A FORMER footballer who won a full international scholarship but suffered a cruel blow to her career is using her experience of sports injuries to inspire a new generation of experts.

Lucy Carroll broke her leg six months into a four-year scholarship to play the beautiful game at a university in Louisiana in the United States.

But the 27-year old now draws on her own experience of recovery and rehabilitation teaching a sports science diploma at Darlington College.

She said her students recognised the importance of academic study as well as following their sporting dreams.

"I think my experience gives them hope that there are other alternatives and that you can use sport to further your career in lots of different way," she said.

Ms Carroll studied the same sports since course she now teaches on at a college in Northamptonshire before moving to Louisiana.

After she broke her leg, for the second time, she returned to the UK to study Sports Therapy at Teesside University before a Masters in advanced sports therapy and rehabilitation, and finally last year completed her teacher training.

She added: "Although breaking my leg was awful, it meant I had the chance to review what I was doing and completed my studies in a much quicker time.

"I can share with my students what happened and in the course teach them about sports injuries, sports massage and fitness testing among other topics, using my professional experiences and scenarios to bring the subjects to life.

Ms Carroll works part time at the college and practices as a sports therapist at Teesside Sports Injury Clinic in Stokesley.