Thank you, and goodbye

I never expected NFLGirlUK to become such a significant part of my life.

When I created the account all those years ago, I was simply a fan looking for other people to talk football with. The UK NFL community was much smaller then. Social media felt different. Blogs mattered. Twitter was fun. Most of us were just finding our way and sharing our thoughts on a sport that, at the time, still felt fairly niche in the UK.

What followed was something I could never have planned.

NFLGirlUK opened doors I didn’t even know existed. It took me to events, introduced me to players, led to podcast appearances, radio interviews, television spots, and opportunities that teenage Liz would have thought were completely ridiculous. More importantly, it introduced me to people.

Some of those people became friends. Real friends. The kind who stayed around long after the football conversations ended. The kind who checked in during difficult times, followed my life outside of the NFL, and became part of my world in ways that had nothing to do with what happened on a field on a Sunday. For that alone, I will always be grateful.

The strange thing is that when people look from the outside, they probably assume the reason I’m stepping away is because I’ve lost interest in football. The opposite is probably true.

Over the years I found myself spending more time creating around football than actually enjoying football. I was thinking about tweets while watching games. Thinking about content. Thinking about conversations. Thinking about whether my opinion was informed enough, clever enough, or worthy enough to be shared.

At some point I stopped being a fan first and became someone who felt responsible for contributing. I don’t think I realised how tired I was until I stopped. Life had other plans anyway. Divorce. Burnout. Major changes. Rebuilding. Learning who I was again outside of things I’d attached my identity to for years.

So I stepped back. And when I did, something unexpected happened. I fell in love with the sport again. Not the industry around it. Not the content creation. Not the pressure. Just the sport.

I started watching games because I wanted to watch them. I celebrated wins without wondering what I should post about them. I let Sundays become Sundays again.

When I wrote earlier this year about finding my way back to writing, I genuinely believed there might be another chapter for NFLGirlUK. The response was incredibly kind and reminded me just how much affection I still have for this community.

But as the months have passed, I’ve realised something. The blog was always at its best when it reflected where I was in life at that moment. NFLGirlUK wasn’t just football. It was me growing up in public. Building confidence. Finding my voice. Taking opportunities I never thought I’d have. Making mistakes. Learning lessons. Meeting people.

And perhaps that’s why this feels like the right time to close it. Not because it failed. Not because I regret any of it. Not because football no longer matters. Quite the opposite. It feels complete.

The person who started NFLGirlUK needed it. The person writing this now doesn’t need it in the same way. These days my life looks very different. I have a home I love. A partner who happily structures Sundays around football. A career I’m proud of. Friends who know me as Liz rather than a Twitter handle. A life that feels full in ways I spent years hoping it would.

Football is still part of that life. The Seahawks are still part of that life. The community is still part of that life. But NFLGirlUK has served its purpose. So rather than let it quietly drift into inactivity, it felt right to say thank you properly.

Thank you to everyone who ever read a blog post, listened to a podcast episode, came to an event, replied to a tweet, sent a message, shared a laugh, disagreed respectfully, or simply enjoyed talking football with me. You made this far more special than I ever expected it to be. And while this chapter is ending, the memories, friendships and experiences that came from it will stay with me forever.

For something that started with a girl who simply loved football, that’s not a bad legacy to leave behind.