Tash Flint Interview: Denver Summit FC, Nick Cushing and That Shot (BONUS)

Kate Hanson: Welcome back to this week's episode of the 5280 Pitch Women's Soccer at Altitude. I'm Kate Hanson and today's guest I've been wanting to sit down with for a very long time, and I'm so glad that we have her on the show today. Because I think we all enjoy chanting her name at the stadium. Yes, I'm sitting down today with none other than Tosh Flint. So, Tosh, thank you so much for joining me on the 5280 Pitch today.

Tash Flint: You're welcome anytime, pleasure to be here.

Kate Hanson: Well, you are a self for girl, Manchester United Academy at five years old. I feel like younger and younger these days with kids getting involved in soccer or football and mine are one hundred percent all in at soccer at nine and twelve. And

Tash Flint: Yes.

Kate Hanson: you're at Manchester City at sixteen. So take me back to that. When did you know that this was going to be your life?

Tash Flint: like you said when I started at five, my parents got me in it. My two brothers, my older brother and my younger brother was into football massive. and I used to go along with them to all the training sessions, all the games and it's all I ever known really, was school and football. and I just used to play with the lads and play on the sidelines, play on the pitch. and yeah, I got into it when I was five into the academy into Manchester United and then the only reason I ended up leaving Man United was because They didn't have a women's team at the time. At that moment in time, they wasn't continuing to do the under eighteens, the under twenty ones and like carrying on from there. So I had to like find myself a team and that a that age in time. I could have gone pro then and that was the age for me to go pro and go for professional. So then I moved myself over. My family would say to the dark side, to the Man City. But yeah.

Kate Hanson: I mean in and you ha had the opportunity to play for Nick Cushing before at at City in twenty fourteen. You guys were able to win a League Cup together that year. What what was that like for seventeen year old Tosh as a player?

Tash Flint: there was a lot to learn when I was seventeen years old. I was still it was all new to me. It was it was as if like the world was crazy, it was all massive, it was huge. I was like so young playing pro football and back then it was not as big as it was now, so like I probably looked at it and took it a little bit for granted. and I think coming back here now, playing back with Nick is just an amazing opportunity for me.

Kate Hanson: What do you think that Nick sees in you as a player now? He has said multiple times in press conferences that he loves having you on the team. When he was brought to Denver to coach, he wanted to bring you in, that was one of his goals. What do you think he sees in you now that as a player that he didn't get to see back then?

Tash Flint: I think one thing you'll definitely see me now as a player that I didn't see then was I am ready to like go and take it on where back then I would never have gone away from home. I was such a home gun, I still am now, but I'm out here on my own, working on my career, working on my football, it's all a me for it's the reason I'm in the US. so I think for him that was massive, the fact that he knew I was in the US when he came to Denver, and I think that was one thing why he probably did want to approach me and get me here at Denver and I'm not sure if he would've still approached me if I was back in the UK 'cause he might have had in the back of his mind that I was still not ready to leave the UK really to go and play football.

Kate Hanson: Yeah. And and you came over to the US and you start were over in Tampa Bay, which was brand new league, brand new club, and you win the first ever US L Super League championship. And it feels

Tash Flint: Yeah.

Kate Hanson: like you're kinda doing the same thing here again in Denver. So what is it about you and these year one clubs?

Tash Flint: I don't know. I don't I don't think it's individually about me. I think it's the t the team in general and a collective. but I'd like to say I contribute a decent amount to the team like everyone else does. But I think it's just something I've actually been in quite a lot is the first, like teams being like the first year and stuff like that. I was there with Leicester City, I was there with Blackburn, I was there with Man City, There's a couple of teams then I was there again with Tampa and now here with Denver. So like it's like my fifth team that I've that I've been in that's like the first year for the club, which is it it's a it's a great opportunity.

Kate Hanson: I mean it you get to help build the culture and kinda set the tone for the rest of the club's legacy. And you're able to do it here in Denver with your bestie Carson Pickett. I mean I

Tash Flint: Yes.

