From Fair Game Mag
Did you know much about the women's game in England before you came over here to play for Chelsea ?
I didn't know a ton about English soccer , but what I did know of it was Kelly Smith - and what a player she is , one of the best I've ever seen in fact. I was waiting for the time England would qualify for the World Cup finals so that she could be seen on a global scale , so I loved the fact that England got to the finals in China last year. Kelly didn't disappoint and I thought England performed well - they've had a great run in their development as a team.
What do you feel you will contribute to Chelsea's Premier League team ?
It will mainly be my experience and trying to help younger players develop. One of my old coaches used to say , " make your team mates look good " , and that's what I always try to do , for instance with the kind of passes I make to colleagues and the movement I make off the ball. I was impressed with the skill levels of the
Chelsea players when I had my first training session with them and I'm really excited about playing in England - and I certainly hope I can help
Chelsea improve as a team.
How did your involvement in
Chelsea begin ?
I first met up with
Chelsea when they came to California last summer , but I'd already done work in different parts of the world with one of the clubs charity partners , Right To Play , an organisation that uses sport and play to help promote healthy living and development of life skills among children in disadvantaged areas. I was thinking of getting further involved in that type of work , so when
Chelsea approached me about taking on an ambassadorial role it was the culmination of everything I was passionate about. At the end of their American tour the idea of me coming to England to play for the club was also thrown around - and here I am. It was quite funny , by the way , bumping into Michael Essien and Florent Malouda when I met the
Chelsea players. I was playing for the Olympique Lyonnais women's team at the same time they were with the club , so when Michael saw me just after they arrived in California he had a double take and then said " what are you doing you here ?" " simple " I said , I said - " I live here ".
You mentioned Olympique Lyonais there , but what about San Franciso Glens ? How did you get to play for a semi-pro mens team ? And did you get anyone objecting to a female turning out for a men's outfit ?
I'd been involved in soccer coaching at the University Of North Carolina , and shortly after I'd got back to California I was asked by the Glens coach if I could go along and help him pick his team. I went to a training session and actually jumped in with the guys , and after the session the coach asked if I could play in a mini-tournament the following weekend. I did that and we won every single game , won the tournament and then I got asked if I'd like to sign a contract to play for the club. " Sure , why not " , I said and that's how it started , but yes we did get objections. I was the only woman in the country playing in a men's team and we had a couple of opposition teams object when I stepped on to the field. There were also protest letters sent to the league , but hey - there were no rules that said I couldn't play so I did.
As well as playing for
Chelsea you'll be working on off-feild activities for the club - could you explain what type of duties you'll be undertaking ?
I'll be working three days from the main club offices and two days at the training ground in Cobham. I'll be spreading my time around different departments within the club , for example I'll be doing some media work , but I'll also be going out to work with youngsters and hopefully encourage more girls to come into soccer. I'm passionate about working at grass roots level , so I'm really looking forward to that side of my job.
Is working for
Chelsea a job that you see as permanent , perhaps taking you beyond your playing days ?
It could be longer term than just coming for this season and there's certainly a bigger picture here. I don't see myself playing for too much longer and I'd like to have some job secruity in something that I love - and that's another aspect of coming to
Chelsea that appeals to me. I'm here initially on a six month contract and I'll explore all avenues in that time. I want to play for the team and win and to make a real contribution in all the grass roots areas. It could be longer term than the present agreement , but we'll assess things at the end of the six months and hopefully it will be the right fit for both parties.
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