Eniola Aluko Quotes

For the average person walking down the street, they don't even know a women's soccer league exists in this country.

Clearly, those of us women who play football wish that there was more coverage.

But the reason that women's football is still unknown is because it's not on television and not widely publicised for a wide majority of the leagues in the world.

When the Olympics and World Cups come around, that's when you see the real outpouring of support that there really is for female football.

For women's football in this country, it's important we do play in the best stadiums, and for me, Wembley is the best in this country.

How many women's football matches are selling out week in, week out, 20,000 plus? They're not.

It's a dream that we, as women footballers, get to play in the same stadium as the men.

In a World Cup, the girls at Lyon are probably the ones that are going to change the games, and I know them inside out.

I think it's important that we try to showcase what we're about as women footballers.

It just goes to show how much the women's game has improved over the years: there are some outstanding goalkeepers capable of fantastic reaction saves.

There are a lot of programs, a lot of teams now that have the backing of federations, the growth of the game domestically. You see this with Holland; you see this with Italy. It's a matter of time. I had to leave my home country to go and experience the game. Now, it's delightful that these countries are actively supporting women's football.

I've proved I'm in love with the women's game, and I think the quality is unbelievable.

For me looking at the success of some of the women's football World Cups, the crowds they've drawn, the spectacle it has created and the event that it's been I think it's really great cricket is having a go at that as well.

I think the concept of seeking fame and fortune in women's football in the States is a bit idyllic.

You know, I think more people should watch women's basketball. It'd do so much for the game.

The growth of women's soccer and women's sports all around the world has been slow.

When I was really young, the women's national team wasn't on a grand media stage, so my role models were male basketball and male American football players.

When I was growing up, you didn't know there was a women's national team. Now girls grow up dreaming of playing for Canada.

Clearly, those of us women who play football wish that there was more coverage. But it's one of those things that happens. Every year the level is getting higher, and I think we surprise a lot of people when the world focuses its attention on the World Cup or the Olympics final.

Women's tennis has been around for a very long time - we're talking about the 1800s. But women's soccer hasn't had such a long history, so now they're right at the beginning of really trying to make things equal. We need to continue not only to advocate for women but to have men advocating for women.

Norway has a great history of women's football, but it's harder now. We've stopped talking about development, and other countries have overtaken us.

Women's football will always be different from men's football, but that doesn't mean you cannot still appreciate it. OK, so it might be a bit slower than the men's game, but then League Two football is slower than the Champions League, and it doesn't stop people turning out to see their local teams.

Clubs in other countries can step up, and we can kick on with women's football even more.

The women's national team is a very successful team, and that success has given us a platform to speak on gender equity issues. Millions of young women play soccer in this country, and it's empowering for them to see that our contribution to the game is valued.

I remember when Manchester United came into the league and I remember saying, 'Wow, this is huge. This is huge for a club like this to have a women's team.' It's so important for clubs with all this tradition, history, power, influence to have a women's team and to see the progress that they've made and what they've put into it.