Kate Hanson: love that Carson kinda opened the can of worms on you being a part of the Denver Summit too, but if you look at Carson's socials, you see you. If you look at your socials you see Carson. So how did that friendship between you and Carson start?

Tash Flint: Just when I moved to Denver, I think she's someone I just bounced off as a friend and she's my kind of person, like she's just laughy, bubbly, she doesn't take life too serious, but also like wants to get better and better at football every day and I think the way she plays football is just perfect for me. So I think we got a connection on and off the pitch and it's just blossomed from there and yeah, she's a she's a great friend.

Kate Hanson: Do you think that having her as a friend has really kind of helped you settle into the NWSL? I mean, she's been in this league since twenty sixteen. She's played a lot of different places. I mean, what what has she taught you about surviving in the NWSL?

Tash Flint: She has mentioned to me that it's a tough league, like we mention it every week as well, like every game can go whatever way. top of the league can lose to the bottom of the league, bottom of the league can win to the top of the league, and she said that's one thing that's very different in the N2SL and you get that in any leagues to be honest, the league I've played in NWSL at home, it's kinda a little bit similar, but I understand it's a it's more than that here. But yeah, I think it's good to come in and build friendships with people and I guess it does help you settle in, like you said. So building friendships here at Denver has definitely helped me settle into not only on the pitch but off the pitch, which is great.

Kate Hanson: Yeah, and I mean Denver is a little different than Tampa, which is very different than UK. So one thing about Denver is the altitude. I mean everybody asks, so I'm going to ask too, how has how has it been adjusting to the altitude and the way that the the ball moves, the the length you can play, all of that here in Denver.

Tash Flint: Yeah, it's definitely different. Like you said, it's different to Tampa and the UK. I think teams feel that when they come and play us and they're only here for a couple of days. but it's it wasn't the easiest getting used to it, but wasn't also the hardest. I think like the the team's great at knowing what they need to do and how to manage us as players and stuff like that to be good, to be able to get used to it at the altitude. So that was good for us. We had a lot of a lot of people and a lot of staff members kind of leading us in the right direction, on the right path, which was great. I mean, you come here and get a do it on your own. I honestly have no ch no clue about altitude, so I would have probably struggled a l a lot more than I did.

Kate Hanson: it seemed to me in that Chicago game, obviously the Denver Summit, you guys were just on fire, clicking, firing, and all cyl cylinders. And it looked to me like that Chicago team was struggling with the altitude. So it was nice to see a game where the summit was using the altitude. To our advantage. I mean,

Tash Flint: Yeah.

Kate Hanson: again Chicago we win six one and you came on at half, forty five minutes, a goal and an assist, twenty two touches, best forty five minutes of your season. So what do you think clicked for you personally in that Chicago game?

Tash Flint: I think We utilise breaking down Chicago in the way we thought we could break them down and I think everyone was calm, collective, trying to find the right pass, but with quality. I think it sometimes comes down to the quality on the ball, to be honest. and I think the same with me, I just went there and done the basics and I think not only I did that, but every single player that was on that pitch that that that game did that. and I think it helps out massively. Yeah, I think I think every single team that does come here struggle with the altitude 'cause when you are here just for a day or two it is quite i it's quite hard. and we even feel ourselves as as Denver when we go away to California for three, four days and then when we come back we do feel it as well with a d with a day or a day or two off as well. So that's like six days really, five days without being in Denver. So you feel it yourself as well. So I understand when teams come in they do struggle with the altitude it is tough.

Kate Hanson: In that Chicago game, your goal that you had, it the ball came to you and I th I thought you were just gonna one time it and fire it into the back of the net and you gave a great little touch and I was like, maybe she's maybe she's not gonna fire it. But holy cow, my my friend, you fire that ball. I have watched you hit a ball and thought this thing is going to hurt somebody. Is is there a shot from your career that you would just wanna watch back on on a loop?

