Ruby Day Balancing International Football and Life at Cardiff Met

Cardiff Met student Ruby Day is already building an impressive football journey, combining university life with experience at the highest levels of the Welsh youth pathway.

Ruby pictured with her family at a recent International Match.

Now in her first year of the Sport and Exercise Science course, Ruby has been balancing her studies with the demands of elite football, while continuing to develop both on and off the pitch.

Ruby’s story began at the age of six after being inspired by the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. She started out with Treharris Athletic, playing grassroots football in a boys’ team, before quickly progressing through the pathway in South Wales.

After successfully trialling for the South Wales Performance Centre, Ruby’s development continued through the FAW South Wales training camps, laying the foundations for her international career.

She earned her first cap for Wales at just 13 years old and has since gone on to represent her country across a number of age groups, including Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and, most recently, Under-19 level. Her time with Wales has also taken her across Europe and beyond, with trips to countries including the USA, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Albania.

At club level, Ruby is part of the Bristol City set-up, where she has spent the past six seasons. She currently captains the club’s Under-21 side and this season also reached another milestone when she was named in the first-team squad for Bristol City’s FA Cup tie against Arsenal.

Alongside those football commitments, Ruby has embraced life at Cardiff Met as a Sport and Exercise Science student. While managing the demands of university and football has at times been challenging, she has thoroughly enjoyed the course and continues to balance both parts of her journey with real ambition.

Ruby’s progress is another example of the talented student-athletes developing at Cardiff Met, combining academic study with performance sport and gaining experience that will shape their future both within and beyond the game.