Tegan Browning discusses her "unreal" stay in the US and what convinced her to join Spartans

From Hearts to Spartans with a pitstop in the US between, Tegan Browning talks about her “surreal” time across the Atlantic and how Debbi McCulloch convinced the defender to join Spartans.

A regular for Hearts only a year ago, Browning has had quite the adventure since leaving the capital in 2022. At just 17 years of age, the defender took the decision to move to the other side of the world to continue her development as a footballer. Joining Incarnate Word Cardinals in the USA, Browning had spent the past year in the States before joining Spartans last month. Now looking back on her time across the Atlantic, the defender believes the experience has helped her grow as a person despite her nerves about originally moving over there.

“It was natural nerves to start,” she told the Edinburgh Evening News. “However, once I went out I settled in really quickly. My roommate was from Liverpool and there was a couple of other English girls which I could relate to. I just loved it and despite being nervous at first, everyone was so welcoming. Joining a team is something that I love about football because you have got potential friends there and you are part of something so that makes moving somewhere else a lot less daunting. It was amazing, I got on with all the girls and all the people at the University as well.

“I absolutely loved it, it was an unreal experience. I met so many amazing people and made friends for life, I don’t regret it one single bit, it has really helped me build as a person. It is a different type of way they play football. Learning from different people’s experiences, they have all grown up differently with different perspectives of life. It really helped build me as a person and I absolutely loved it.”

At 18 years old, Browning is one of the most experienced footballers of her age. The defender has not only played domestically but internationally too, gathering multiple caps for Scotland’s Under 16s and 19s sides. While furthering her development in the US, Browning was excited to see women’s football in Scotland was also expanding as the game reached new heights.

“I’ve played women’s football in Scotland since I was 14 years old,” she explained. “First of all for Boroughmuir Thistle before moving to Hearts. Playing in some of the lower leagues for Boroughmuir helped me grow as a player and gave me the knowledge of what I had to do to become a top player. Coming to Hearts gave me more exposure and then when I went to America it was a different way of playing. It was a lot more athleticism and strength focused while it was less technical and tactical. It really switched my mindset on all the different ways to play.

“It also made me appreciate the standard in Scotland as I was away. It was a really big year for women’s football with record attendances such as the 15,000 at Celtic Park. I played in an Edinburgh derby which got a crowd of 5,000 people and broke the record and then a year later it, 10,000 people were showing up. It just shows the growth of women’s football in Scotland and it is really exciting to be a part of.”

Now after her time across the Atlantic has come to an end, Browning will start a new adventure at Spartans this season. The defender became the club’s first signing of the summer in June with the 18-year-old being extremely enthusiastic about her new surroundings. Spartans' dedication to their community particularly resonated with the youngster which helped convince her to put pen to paper last month.

Tegan Browning become Spartans first signing of the summer in June. Credit: Spartans Women

“When playing against Spartans I always found them to be a hard team to defend against,” she added. “I also know a few girls in the team, and I got a real sense of togetherness. Debbi [McCulloch] told me about their plans this season, all about their set-up and it sounded really exciting and something that I wanted to be a part of. I just want to help the team grow and grow myself within the team.

“Spartans are all about the community. If I take football out of the equation in my life that is what I want to do, that is how I want to help. The values of the club really align with my own personal values within the community and how I want to lead my life. It really resonated with me.

“I am absolutely loving it so far, all of the girls have been so nice and welcoming. It is good to be back in training, it’s a great intensity and a great environment to be playing in.”

Browning may get her first chance to play Spartans colour this Sunday as they take on Rangers in their first preseason friendly of the season. The Edinburgh side are scheduled to play four matches before their season kicks off against Rangers on August 13th with the defender eager to get going in the capital.

“I haven’t played in a while because of when the season in the USA finished, she stated. “I’ve only played a couple of games at the start of this year, so I am really looking forward to playing in friendlies and playing in the league. Hopefully, we can do as well as we can.

“I am so excited. Nerves are obviously here as well as I want to perform well but overall, I am just really excited, I cannot wait to get started and play against some really top players. Everyone in the league is getting better, the recruitment from some of the clubs is insane. I am just looking forward to becoming a part of this growth in women’s football and hopefully, I will thrive in it.”