from big losses we never gave up and if something I feel those games made the bond between us all much stronger.

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Tell us about the greatest game you’ve played in.

Our first league game at home where I scored my first goal.

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What’s your finest achievement to date as a footballer?

Would probably be as simple as finding the enjoyment of being back playing football again. If it wasn’t for Llinos Hughes for persuading me to join this team with her after we used to play football in Uni together, I would probably not be back enjoying football, so a big thanks goes to her.

Tell us about your favourite all-time kit

All my closest friends know of my obsession with the colour blue so it would have to be the blue home kit.)

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What are your musical tastes?

House or R&B

Do you watch TV soaps? If so, what is your favourite character?

No not really

Do you have any plans for a holiday once it’s totally safe to do so?

We have a family holiday booked for this summer and I’m hoping an Ibiza holiday with the girls will finally happen this summer.

Do you have any pets?

No (unless you count my brothers and sisters…. 😁)

What is your dream job?

Primary School Teacher

What do you hope to achieve in future as a footballer?

For me personally it’s just to carry on enjoying playing football with a squad of like-minded girls like we currently have.
I would also like to inspire more girls into football as I’ve realised by teaching football as a primary supply teacher that a lot of girls have a negative perspective towards it. It would be great to try to change this and show that football is a sport for everyone regardless of their gender. I think the Llangefni Girls sessions have been a great opportunity for young girls to gain their confidence in football and to hopefully find the passion to play football in the future.