Athlete

My mum and dad were always careful with money.

My mum and dad were always careful with money.

For the women's team, our job is to be professional footballers for club and country and be the best role models we can be.

That was something I probably had to go through, a learning curve in terms of trying to develop into the captain I want to be.

It's great to be able to bring the best players from other countries and that they want to play in our league.

Going to the gym is essential to the position that I play, but I also enjoy keeping fit and healthy in general.

The support of our fans is vital to everything that we do - we always play for our country and our fans.

As a full-time athlete, you put your body through a lot. A foam roller works like a self-massage to roll out the knots in your quads, your hamstrings, and your back so that you feel looser and more prepared.

I want to play for England, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I give it everything I can, not just for me but for my team-mates as well.

I always knew I wanted an educational background, and my mum and dad were quite big on that.

There was no better feeling than lifting that Continental Cup.

We want to be treated as professionals and like the male footballers.

At the end of the day, you've got a job to do, and that's playing football.

It's difficult because the men's game is so big and attracts so much money and sponsorship, and so it's always going to take priority.

I'm in such a privileged position to class football as my full-time job, to be captain of England, captain of Manchester City. I'm very lucky.

My role models were Kevin Phillips and David Beckham, and, for me, now girls can look up to female footballers and want to aspire to be them and try to follow in their footsteps and even be better than us.

The image of women's football has definitely changed. Now we've got to make sure it keeps developing.

To be playing in FA Cup finals at Wembley is obviously a dream come true.

Missing the chance to go to the 2007 World Cup was the biggest disappointment of my career.

Opinion of the sport is constantly getting better. Our semi-professional league is starting to change people's attitudes, and it'll get better as the years go on.