Self-promotion probably isn't something that I've been comfortable with over the
years because you always want to come across as humble and grounded and it's not until
you actually look at your achievements that you can be proud of them really.
I am remarkable. I am remarkable. I am remarkable.
When you make mistakes it's very public and
ultimately people will form an opinion on you based on one moment which could be a lapse of
judgment a lapse of concentration and you are judged for that one moment.
We do make mistakes. We can also be tarnished quite a lot
for making mistakes and it's quite a big burden to have.
When you were younger you play games and people would always comment saying "well girls shouldn't
be playing football" and then even as you get older when we play for England you still get
the odd comments on social media saying "oh well this is rubbish get the men's football on" and
I find it quite sad that we're constantly having to battle with them comments.
When I went on loan to Liverpool I was still relatively young and
my maturity level in the game wasn't obviously at its highest
it was my first time being a professional and I genuinely truly felt that I'd failed as a
footballer. I'm not a quitter I've always been someone that will take anything face on no matter
what's thrown at me but that was a really really struggling time in my life where I genuinely felt
that I wasn't good enough to do it.
I'd probably go back to when I was nine years old playing in games
and the mums and dads of the boys I was playing against would be saying "kick that girl"
and I just remember tears streaming down my face and leaving the football pitch a substitute coming on
because I was so upset.
The parents really made us feel very small so that was probably
a point when I thought why am I different why can't I just play the sport that I love?
I am remarkable because when I first got sent away from Chelsea to Liverpool on loan
I thought that my career at Chelsea was over. I felt like I'd failed myself and my family and
I was totally devastated at the thought of not being good enough. I learned how to believe in
myself and prioritize my mental health asking for help and relying on those around me to help me go
through this very challenging time.
I am remarkable because even though I came from a council estate
in central Liverpool I achieved my dream of becoming a professional football player.
As a small girl I had dreams that didn't even exist in the real world always wanted to play
football but with a big heart and a massive passion for the game and massive work ethic
then I've gone on to achieve my dreams of playing for England over 100 times and creating fantastic
memories with my teammates.
I have won every trophy available in club women's football
both in England and France.
I think I always go above and beyond especially when it comes to the fans
and trying to create a platform for women's football
that girls feel like they can dream and they can go on to achieve their successes
without any barriers or obstacles in the way.
There was a lot of feelings I think that came with writing down my own achievements I think it's very
easy to turn to the negatives if you asked me to sit there and write all the negatives I'd
probably have two three four pages full and then you look at the positives and there's
about three or four bullet points and you're really trying to scramble in your brain what
you think are positive you don't want to come across as whether you're being arrogant or
too self-absorbed.
I think writing them down was easier at first than just saying them
because I could look at it and I was constantly looking at it thinking
is that a fact? Yes it's a fact so it's okay I can write that about myself.
Saying it in front of my teammates that was very difficult.
Since this workshop realizing how much you can empower other women how much you can empower
the next generation I think I've realized that we have a responsibility to talk confidently
about ourselves because if we don't how are younger children going to talk confidently about
themselves? It is important to put out there and let people know that you are your number one fan
and that you're proud of what it is that you've achieved. There was a time recently where in the
league I got an achievement of 150 appearances and I was writing this tweet out for ages just saying
so proud to have reached my 150th appearance but I must have deleted it about 50 times
because i was like I don't want to come across big headed I don't want to come across arrogant
but next time I achieve something I'm gonna own it.