Tash Flint: probably not, no. I think I've had a couple of like goals. I won't say just shots, but a couple of goals that I can look back on and think, they're good. some are like really important ones that have won us the game and some are some are I guess a goal's a goal at the end of the day if it goes in the back of the net, but it is nice when you do get a goal like I did on the weekend, for example. just being clinical in front of goal. I think I've not had a goal under my belt for a a couple of months and it's tough as a forward and as an attacking player when you don't get that. But for me, it happens. You go through your career and you probably go through every single season going through little phases where you don't you don't get the ball and go on the back of the net and it just feels like it's not working for you. But hopefully now that one goal's gone back in and hopefully more will come.

Kate Hanson: Yeah, and I I think that, you know, Nick mentioned multiple times and and and you in one of the postgame press conferences said, you know, like as a goal scorer, it's real frustrating to not score goals. I mean, talk to us a little bit about the mindset you need to have going into training every week and be like, I'm doing everything right. I know my shot is good. Why is it not going into the back of the net? Talk to us a little bit about keeping that right mindset.

Tash Flint: think as a as an attacking player I always want to score goals but at the end of the day I'm only human, not going to score goals every single game. I'm not going to score every single shot I take. So I think it's just willing to continue taking them shots, even if you've got pressure on your back from the staff, from the players of that you need to get the ball in the back of the net. And deep down that sometimes I want to answer and say, Well, I know, like, because I I do know that, and everyone knows that. So it's like not really a question that needs answering, to be honest. But I think you've just got to keep you've got to keep trying at the end of the day. Sometimes shots go in, sometimes they don't. And I think it's just about being ruthless in front of a goal. And I think I've tried to be ruthless in front of goal in the past couple of games and it's just not played off for me and it's okay. I just continue

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: to work hard and like this weekend the ball went in the back of the net, so it's great, so hopefully now I've got one in more will start going in again now.

Kate Hanson: You know, I I've mentioned your hard shot. I I do think it's probably one of the hardest shots I've ever seen from any NWSL player. Have you I mean, y do you think that you have the hardest shot on the team?

Tash Flint: A lot of people have said that before. I do think a a lot of people have said my shot is ridiculously powerful. maybe we should get one of them

Kate Hanson: Speed guns?

Tash Flint: things where you shoot you on the speed things, yeah, where you shoot it at the thing and you see. I do think I have a powerful shot, yeah, I do think it comes from when I used to play with boys, I reckon when I was playing on the streets and stuff like that, 'cause I never done anything to train that. to train being powerful at shooting. I never did I never trained that. That's something I just probably always had.

Kate Hanson: Yeah, I mean you've you've got I mean, I don't want to stand in front of any any one of your shots. Nobody's asking me to, thank goodness. But I mean your your shot is awesome and I I

Tash Flint: Thank you.

Kate Hanson: I love watching I love watching you wind up. I'm like, better watch out. So

Tash Flint: Yeah.

Kate Hanson: but in in addition to your powerful shot, I mean you do more tackling and intercepting than any of the other attackers on this roster and your passing is the cleanest of the front line. Is that something that Manchester City taught you or is that, you know, back in your days at Salford? Like where have you learned to be or playing with boys? Where did you learn that sort of type of play?

Tash Flint: I think the UK as a whole, I think if you a UK as a whole, where how I've been how I've grown up and how I've known football to be is technical. You should be able to pass the ball five yards to your teammate to the back foot and to the correct foot, and I think or 15 yards. So I think that for me, my technical ability was one thing that I've worked on from five years old. My small touches, my tight touches, my passing, my passing to the correct foot and being football smart as well in my head. Coming over here, obviously it is a very different game. maybe it was different over here, so like that's something that I'm t trying to kinda get used to and learn. I think you come over here and it's a lot more athletic than it is in the UK. and

Kate Hanson: Mm-hmm.

