Liv Cooke
{{Short description|British football freestyler and entrepreneur}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Liv Cooke
| image = Liv_Cooke_wikipedia_photo_September_2022.jpg
| caption = Liv Cooke in 2022
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1999|04|20}}
| birth_place = Leyland, Lancashire, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| known_for = Football freestyle, public figure and entrepreneur
| spouse = Married
| occupation =
| nationality = British
}}
Liv Cooke (born 20 April 1999) is a British freestyle football world champion,{{cite news|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/channel-4-snaps-mcdonalds-sponsor-uefa-womens-euro-2017-coverage/1438332|title=Channel 4 snaps up McDonald's to sponsor UEFA Women's Euro 2017 coverage|last=Gwynn|first=Simon|date=3 July 2017|work=Campaign magazine|accessdate=7 July 2017}}{{cite news|url=http://www.irishnews.com/sport/footballsoccer/2016/11/05/news/meet-liv-cooke-the-17-year-old-revolutionising-the-freestyle-football-scene-771035/|title=Meet Liv Cooke: the 17-year-old revolutionising the freestyle football scene - The Irish News|date=5 Nov 2016|work=Irish News|accessdate=7 July 2017}} seven-time world record holder and entrepreneur. Rising to fame following her freestyle football success, she became a prime-time BBC Sport presenter on 'MOTDx' and a UEFA ambassador, also earning prestigious accolades such as the Parliamentary Rising Star{{cite web|url=https://www.wearethecity.com/rising-stars-awards-2015/|title=Rising Stars Awards 2015 - Top 50 - WeAreTheCity | Information, Networking, jobs & events for women|date=|publisher=WeAreTheCity|accessdate=2017-07-07}} and Woman of the Future{{cite web|url=http://awards.womenofthefuture.co.uk/our-alumni-category/2015/|title=2015 - Women of the Future Awards|author=|date=|website=Awards.womenofthefuture.co.uk|accessdate=2017-07-07}} awards.
Beyond sport, Cooke has developed a property empire which includes mentoring others to embark on their own property journeys.{{cite web|url=https://livcookesourced.com/|title=Sourced by Liv Cooke & Co|date=|publisher=Liv Cooke Sourced|accessdate=2025-03-30}}
Cooke has an extensive social media presence, with over eight million combined followers across platforms including TikTok and Instagram.{{cite web | url=https://www.tiktok.com/@livcookefs?lang=en | title=Liv Cooke (@livcookefs) Official }}{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/livcookefs/?hl=en | title=Instagram }}
Career
Cooke made history in 2016 when, at 17 years-old, she became the youngest ever qualifier for the Red Bull Street Style World Finals in London, placing 6th.{{cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/red-bull-street-style-world-final-2016-liv-cooke-gifs|title=Archived copy|website=Red Bull |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008080122/https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/red-bull-street-style-world-final-2016-liv-cooke-gifs|archivedate=8 October 2017|accessdate=2017-06-22|df=dmy-all}}
Later that year, Cooke's rapid rise continued as she qualified for the 2016 World Football Freestyle Championships in Melbourne.[https://www.melbournefreestyleweek.com.au/female-world-championships] {{dead link|date=July 2017}} She finished second, making her the youngest ever finalist. Cooke broke her foot in the final, which ruled her out for several months.
Having returned to training in April 2017, in August that year Cooke qualified for the 2017 Super Ball open football freestyle championships in Prague. Once there, she won all of her battles to become the world football freestyle champion and the youngest in history to ever take the title.{{Cite web |title=WFFA Official Champions |url=https://thewffa.org/official-champions-timeline-history-past/ |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=The World Freestyle Football Association |language=en-GB}} Cooke subsequently began pursuing world records and achieved her seventh in 2023, cementing her place among the best football freestylers.{{Cite web |title=Liv Cooke: Freestyle footballer's seventh world record 'incredible'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-65988889 |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}
While breaking world records, Cooke diversified her activities as she rose to prominence through social media and a series of roles.
