KAREN BARDSLEY

It took me a while to accept everything, but I am so grateful for the way my parents raised me. It's my life, it's unique, and I think it's so meaningful to me as I get older.

I'm not fussed about awards. I just want to win a medal and a trophy.

I think the work ethic will take me wherever I want to go in life. It's my mindset that determines how, when, and if I'll get there.

You have to stand and fight for what you believe.

It's very important for me to constantly push myself.

If you speak to girls who play football alongside lads, they'll tell you that you almost have to earn the right to play with them. It's annoying that you have to do that, but once you've done it, the barriers are down.

Different techniques are now being used in futsal and handball. It's about timing more than anything else. Those little intricacies are slowly being picked up in the women's game - and it's kind of going unnoticed.

You'll do anything to keep the ball out.

I trained with some great keepers at college, alongside full-grown men, and it helped me 100%.

I don't think there's any reason why girl goalkeepers cannot train alongside the boys in academies. We have done it in the past. But health and safety have stepped in and stopped us. It may be there were child protection regulations to observe.

I trained alongside full-grown men at college and worked with some great male keepers. It helped me 100% with speed of play, speed of reactions, and strength. The mindset they gave me was invaluable.

I don't know what I was expecting the World Cup to be like. I never thought to ask anybody; maybe I should have. I've never played in a stadium with, like, 20,000 watching. It was an intense sensory experience.

It's a goalkeeper's job. There's so many times you're doing nothing for 89, 90 minutes, and then there's a split-second moment. It's a different challenge to outfield players, who have a lot of physical challenges and battle. We have a lot of mental battles; it's about maintaining your focus, refining processes of what you do in a game.

Road wins are critical, and it's huge for you as a team when you can pick up three points on the road.

I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art in Graphic Design, and all in all, I can look back on my collegiate experience and say that I really did enjoy myself.

What goalkeeper doesn't like a little action?

I've lived all my life in the U.S., but to be brutally honest, I don't really have any ties to the country apart from my mum and dad. Most of the rest of my family live in the Stockport area, and I've always related more to that side of my background.

You take the opportunities when you get them, and you try to see if there's any cues the opposition gives you, but more important is focusing on your own process, trusting your instincts, and being decisive.

There's no pressure on a goalkeeper in a penalty shootout. So it's a nice opportunity for us to have some fun and try and make some saves.

Every minute I'm on the field, I'm out there playing for my team, and the success of our team is what is most important to me.

You try to do the right thing at the right time and make a good impression on people.

One of my core values is that credit should be due, wherever it is needed.

We do get a lot of sexist tweets and comments, things about a woman's place being in the kitchen, not on the pitch.

My goal has never been to see how many stats I can rack up.

I work best when I have a goal or direction to work towards.