Soccer Aid captain Jill Scott 'hit really hard' during refugee visit

ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda met with Soccer Aid team captain and former Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott about the celeb clash and how she's adjusting to hanging up her boots

You never really lose that competitive edge, so when ex-pros step out onto the field for Soccer Aid each year, pleasantries go out the window.

The annual charity match sees former footballers lineup side-by-side with entertainment’s biggest names, which results is some aggression, humour and an oddly decent level of football.

Now retired, Jill Scott is captaining England again and, despite the World XI dominating proceedings since 2018, she’s confident this is the year things will turn around.

"I am very confident," she tells me. "We definitely need that win. I always thought I wouldn’t be too bothered about the winning, but last year seeing the other team lift the trophy, I was a little bit gutted."

Since 2006, Soccer Aid has been raising money for UNICEF - the total currently sits at more than £90 million.

Children’s charity UNICEF helps those who need it most, children affected by conflict, disaster, hunger and disease.

Earlier this year, former Lioness Jill paid a visit to Romania to meet refugee families displaced by the war in Ukraine.

She remembers how she was "hit really hard" by what she saw. "I think when you see things through the TV screen, you can see how bad it is but it’s different when you go and actually listen to somebody’s story."

"These children suddenly have their whole childhood taken away from them, no playtime, no education. I think playing the game this year will definitely have a deeper meaning for me."

Jill was part of the 2022 England squad that won the European Championships.

Though the game had been steadily growing, the Lionesses lifting the trophy acted as a real catalyst for interest in the sport.

"I think you always want better, don’t you?" she says when discussing the state of the women’s game.

"You see how many more people are going to the games. We used to get it at England, but now with the club games you are getting 40 or 50,000. I think the women’s game is in a great place."

And when speculating about the men’s chances at the upcoming Euros, she’s "been saying for the past 18 months that England will do it. I think there’s just such fantastic players."

This year’s Soccer Aid is at Stamford Bridge and will feature the likes of Usain Bolt, Eden Hazard, Sam Thompson, Ellen White, Eddie Hearn, Patrice Evra and many more.

Jill says that the celebs take it incredibly seriously. "I remember Liam Payne turned up last year and wanted to train from the first minute to the last."

"Tom Grennan is such a good player, he could have been a professional footballer. I love the training days because everybody gets to know each other."

The hope is that this year’s match up and the donations made could take the Soccer Aid total past £100 million.

Jill revels in the idea that the fun they have on the pitch is "changing lives" off it.

Soccer Aid 2024 will be shown on ITV1, STV and ITVX on Sunday June 9

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