“I think women’s football is more ruthless than men’s” Jill Scott on giving it back as much as her male co-presenters on The Overlap
During her playing career, Jill Scott was never one to back out of a challenge.
The Euro 2022 winner won a slew of major honours with Everton and Manchester City, but can now be found getting stuck in with the likes of Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher in front of the camera for The Overlap.
The Lionesses legend quickly became a staple of the successful YouTube channel, giving as good as she gets with the gaggle of former Premier League stars.
Scott on giving it back on The Overlap
Scott admits that the atmosphere around the table can get so relaxed that she can sometimes forget she’s appearing in front of an audience. Rather than feeling like another television commitment, getting together with her co-presenters is more like a catch-up with old friends.
“I actually forget that people are watching and listening – I’m just excited because I haven’t seen the guys for a couple of weeks,” she tells FourFourTwo.
“I’m like, ‘Let’s have your opinions on football’, but it’s just like chatting with your mates. I love it.”
Scott believes that this chemistry between the team, and the panel’s different backgrounds, have been key to the show’s success.
“All of our relationships are different,” she continues. “I’d describe it as like siblings in a way. I like that they’ve got big personalities, because that’s when they get into arguments.
“But what I love, and I think it’s their generation, is that you can say something that someone doesn’t agree with, but then walk away and still be the best of mates. That’s how football should be.
“When I played, you could be playing against your best mate in an FA Cup final and one of you would win, then the next day you’d go back to being best friends.”
And while Scott is quick to embrace the friendly arguments and differences of opinion in the studio, she can’t help but think back to her playing days, and believes that the women’s game’s reputation for being less confrontational than its male counterparts is wide of the mark.
“People think that in women’s football we didn’t have banter, but I actually think it’s more ruthless than in men’s football,” she insists. “I could tell you plenty of stories from my playing days, but they wouldn’t make it into the magazine! If you don’t know someone and they’re saying things to try to bring you down, then it crosses into bullying.
“But we’re friends, and I give it back to them just as much. I actually feel like I get more leeway sometimes, being female. I love that they feel relaxed and anything that’s said, I always know it’s in jest.”
