After every game, Toone could count on a call from her dad, Nick, a few hours later.
He and her mum, Karen, were always in the stands, and Nick would record the match to rewatch at home before phoning his daughter for a full rundown.
The 26-year-old says he was completely devoted to the women’s game—he even preferred it to the men’s—knew every player, and cared deeply about her career, her team, and how they played.
She recalls him happily walking into any pub to chat about women’s football—and about her.
Toone says her dad was the driving force behind her football, taking her up and down the country for club fixtures and travelling abroad for England matches.
Football was their shared thing, she adds, and he was among the first to truly see her potential.
The day after she scored in England’s 2-1 win over Germany in the Euro 2022 final, she still didn’t know he had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer; he had told only her mum and his brother.
He didn’t want anyone to worry, she explains. He hadn’t been well throughout the tournament—details she’s learning more about now that he’s gone.
She only discovered he was ill the day after Manchester United won the FA Cup at Wembley in May 2024.
She felt as though each triumph was followed by a setback.
Nick died in September 2024, three days before his 60th birthday and five days after Toone turned 25. She was back in training the next day.
She returned to football immediately because she knew that’s what he would have wanted.
Starting the first game at Old Trafford was incredibly hard, she says, but it was what she needed—playing rather than sitting at home dwelling on it—knowing he would have been there, watching.