Our Young Gun series gets to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at the Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Mia Dixon spoke to us recently about her four years at Arsenal, including big game moments and taking on some of our first team stars.

I don't remember what first got me into football because I think it was just always all around me. I started playing when I was only four and immediately fell in love with the game. I wanted to become a footballer as soon as I understood what that meant. Growing up in Canterbury, I joined a boys' grassroots club called Sturry Kings and was there for four years. 

My first taste of academy football came when I was about eight years old when I moved to Gillingham FC. Sadly, I was only there for one season, as the club shut down its women's team after Covid. After two rounds of trials at Arsenal, I remember anxiously waiting to hear back. Every day I'd come home from school and ask my mum and then finally, she got the email. She even made me a slideshow to surprise me with the news!

Being here for four...