Soccer Aid 2024: Maisie Adam on 'phenomenal' debut and first female goalscorer dream

Excitement is building as the world’s biggest charity football match is just weeks away from returning. Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2024 will be held at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge for the 13th edition of the event.

This year’s England and World XI captains Jill Scott and Usain Bolt will lead out their sides as they battle for bragging rights and push to smash the £100 million mark in donations to UNICEF.

Comedian and football fanatic Maisie Adam lifted the trophy with the World XI last year and will lace up her boots for the second time as she makes her Soccer Aid return this summer. Ahead of her title defence, she sat down to chat with us about her debut experience, her dream Soccer Aid five-a-side, and gunning for the girls to get on the scoresheet.

“I’m buzzing for it, it’s an incredible day and an amazing thing to be part of but the five previous wins are hanging over me a little bit. I’m a bit nervous, I think I’m going to be looking to Eden Hazard a lot,” she laughed.

Adam’s Soccer Aid debut saw her secure the title and extend the World XI’s dominant run to five years unbeaten and seven victories overall. While the pressure is on to keep this triumphant streak going, Adam has a much less hectic schedule ahead of her this time.

Last year, the 30-year-old got married to partner Michael Dobinson the day before Soccer Aid 2023. As she celebrated on the beach in Brighton, sipping pints under the June sun, she was blissfully unaware she would be selected in her side’s starting lineup by Mauricio Pochettino.

As she arrived at Old Trafford, Adam discovered she was playing opposite Usain Bolt on the wing, supporting Francesco Totti and Hernán Crespo in attack.

“It was mad,” she reflected on her quick turnaround from bride to baller. “I did training on the Thursday and Friday, went down to Brighton to get married, then straight up to Old Trafford the next day to play the game. It was incredible, I’ve never had a weekend like it and I’ll probably never have one like it again, but it was phenomenal.

“It’s nice to be back this year without any distractions — you’re going to get elite athlete Maisie this year, rather than hungover newlywed.”

Adam, who hosts the women’s football podcast Big Kick Energy with Suzi Ruffell, has also ‘got her sights set’ on the glaring fact that Soccer Aid has never had a female player on the scoresheet. She will be accompanied by Gladiators star Diamond for the World XI but they face tough competition from England, who will deploy three former Lionesses in Jill Scott, Karen Carney and Ellen White.

“They’ve also got Erin Doherty — Princess Anne from The Crown — she’s going to be dark horse,” Adam said. “But it feels exciting that we’re now at that point where it’s only a matter of time before a woman’s going to be on the scoresheet, and I’ll be chuffed to bits for whoever it is.”

Adam also put together her ideal Soccer Aid for UNICEF five-a-side team, and she didn’t hesitate in selecting an eye-popping lineup.

“Emma Hayes as manager, and then obviously I’m going to put myself in the squad. Jill Scott can join, I’ll let her join, and Patrice Evra. Usain Bolt for the pace and then for pure comedic value, and I’d like Joel Dommett in goal because I’ve watched that clip so many times. He’s going to hate me for saying that but I want Joel in goal, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.”

This year, Soccer Aid will be looking to smash the £100 million milestone for money raised for UNICEF. A record £14.6 million was raised last year alone, meaning a similar figure this time round will see the nine-figure mark shattered.

The money raised from this year’s game could help UNICEF protect children from disease and malnutrition, support their mental health and respond in times of crisis, so they can get back to learning when schools are destroyed. It could also help provide vaccines to prevent common childhood diseases such as measles, so that children around the world can grow up happy, healthy and able to play.

“I’ve never been part of a fundraising event of this scale before and I remember when they announced the £14.6 million, I genuinely thought I’d read the number wrong. But it’s unbelievable and the fact that we might now break into triple figures, I’m so excited. That’ll be the main thing to celebrate, rather than who wins and who scores — if we can get that £100 million, that’d be brilliant. What a legacy, eh?”

Maisie Adam will link up with her teammates this summer for the 13th edition of Soccer Aid for UNICEF. She will be joined by a star-studded list of former professionals and celebrities at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, June 9th.

Tickets for the game are on sale now via socceraid.org.uk/tickets with a family of four able to attend for £60 — two adults and two children. Tickets include access to a pre-game ‘Fan Zone’ and ‘Player Arrivals Area’.