Elleanor Burrows–Our September Girl of the Month

September 10 2026 , by Nicole English
10 min reading time

At just 14, Elleanor Burrows already understands something many of us take years to learn: growth begins when you’re willing to back yourself.

A passionate footballer with her sights set firmly on reaching the next level, Elleanor’s journey has been shaped by hard work, resilience and the courage to step outside her comfort zone. After years of playing grassroots football, watching the Matildas compete on home soil during the 2023 Women’s World Cup sparked something bigger — the belief that football could become far more than just a game.

Since then, Elleanor has embraced challenges, changed clubs to push herself further, faced rejection and learned to see failure not as something to fear, but as part of becoming better. Her philosophy is refreshingly simple: keep working, keep growing, and remember to enjoy the journey along the way.

For Elleanor, being bold means having the confidence to be authentically yourself — and having the courage to keep chasing what you want even when you’re not yet sure you’re ready.

Meet our Scarlett Wednesday Girl of the Month, Elleanor Burrows...

SW: Can you introduce yourself and tell us your age?

EB: I'm Elleanor and I’m 14, soon to be 15.

SW: How would you describe yourself in three words?

EB: Kind, hardworking and responsible.

SW: What field, industry, sport, art form, or passion are you currently pursuing?

EB: I play football (soccer).

SW: When did you first realise this was something you wanted to take seriously?

EB: I’ve played football since 2020 but I realised it was something I wanted to take seriously after watching the women’s world cup in 2023.

SW: Was there a specific moment that made you think, “I want to be really good at this”?

EB: Watching the Matildas play in Sydney during a world cup on home soil knowing that this was something they got to do as a full time career.

SW: What does being bold mean to you?

EB: To me, being bold means being authentically yourself without care of what others may think or how people may respond.

SW: When have you had to back yourself, even when other people didn’t understand your vision?

EB: When I was playing division 2 and 3 grassroots at my local club, and hadn’t made division 1, four years in a row, so backed myself to go elsewhere and the other club selected me which led to me progressing beyond what I had been limited to.

SW: What is the bravest decision you’ve made so far?

EB: The bravest decision I’ve made was changing from my middle of the table team at the end of last season and going to a top of the table where I didn’t know anyone and felt like I wasn’t at their level yet.

SW: How do you approach fear or nervousness?

EB: I like to think about why I’m nervous, and the reason is almost always fear of failure but then I can reframe it because if I can’t fail, I can’t grow and without growth I can’t reach my potential.

SW: What is something you were once afraid to do that now feels natural to you?

EB: When I was on the field I used to be afraid of taking on players because of my fear of being unsuccessful but now through hours of practice it feels much more normal.

“If I can’t fail, I can’t grow"

SW: What does being “at the top of your field” mean to you personally?

EB: I think the most important thing is continual improvement and striving to be the best I can be whilst helping others to achieve their goals. I focus on always surrounding myself with players who are better than me in hopes of improving at the fastest rate.

SW: Who or what inspires you to keep improving?

EB: My team mates from school and club, my parents, my friends and my coaches inspire me to be better every day by pushing me and supporting me.

SW: What habits, routines, or disciplines help you stay focused?

EB: Well, knowing what training and games I have during the week helps me to stay focused because it means I have things to look forward to and focus on. In terms of discipline, I know that I have to keep trying to become better to continue earning minutes and playing.

SW: What is one skill you are actively working on right now?

EB: One skill I’ve been working on a lot lately is my speed, it's a really important skill for football and I feel like I need it in my position especially because I have to keep up with wingers from the opposition team.

SW: How do you handle setbacks, rejection, or moments when things don’t go to plan?

EB: I’ve faced rejection many times whether it be in my school program, futsal or for the regular season. In my experience, the most important thing was realising that every coach is looking for a different thing, maybe they already have a player in that position or possibly that their playing style is just completely different to mine.

SW: What do you think separates people who dream from people who actually achieve?

EB: I think something that separates people who dream from people who achieve is the willingness to put in work when others don’t, it is the ability to keep going even when you question why you’re doing it. But I think the most important thing is remembering that the reason you do it is because it’s fun and not because you have to, you improve because it is encouraging to see progress in individual skills and in larger scenarios.

SW: How do you stay true to yourself while trying to grow and succeed?

EB: I always take time to step back and think about my goals as well as steps I can take to keep moving towards achieving them whilst making the journey as enjoyable as possible.

SW: Have you ever felt pressure to fit into a mould? How did you handle it?

EB: I don’t often feel pressure to fit into moulds as I often try to block out people and their ideas from impacting me.

SW: How would you describe your personal style, energy, or creative identity?

EB: I would describe my energy and creative identity as bold, unique, bright, fun and happy.

SW: What do you want people to feel when they see your work, performance, or presence?

EB: I want people to feel inspired to be the best version of themselves.

SW: What has helped you build confidence over time?

EB: One thing that has helped me gain confidence over time is spending time practicing skills by myself, if I was struggling for confidence I would take time to practice the things I struggled with.

SW: What is a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

EB: I learnt that not believing in myself and having low-confidence doesn’t make me a humble person, it just sets me up for failure.

SW: What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their passions but feels intimidated about stepping outside of their comfort zone?

EB: I’d say that starting is the hardest part, and once you push past that barrier or fear the things that once scared you will feel natural and that going outside of your comfort zone is the best thing for your growth in the long run.

SW: How do you deal with self-doubt?

EB: I still struggle a lot with self-doubt, especially while being surrounded by technical, hardworking players. I personally deal with self-doubt by stopping and remembering that I do this for fun, that being pushed is the best way to improve and that my performance won’t improve until I can believe in myself.

SW: What are you most proud of so far?

I’m most proud of recently playing in my first semi and grand final. In the final specifically, I took my first ever penalty kick and scored. There have been many times throughout this season where I have pushed myself to achieve things that I would have never imagined, which I am very proud of.

“Fearless femininity means leaving people’s views of you behind and instead creating environments around you of like-minded people who will push you to become the best version of yourself.”

SW: What are you working towards next?

EB: My next goal is working towards making the higher division (npl 1) for the 2027 or 2028 season.

SW: Where would you love to see yourself in five years?

EB: In five years my biggest goal is to still be working as hard as I can and always pushing myself to the next level, but hopefully playing in NPL1 1st grade or u23s.

SW: What kind of legacy or impact do you hope to create?

EB: I hope to have a legacy of hard work that inspires people to do the same and to keep going until they get exactly where they want to be.

SW: What is one dream you are no longer embarrassed to say out loud?

EB: That I want to play in the league above my current league.

SW: What does fearless femininity mean to you?

EB: To me, fearless femininity means leaving people's views of you behind and instead creating environments around you of like minded people who will push you to become the best version of yourself so that you can truly flourish and in turn reach your full potential.

SW: What is your boldest belief?

EB: My boldest belief is that I believe that people deserve equality in all fields and that we need to be more aware of how we utilise our environment and its resources in order to prolong the livelihood of its ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as making sure that future generations will be able visit the same places and realise the importance of caring for the planet.

SW: Finish this sentence: “The future belongs to girls who…”

EB: The future belongs to the girls who know their goals and do everything they can to achieve them whilst motivating the people around them to reach theirs too.

SW: When people speak about you, what’s the one thing you’d like them to say?

EB: I would like to tell them that it's much easier to achieve their goals and truly live a life they will enjoy when they focus on themselves because whenever I’ve compared myself to others or even felt negatively about others it has never done anything to make me better.

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