"Before February, I hadn’t really thought about an international call-up for a number of years, to be quite honest, Not that I didn’t want it to happen, but I just thought maybe that time had been and gone."

"The teaching curriculum on the Sport and Exercise Science course was also massively applicable to my career. Everything I learned in lectures could be related back to myself as an athlete. It also provided me with a valuable opportunity to continue to progress in my career, while still obtaining an education. It was certainly a challenging experience but it’s one that definitely enabled me to better myself as a person, improve my time-management skills and further develop qualities that I hope will continue to set me up for future success."

"It’s been massively beneficial for me to be able to play football professionally and still continue with my studies at the same time. The support the university has given me has been great, in particular from my tutors and the rest of the Sports Scholarship staff who really go out of their way to guide you. In my case, being part of the Scholarship scheme and getting so much guidance from staff definitely helped me to strike the right balance, and commit to both my studies and professional endeavors to the very best of my ability."

"When it came to deciding where I should apply for university, the reputation of LJMU’s sports offering was second to none and was something I was keen to experience and be a part of. I was aware that the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences had a history of nurturing world-class athletes and I knew I’d be getting an excellent quality of teaching and support."

"It is incredibly important that people can be themselves, whatever it is and the more that people are able to welcome that and encourage and celebrate our difference the greater our team’s success will be. It goes hand in hand, if someone feels comfortable and is able to be themselves, the more successful that team will be."

"I’m working with the team individually to help them to understand themselves better, how to get to their performance mindset and create consistency within their game, as well working with the full squad and developing a whole, solid team culture that people want to be a part of, so they are also getting the best out of themselves and each other."

"As an athlete myself, we went through loads of psychological training and exercises, When you get to the very top level, the difference does come down to what goes on between your ears - technically, tactically - it’s very, very close and the margin for error is tiny"

"Under participation in women’s sport is a global concern. There are plenty of factors that contribute to the problem – a lack of facilities, a lack of real and genuine opportunities, and a perception of being less valued than our male counterparts."

"By accepting that there are barriers to women’s participation in particular, we are accepting that there isn’t a level playing field. That’s not a sustainable position to be in."

"Some of us play sport as a living, and we’re really privileged to do so. But for the majority of people across the world, sport is a vehicle for keeping healthy and active."

"I want people to see that women are capable and accepted. I want to see people like me in powerful positions to know they’re looking out for women like me too."

"Having females and people of multi ethnic and minority groups in higher-up positions will give young people the hope that they can reach the top too."

"People don’t realise how much football can do beyond on the pitch."

"As athletes, too, you’re prone to thinking about your physical appearance because of how much you’re in the public eye. You question whether you should post one picture instead of another because of how you might look, and those pressures come from wider societal perceptions and expectations of how women should look."

"We’re often told to be quiet or be careful, which as a way of growing up, I find to be quite unhealthy. So, already being able to talk about your skin with other people allows you to celebrate it, as you’re all in the same boat. That’s really important to me."

"Yeah, I think there are a lot of tangible barriers that you see regarding women’s sport, especially football. But, I feel what’s often overlooked are the intangible ones; the societal barriers that have been plaguing us for years for example."

"It’s important that they feel like they can be who they’d like to be and move how they’d like to move."

"Everything today is so visual and forced upon us – girls and women especially – that we feel as if we have to accept and apply a standardised version of what’s ‘beautiful’."

"I think one of the most frightening statistics is that one in three women don’t want to participate in sports because of how their skin looks. When you’re faced with that statistical reality, it would make you want to be a part of anything that can help change that."

"Well, if I had campaigns and images like these as a young girl, my journey might have been somewhat different, and I’d have felt more empowered to simply be myself."

"I had to cut my hair to play, so for me it's so important that little girls can play football if they want to. That's what I really want to fight for."

"It's not all about money. I think the most valuable thing we have accomplished is that little girls now have role models… My heart is in the women's game and my thoughts are on the women's game."

"This generation of women who are now at the highest level of football also have another purpose that comes with their visibility: to try and make the world a better place for the next generation."

"I really felt very strongly that we have to support these women. We need to support each other."

"Growing up, I heard so many times, “That's not for women.” And I think when you hear that over and over, you believe it. You have to be very strong to stick to what you love, but that's what I did."

"You can just say what you think and still be very respectful."

"You can be honest. It doesn’t mean that you’re rude. Just be direct."

"I really love the medals but what I’m proud of most, absolutely most, is that now young girls have perspective, young girls can play football and young girls can wear shirts [with players’ names on]"

"We all have fears. And it takes a lot to be brave, be confident, and talk about it. And you never know what it may lead to."

"To be honest, everybody thought that I was a boy."

"Confidence is key for any footballer."

"I hope people will look at women’s football as the norm."

"When you let children lead, you see their minds work in a way that’s different to ours because we’re moulded to think a certain way as we get older."

"I don’t think we give kids enough respect for what they understand."

"There are many things you can get out of football that you can take into the world of work."

"I’ve been trying to encourage both boys and girls to get involved in football. There are so many life skills you can learn from football… I want kids to understand the game is for everybody."

"I think every female footballer can relate to a woman working in a male-dominated area and championing it. We need to make sure that we support each other."

"For players of my generation – and before – there wasn’t money in the game. You were doing it because of your passion."

"It's looking positive, but it's probably a similar thing with both the men and women's team, they need to have a stronger mentality of knowing they have to win."

"How that will inspire so many young girls and boys to talk about women's football and make it the norm."

"Expectations and perceptions have changed around women's football, but they will know that they'll have to play their part in increasing the popularity of the game."

"You have to stand there against people who are probably not supporting women's football and tell them you need more money. That, in itself, takes a lot of guts. At that point, it wasn't easy to win people over."

"As footballers, we are in a position of great opportunity. People look at us. We need to make sure that we deliver the main message."

"But now, I think that if you believe in something or can help make a change for the better then it is important to speak up."

"I've always had a voice, I just haven't had the courage to use it."

"It makes you understand who we are. We fought during our work to change the mind."

"It is very important for female footballers that we are role models."

"I feel like it’s moments like these or times like these where you realise why you play sport. It really is like being part of a family away from family."

"And remember, no matter how bad you feel, nothing lasts forever."

"Everyone goes through hard stuff, but it’s important to check yourself, and reset if you can."