Durham captain Caroline Dixon says she has matured after a stint in the USA – and vowed to pass on her experience to nervous team-mates ahead of their Women’s Super League debut.
Dixon, formerly of Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers, signed for Durham in the off-season after spending five years at the University of Hartford in Connecticut studying health sciences.
Her trip across the Atlantic was funded by an athletics scholarship and during her studies, Dixon played for university team Hartford Hawks.
Durham Women's FC
Manager: Andy Cook
Ground: New Ferens Park
Partners: Durham University & Durham Wildcats
By Josh Nicholls
The striker insists she is a better player as a result and intends to ease the tension building on some of her team-mates with the WSL 2 kick-off fast approaching.
"My game is a lot more mature these days due to the time I’ve spent in America," said Dixon.
"The American style of play is a lot different to ours – over there it is a lot more athletic whereas over here it is a bit more technical.
"When I was training on a daily basis in America it was almost like being a professional player. You were sometimes training two or three times a day so it can make you question how much you love your sport but I’m still playing, so I obviously still love it.
"Since I’ve come back and joined Durham as captain, I try to be a calming influence on the pitch. Some of the girls approach games with a nervous attitude so I try to coach them through that and make them believe in their ability."
Now the recipient of another scholarship, at Durham University, Dixon will strive for success off the pitch as well as on it as she studies part-time towards a master’s degree in education.
But the aspiring teacher hopes she and her team-mates are the ones giving the lessons out come April.
"As a player and as a squad I’d say we’d approach every game with the aim of winning it, but realistically it’s going to be a big learning curve for us as a club," added Dixon.
"We’ve got a lot of young players who never played at this level before, so a mid-table finish would be a great first year for the club.
"I want to go into teaching, particularly secondary education PE, and I want to do some disability sport work as well.
"School was one of the best times for me and it’s just about having that one person that makes you want to be there.
"Sport these days is a great outlet for kids and if you can get them to enjoy that within a school structure it’s going to make their learning that much better."
