Four years. 100 appearances. One true Royal.
Last Saturday, Amalie Eikeland took to the pitch for the 100th time for Reading FC Women, a journey which she describes as “one achievement she is very proud of.”
The Norway midfielder became a Royal back on the 8th August 2019, when she signed from Norwegian club Idrettslaget Sandviken.
Ever since her arrival, she has been one of Kelly Chambers’ trusted members of the team, regularly featuring in the heart of midfield or out wide, with an abundance of energy from the first minute to last, and giving the very definition of everything for the badge.
Eikeland is now Reading’s sixth all-time leading appearance holder, and she talks about her journey from her first appearance to now becoming one of the more senior players in the changing room.
“Looking back thinking I’ve been here for four years now, it’s certainly doesn’t feel like I’ve been here that long – it’s been one amazing journey.
“I remember my first game quite fondly, away against Liverpool, we won 1-0, so the perfect start really.
“It was my first experience of playing in England, having played in Norway for most of my career to that point.
“The difference was clear, but I have loved being here, it’s a really great club and having made 100 appearances for Reading is a big achievement and one I’m really proud of.
“In a league that’s so competitive, you always have to fight for your place, so to have the longevity in the league and in this time, it’s a good feeling and it just feels like home.
“Being here as long as I have, of course you get given that label as one of the more ‘experienced’ players, but I feel, especially within this group of players, we all have equal responsibility to step up and be counted – this is going to be crucial going into the weekend.
“It’s been a difficult season, there’s no hiding from that. We’ve had a lot of results go against us, some down to our performances, others I feel perhaps big decisions haven’t gone our way, so it’s been really up and down.
“But now we have one last chance, we have to grab it, do our best, and hope on the day everything comes together as well as other results.
“Going into a game like this, you have to believe you can win. You have to give it everything, stay in the league for as long as possible, then from there anything can happen.
“It’s why we all love football, surprises happen all the time, so we have to believe in ourselves and be ready to just give it all we’ve got.”