Farewell, Ailee: Historic hale scorer in Alnwick Shrovetide football fixture returns to United States

The game, which moved from the streets of the town to the pastures in front of Alnwick castle in 1820, almost certainly pre-dates even that, however.

It proved a historic moment then, in February this year, when a visiting student from the States became the first woman ever to score a hale in the contest between the parishes of St. Michael’s and St. Paul’s.

Ailee Miller, 23, shot herself into the history books when she put the ball between the greenery-clad posts on a sodden, waterlogged field to equalise for St. Pauls before being mobbed by her joyous team-mates from St. Cloud University in Minnesota.

“It was exhilarating to score the hale-it reminded me how much I love team sports which I haven’t played for about ten years,” said Ailee, who has just finished her degree in biology and will be continuing her studies next autumn at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reading global health.

With pools of water lying around the meadow and tufts of longer grass on the uneven surface, Ailee admits that the conditions proved a real challenge for herself and a number of her fellow students – both female and male.

“We found the match very difficult. About 30 seconds into the game, I was flipped over and fell into the mud, twisting my ankle. I think we all realised then that this was going to be a very different match of soccer from what we’re used to. We changed up our strategies to match it and I think we all really enjoyed the game!” she smiled.

“I am really enjoying my time here. Both my grandma and I say we could live in the UK. In Alnwick, the community is especially welcoming. It is going to be hard to say goodbye in a couple of weeks.”

The many St. Cloud students, who stay at Alnwick castle during their time in Britain, competing alongside a good number of children from the local Alnwick schools, have bolstered the number of players in recent years and ensured that the tradition continues.

“I feel personally very honoured to be a part of this historic moment. I saw a lot of women playing in the match that day and earning good player awards. It makes me happy to see women playing and succeeding in a historically male-dominated match,” said Ailee.

“I really enjoyed jumping in the river in the end! I’m thankful to have been able to participate in this event with the community and I can’t take full credit for the hale without thanking my teammates for their assistance.”

Alnwick Shrove football legend Steven Temple, who has scored a record 12 hales, said: “It’s great that this event still takes place and the local community back it. Ailee scored a good hale and it’s a shame we couldn’t win the game. The students are great participants and Ailee scoring is a great achievement.”