Hi my name is Yeliz and I am 18 years old and play for the Millwall Lionesses 1st team. I recently ruptured my right ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) at training and I am raising the funds for ACL surgery so I can begin to get back to football. This is the same injury that famous players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Beth Mead, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Roy Keane, Rodri, Gabriel Jesus, Lisandro Martinez and many more like them have had. Fortunately for them they were Pro and their contract covers their injuries, but for rising stars like me and the rest of the ladies football in lower league structure its not Pro and therefore we are not covered.

My football started kicking the ball as a toddler in the house aged 1 but it wasn't until aged 5 that I participated in a summer football session at Powerleague(Catford) and was 1 of 2 girls amongst 30 boys and that was my first structured football experience. I carried on playing football in the playground at school (Sandhurst Primary, Catford, London) until my parents discovered Petts Wood FC, then aged 9 I joined the under 11 girls team. I played there for 4 years and then joined Beckenham Town FC for 3 years, then Welling FC for 2 years and now progressed to a higher level where I am now at Millwall FC.

This is my first year at Millwall and I'm proud of my hard work and effort getting into the team, especially being young and I was excited to show my work on the pitch. I have been playing football since the age of 5 and I have never had a long-term injury in my football career so it is very upsetting, especially now having to put my boots away to the side for a few years. Being 18, having this operation via the NHS will take at least 18 months and due to the knee being unstable more damage could happen during this wait time. You could help me by donating and I could then have the operation privately this year 2025 and that will give me a chance to recover quicker and make a full comeback to football in a shorter space of time.

I would appreciate any contributions towards this operation, all donations will be used towards the cost of operation and post-surgery rehab.

Thank you!