‘Football saved me’: Street Soccer coordinator Sarah Rhind on life after heroin addiction

T he Bishopton Ladies goalkeeper and Street Soccer charity coordinator Sarah Rhind is emphatic about how integral football has been to her survival. “I can wholeheartedly say that without it I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in now – if I was even lucky enough to still be here,” she says. “There’s been different times in my life where football showed up and was really a platform that saved me.” The 42-year-old is speaking in Glasgow after the publication of her autobiography, Scars Under The Jersey. The book details Rhind’s battle with heroin addiction, which took her into the darkest places, her recovery and the role football played in it, with Rhind going on to earn promotion to the Scottish top flight with Hamilton Academical in 2021. It is a striking twist in Rhind’s story that before working for Street Soccer she was a participant in its free sessions, aimed at assisting at-risk and socially disadvantaged people. “In early recovery I struggled,” she says. “There were times when I wanted to use, but I had Street Soccer on Tuesdays. There were times where I’d come through a really rough weekend, struggling with thoughts of using and relapsing but hadn’t done it. There were many times where the reason was literally: ‘If I use, I can’t go to football on Tuesday.’ “Football showed up in so many different ways in my life. It’s created so many incredible opportunities and beautiful lifelong friendships and support networks. …