Tash Flint: you go to the UK and it's a lot more technical. so it's not that I've come over here and struggled, but it's just that I need to be a little bit different in my game because I guess you might get eleven players over in the UK that are all technical. Over here you might get Nine players and you might just get them fast runners. and I think in the UK you don't re I don't know if I can actually even say there's anyone really that quick in the UK. where

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: over here I'm like, damn everyone's quick. so maybe

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: that's something we need to work on in the UK of being

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: quicker 'cause I'm trying to work on it. I mean don't know if it's working, but yeah, I think if I'm a technical ability and my neat passing and being clean on the ball, it's just come from such a young age. that's all like that that's football for me.

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: Yeah.

Kate Hanson: And my daughter so my have I like I said, I have two daughters, nine and twelve, and the nine year old, her team just played against the same level boys team, if for a scrimmage. And you mentioned that you trained with boys. What do you think that sometimes you get from training with a boys' team as as a girl that you you just don't see from playing with strictly girls growing up?

Tash Flint: I think I got the technical ability and the strength side of things, so the physicality. I mean but boys are just I could get up against probably any of the boys and they would outrun me crazy.

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: and they are just sh much stronger. But I think I've probably got my strength from playing with boys. I used to get kicked around, threw on the floor One time I'd got like I think I got shoulder barged once and it must have been that hard and I got shoulder barged into something else and I'd like burst a vein in my arm and it was all different colours. But that's football. it's meant to be physical and I think

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: So for me, yeah, I think probably the technical ability side of it and the physical side of it is what I learnt from playing with boys. And maybe being when I played on the streets probably a bit street smart. I

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: think coming down to football, the fine little details, playing to the back foot and knowing your next pass and being head smart and football smart in your in your head is is very important. In my eyes it's very important.

Kate Hanson: I wanna talk about Denver a little bit because that we've been dying for you for NWSL team for so long here. And you said that you hope to be here even longer than the contract. You did get an extension to be here through the twenty twenty seven season. What would make Denver the place that you finish your career?

Tash Flint: that's a good question. getting put on the spot now. I think just continuing to enjoy my football. for me I wanna play. So I think Obviously everything's changes in football and stuff like that, but I think for me I just want to play football and give the best of the team I might and hopefully it can be and hopefully I can get more of a contract and I can stay here longer. I guess it's only in my hands. So yeah, I think it I think it changes all the time really. I think I could say like I want to finish my career at a certain team, but then my career might be going the absolute best at a pr at a team that I'm already at now, for example. Like I've said in the past I wanna finish my career my last year at Celtic. And just because I just had so much I just loved it there and the background, the people, everything was just amazing about it and the the league's a lot lower than this league, for sure. But I

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: think when I'm finishing my career it'll probably be perfect for me. But you never know, here might be here might go amazing. Here might continue going great and I'll be here, stay here till may end the care my career.

Kate Hanson: Well it we definitely love you here. You have your own cheer that the fourteeners chant at a on a regular basis. talk to us a little bit about the first time you heard that them chant that that cheer during the game. I I'm not gonna say it because it's a little not safe for work, but Yeah.

Tash Flint: Yeah. I was gonna say I think there's a couple of swear words in there I've heard. I don't well I've not heard, I've seen. I think it's hard to hear when you're on the pitch, because for me I just focus on the pitch. I've just focused on what's going on, so it is hard to hear. I do remember someone saying to me one time, You heard the chant? And I've said, I don't think I have and then they they said it and I was like, Yeah, I have heard. So I did I in the back of my mind I did hear. I mean, any chance great, I love that The fans love me and I love that they wanna do chants for me and I I I love the Denver fans. I think they're amazing. they show up week in, week out and it's amazing.

Kate Hanson: Well, now that you've settled into Denver, have you found your spots yet? Your favorite coffee place? Have you been up to the mountains and been able to do some hiking? I I saw, you know, on your Instagram you got those two adorable Dachshunds. I had a Dachshund when

Tash Flint: Yes.

Kate Hanson: I was younger. mine was a long a long haired weenie, but yes,

Tash Flint: cute.

Kate Hanson: I love Dachshunds. So I mean, have you found your spot that you kind of have been settling into?

