“The elite level is booming but there’s a lot more to be done for grassroots” Former Lioness Carly Telford on developing the women’s game
The Lionesses have completely changed the women’s game with them now making regular appearances in the latter stages of major tournaments.
We spoke to former goalkeeper Carly Telford, on her career whilst representing her nation and what more needs to be done for the women’s game.
We spoke to former goalkeeper Carly Telford, on her career whilst representing her nation and what more needs to be done for the women’s game.
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00:00So, Carly, just tell me a bit about the research which shows how undeveloped the women's game
00:07actually is, especially at a grassroots level.
00:11Yeah, I think that the perception, obviously, at the minute is women's football is booming
00:15and it is probably at the elite and the top level, what the Lionesses did in 2022, and
00:19then backed that up with a really strong World Cup. It all kind of looks pretty rosy on Sky
00:24Sports and BBC. And it is going really well, but research that Shua have done, which in
00:29her amazing company, who have backed women's football for about four or five years now,
00:33done multiple campaigns and kind of initiatives, really shining the light on the good things
00:37about the women's game, but also kind of things like this research, which shows that 78% of
00:42women and girls actually feel like they don't have access in their local areas to facilities
00:47and coaches as much as boys and men do in their areas. So I think it's hugely quite
00:52like a significant piece of research and one that just kind of alerts everyone that actually
00:57there's still a long way to go in the women's game.
01:00And as you say there, obviously, there has been a bit of a growth in terms of, you know,
01:03the Lionesses, the WSL, but how important is it that more is given to the foundations
01:09of women's football? Because that ultimately does end up improving the professional level
01:13as well.
01:14Yeah, hugely, I think, especially as like former Lionesses and the Lionesses now, we've
01:19all come through a grassroots pathway. I think most professional footballers have started
01:23a local community or a local club and then have gone on to do fantastic things. But we
01:28all recognize that the pyramid at the top is the small percentage and being around the
01:33grassroots level and that kind of bottom level of the pyramid. And it's been so important
01:37that we maintain that, but also keep kind of striving to be better because there are
01:41so many boundaries still kind of barriers, sorry, still blocking women and girls getting
01:47and staying into football. So I think this research really shows that. So I think we
01:51just got to keep having these conversations and making sure that we're now putting some
01:54changes in place to make sure that girls and women have keep having those opportunities.
01:58How much has women's football actually changed since you started and in comparison to maybe
02:03when you retired or, you know, what it's like in today's day? Quite a lot has probably changed.
02:08Yeah. And it's a very old age saying it back in my day and I hate doing it. But at the
02:12same time, sometimes you do these interviews and you kind of have to reflect on it was
02:17kind of like just people's parents and the odd person passing by that might stop and
02:21look at the game for what it is. And at that time, it's still like Sunderland v Everton
02:25or Sunderland v Arsenal. There are still big names in the game playing. I was only 14,
02:2915 playing senior football, but they were still recognisable names. And we were playing
02:33at some Sunday pitch, just like at the side of nowhere. No one really cared about we were
02:38wearing men's kit. It was all oversized. And like I say, we just affiliated with the club.
02:43We weren't even cemented into it. And then you look at it now and the ambition every
02:47year is for every club to get to Wembley because the FA Cup's hosted there every year. Every
02:51club is pretty much full time in the WSL and WSL Championship. So it's a massive change,
02:56but it's where the girls need to be in the games when you're going to get better and
02:58better every year.