In 2018, Cooke became an ambassador for UEFA Women's Football and in 2019, Cooke became a global ambassador for UEFA Euro 2020.{{Cite web|title=Leyland's freestyle footballer Liv Cooke is championing women in football after being named as Euro 2020 ambassador|url=https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/leylands-freestyle-footballer-liv-cooke-championing-women-football-after-being-named-euro-2020-ambassador-668302|access-date=2021-09-02|website=www.lep.co.uk|date=2 April 2019 |language=en}} While UEFA ambassador, Cooke fronted the 'We Play Strong' campaign, designed to maintain and increase teenage girls' participation in football around the world.{{Cite web|title=Together #WePlayStrong – the journey so far|url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/024a-0f8e6431ebb1-d0f59ab0854f-1000--together-weplaystrong-the-journey-so-far/ |date=2018-10-01|publisher=UEFA|accessdate=2025-03-30}}
In September 2019, Cooke signed as a BBC Sport presenter. This role included hosting the new MOTDx{{Cite web|date=2020-01-27|title=The world at her feet|url=https://www.newschainonline.com/sport/womens-sport/meet-liv-cooke-girl-who-desperately-wanted-be-professional-footballer-and-now-freestyle-champion-world-3520|access-date=2021-09-02|website=www.newschainonline.com|language=en}} show, along with presenting features on Football Focus.
In September 2021, Cooke was confirmed as the highest earning female athlete TikTok creator at that time.{{Cite web|title=Highest-earning athletes on TikTok might surprise you|url=https://torontosun.com/sports/soccer/highest-earning-athletes-on-tiktok-might-surprise-you|access-date=2021-09-02|website=calgarysun|language=en-CA}} That timing coincided with the release of her book, The Way to Win, focusing on Cooke's journey to become the football freestyle world champion and providing a ten-step guide for the reader to achieve a dream.{{cite web|date=2021-09-30|title=The Way to Win|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Like-Liv-Freestyling-Everything/dp/1788402669|access-date=2025-04-01|language=en-GB}}
In May 2022, Cooke was announced as the Boston Red Sox Wild Card for baseball's inaugural Home Run Derby X in 2022, participating in the series across London, Seoul, and New Mexico.{{Cite web |title=Meet the HRDX Wild Cards who could steal the show |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/who-are-the-home-run-derby-x-wild-cards |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=MLB.com |language=en}} Cooke helped the Red Sox win the tournament.
In August 2022, Cooke appeared alongside various other athletes and celebrities in the Sport Relief All Star Games, which aired shortly after the conclusion of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.{{Cite web |title=Sport Relief All Star Games: Birmingham 2022 {{!}} Comic Relief |url=https://www.comicrelief.com/sportrelief/all-stars |access-date=2022-09-16 |website=www.comicrelief.com |language=en}}
The sport-related roles that Cooke assumed were complemented by her work to transition into the world of property. In November 2019, Cooke founded Liv Cooke Properties Ltd.,{{Cite web |title=LIV COOKE PROPERTIES LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12312458 |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk |language=en}} a company focused on residential real estate developments and investments.{{Cite web |title=From the pitch to the building site: Freestyle footballer Liv Cooke breaks her way into the property industry |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18762979.freestyle-footballer-liv-cooke-breaks-way-property-industry/ |access-date=2021-09-02 |website=Lancashire Telegraph |date=October 2020 |language=en}} Her work on developments has also extended to advising on the development of the £2.6m South Ribble Playing Pitch Hub at Bamber Bridge Leisure Centre, which includes two new 3G pitches.{{Cite web |title=Leyland-born soccer sensation Liv Cooke to help Council create pitch perfect facilities |url=https://www.southribble.gov.uk/article/2044/Leyland-born-soccer-sensation-Liv-Cooke-to-help-Council-create-pitch-perfect-facilities |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=South Ribble Borough Council |language=en}}
Cooke's success, and her appetite for philanthropy, was demonstrated by her 2024 appearance on Channel 5's Rich House Poor House. Appearing alongside her wife Gal Ozery, Cooke paid off the Wings' family debt and offered the dad the opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a property developer.{{cite web|url=https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/it-feels-like-weve-won-the-lottery-derbyshire-familys-life-changing-offer-from-millionaire-property-entrepreneur-and-world-champion-football-freestyler-liv-cooke-on-tellys-rich-house-poor-house-4845061|title='It feels like we've won the lottery' - Derbyshire family's life-changing offer from millionaire property entrepreneur and world champion football freestyler Liv Cooke on telly's Rich House Poor House|date=2024-09-24|publisher=Derbyshire Times|accessdate=2025-03-30}} As was highlighted in the episode, Cooke balances her business, sporting, philanthropic and family interests by splitting her time between Los Angeles and the UK.
See also
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Liv}}
Category:English company founders