Tash Flint: I would say a little bit. I would say I did find a couple of coffee shops that I did enjoy. And then I've started actually I bought a coffee machine so I started having coffee at home and s like it's just it's just a bit easier 'cause I can get a coffee and then be still with the dogs and my dogs are everything. I do every single thing with them. The second I get a day off, I'm excited to take the dogs out and getting one of them one of don't really like the water at the moment. She's not really been a big swimmer. so I'm getting her into swimming, which is nice. My other one is crazy. He just he he's he's off in whatever water, swimming, puddles, lakes, ponds.

Kate Hanson: Ha ha.

Tash Flint: He's he's swimming in everything. But yeah, I think I've found like my nice dog walking place. I do like a couple of coffee shops. There's a couple that I do like and a couple of food places. But I like to try new things, so I'd be open to trying new things. Maybe I should actually put something on my Instagram and get a couple of get a couple of recommendations from people, because I'm sure there'll be

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: a lot of people that will give me recommendations.

Kate Hanson: Yeah, well we we love having you in Denver. You're so much fun to watch every time that you take the pitch. Last question from me, okay. I love tattoos. I'm a big tattoo fan and your tattoo

Tash Flint: Yeah.

Kate Hanson: is something else. So is there any meaning behind your tattoo? Do you wanna get a full leg tattoo, a full leg sleeve? talk to us about the tattoo.

Tash Flint: I started I can't remember the age I started actually, it was years and years ago now. And I first ever got what I first got, I think, was I've got a picture a f a face on the inside of my thigh. And it was just a random face that I actually seen and I just thought, that's cool. So I just got that. And from then I started adding things and everything that I do have on my leg is things I just like in life. So I've actually got a quote on there. I've got a face. I've got a compass with a map, because I like the world. I've got an eye because I like eyes, and I've got my two favourite flowers which are lilies and roses. And then my one on the back of my leg. I've got a hot air balloon because I've tried to go on a hot air balloon multiple times and I've tried to book to go on one in the UK. And it cancelled and cancelled and cancelled. So I'm stuck with a hot air balloon on the back of my leg and I've never gone on one. which is a bit like it's a bit sad, but maybe I'll get to go on one over it. So maybe my lucky day will come one day and I'll be able to go on one. And then I do have my favourite number which is two. on the back of my leg also. So it's just things that I like. and I will continue to get a full leg. I think I went wrong. I went to two different tattooists and got one d it done from one and from the other and I think I should have stuck to one. So I'm gonna go back to my original one when I go back to the UK. And I'm gonna get him to fix it because there's a couple of issues if you really get close and look.

Kate Hanson: Mm.

Tash Flint: But yeah I will continue going to the bottom of my leg for sure.

Kate Hanson: Is the leg the the only spot where you have all the tattoos for now?

Tash Flint: Yeah, so I have my full leg sleeve on this side and then I've got some patchwork on this side. Just some random bits.

Kate Hanson: Yeah.

Tash Flint: and I'll continue to do patchwork on my right side of my arm. On my right arm, sorry, and then I will do a full leg sleeve on my left and then I'll probably think of somewhere else I want to get done, but for now I want to work on the left leg and the right arm.

Kate Hanson: Once you start it's hard to stop, right? I I I I

Tash Flint: No, it is I've stopped for a long time though. I've not had one in in forever. I've not had a tattoo in honestly ages. And I think I'm but a bit a bit scared. I wanna go to the same person and get the same person. But with my patchwork on my arm I do let friends just do it. It's all been done by friends who have like wanted to get into tattooing. It's all done from three different friends. And it's like

Kate Hanson: Wow, that's cool.

Tash Flint: they practice on there. And I'm like, yeah, go on then. Practice on my arm. It's okay. And they've all turned out good actually, which is good. so that's good, yeah.

Kate Hanson: Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, well, you know, Tosh, this has been a interview that I've been dying to to have for quite some time now. So I can't thank you enough for sitting down with us on the fifty two eighty pitch and like the like the chant says she's here, she's there, she's everywhere. yes. we can't wait to see you keep taking the pitch for us. So thank you again for joining us.

Tash Flint: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me on.