By Jeff Greer
This story is the first of a Racing Louisville FC series — Home Away From Home — which will explore the challenges and emotions of foreign players establishing themselves in Louisville, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel abroad was so significantly limited.
Racing Louisville FC’s players walked off the training pitch the afternoon before their NWSL Challenge Cup opener against the Kansas City Current, some jogging ahead and bantering, others lingering behind to talk with coaches or trainers.
But Gemma Bonner’s gait was different. She walked with intention, her pace dictated by excitement and joy. Her dad, John, stood along the fence having finally arrived from Leeds, England.
Wholesome content alert 🥺
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) March 17, 2022
This morning, @gembon23‘s father stopped by training. Tomorrow, he’ll see her play for the first time since 2019. pic.twitter.com/JL7vmZS8IK
His journey took its turns and had its headaches, with flight delays and rerouting, but John Bonner was dead set on making the long trek to do what he simply couldn’t the previous 18 months, to do what he had done almost every time he had the opportunity when Gemma was still living back home.
Watch his daughter play soccer.
“The one thing I’ve always wanted to do since I’ve been here, because I’ve felt so welcome, is share it with someone,” said Gemma Bonner, the English veteran center back who has worn Racing’s captain’s armband through its first four NWSL Challenge Cup matches. “With the borders shut (because of the COVID-19 pandemic), I’ve not been able to do that. To have my dad here as the first person and show him where I’m living, how people are around the city, around the club – everyone’s been unbelievable – it’s wonderful.”
For the Bonners, John’s trip to the States – he attended the Houston Dash match on March 25 and traveled alongside the team to road games against the Chicago Red Stars and KC Current – served as a return to the familiar.
No matter where she played growing up in England, Gemma knew her dad would be there. He came to her matches with hometown Leeds United from ages 9 to 19. They drove 430 miles roundtrip together a few times per week to get to Chelsea training in London. When she moved closer to home, signing with Liverpool in 2012, the trips became a bit easier and were just as frequent. Same goes for her signing with Manchester City in 2018.
“If I had a match, he was there,” Gemma said. “I always knew that.”
But when the 30-year-old who has made 11 appearances for the England national team signed with Racing, the level of difficulty for John to get to games exponentially increased. He’d never been to the United States, and there are no direct flights or simple itineraries from Leeds to Louisville.
None of that mattered in the early days of Bonner’s time with Racing because of restrictions on traveling – she signed in April and joined the team in June, with her visa taking some time to approve. The father-daughter duo had planned out his potential visit and everything, right down to the game on the schedule he intended to see in person, but he wasn’t allowed to fly to the U.S.
Every time hopeful news about COVID-19 trends came out, the Bonners excitedly exchanged notes, plotting a visit, only to have their optimism dashed shortly thereafter. But by the time the United Kingdom permitted travel to the U.S. again, Racing’s season had ended and she was already back in England for the offseason.
The Bonners instead spent the 2021 campaign in which Gemma started 13 matches exchanging text messages and talking over FaceTime. John and Gemma’s mother, Anne, stayed up well past midnight in England watching Racing games, even when their daughter was sidelined with an injury. The trio talks regularly, sometimes multiple times a day.
“It felt like I was missing something when I was at the games,” Bonner said, “but he’d always text me before the games. I’ve always felt the support. Usually with the time difference, I end up speaking to them after every game because I can never sleep after games.”
Fast forward to March when, after months of planning and the stars finally aligning, John arrived in Louisville. A staff member hustled him from the airport to the Lynn Family Sports Vision & Training Center along River Road, where he stood off to the side of practice, watching his daughter and her team. Starting goalkeeper Katie Lund made her way over to introduce herself, as did new manager Kim Björkegren.
Then came Gemma and John’s moment. She skipped over to her dad, all smiles, and embraced him. Tears flowed. Video of the hug amassed thousands of views across social media.
“My dad is finally here and my heart is so full,” Bonner tweeted.
And to cap the long-awaited journey, in the third match with John in the crowd, Gemma scored her first NWSL goal, a header off a corner in a win over KC Current. She found herself thinking about where he might be in the crowd at Children’s Mercy Park, the Kansas City Current’s home stadium.
This time, though, her search was different. It wasn’t instinct betrayed by reality. John was there. And even if she couldn’t run to him in that moment, Gemma knew he saw it all – up close, in person, on American soil.
“I was glad I could send him home happy,” Gemma said after the game, grinning ear to ear.
Just like old times.
