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#AskAlex - your questions answered by Arsenal and England star

17 October 2017

#AskAlex - your questions answered by Arsenal and England star

Women in Football has been proud to support this year's Football People action weeks - a campaign that brings together professional football and the grass roots movement for a two-week period in which thousands of football and anti-discrimination activities take place.

The movement has grown with the help of human rights organisations, clubs, leagues, players and individuals across Europe and beyond.

We decided to do things a little differently - of course! With the help of legendary England and Arsenal Women's defender Alex Scott MBE, who kindly took time out from her busy training schedule to show her support, we invited you to take part in a special #AskAlex Q&A via email and Twitter.

The questions were diverse, interesting and thought-provoking - so here is what Alex had to say on a wide range of topics:

Q. What’s the most mischievous thing you did as a child?
A. I was actually a good kid, (my Mum may say different though, ha!). I think the only thing my Mum may say is that I was so independent from a young age that I was always staying out and wanting to stay with teammates so I could get to football, otherwise I would have to jump on a bus to get to training and matches. I used to hang out at Highbury a lot because I just loved being around the stadium and being involved in football all the time.

Q. What would you do with the money if you won the rollover lottery on Wednesday night?
A. I love working with children that maybe don't have the same opportunities in life as most, so I would really love to invest a lot more of my time in projects with youngsters and try to make a difference in their life and help them to go on and achieve,
I would also like to travel and explore amazing places in the world. I would buy my Mum a dream home and pamper her for the rest of her life and continue to work on all things I am passionate about.

Q. Do you have any pre-match superstitions?
A. Not really, I just love having music on and feeling relaxed before a game.

Q. Who is the toughest opponent you have faced and why?
A. I would have to say Marta in her prime; she was so quick, skilful and such an intelligent footballer. It was so hard to read what she would do next.

Q. What is your favourite meal?
A. Chicken, rice and peas, Jamaican-style cooked by my nan. She passed away last month so I really do not know what I am going to do now. I am going to have to learn to cook it for myself. I also love Japanese, Peruvian and Brazilian food.

Q. Are you somewhat envious of the players at the start of their careers in the women’s game, given how much football has progressed in recent years? ?
A. No, not at all. If anything I feel proud, proud to have played a part to help women's football grow and be at the level it's at now and help drive change for the new generation. I hope the players today also drive our sport forward and keep pushing standards on and off the field and not just be happy with what they have right now.

Q. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
A. Girls Trip, a fun easy going film that you can just laugh at and feel good when you leave the movie theatre.

Q. To leave or not to leave the EU - what do you think?
A. Not leave the EU.

Q. Who is your favourite music artist?
A. Thats a hard one because I just love music. I go to a lot of concerts, live music venues and theatre shows. I love anything to do with music really.

Q. How has the game changed from when you first started, compared to how it is now? (crowd sizes, social media interaction, MSM, training facilities etc)

A. Well we used to train twice a week when I first started and we had to wait to train in the evening because most players had full-time jobs. We actually felt so lucky at Arsenal because we were one of the first clubs that actually paid players on a semi-pro level. Well, I say paid, it was just about enough to cover expenses back then but we felt lucky compared to some other teams, ha!

We would rely on Vic Akers our manager to sort us boots because he had the connection to the men's team and could get a few extra pairs of boots from sponsors. These days most girls don't even have to worry about boots as most have a sponsorship deal of their own.

Social media has played a big part to help drive our sport forward also in terms of the connection with fans and advertising games.

Q. Do you agree with goal-line technology?
A. Yes I do, I will always remember that Frank Lampard goal in the World Cup which would have stood if we had just had goal-line technology back then.

Q. Who was your childhood hero in football and outside football…and has that changed over the years?
A. Not sure I would say my hero, but Ian Wright was fantastic as a footballer. I just loved how much he clearly enjoyed playing football, that big smile on his face was infectious... it still is infectious when you see him on the TV.
Outside football I will always say my Mum, she allowed me to follow my dream and never once try to defer me from that. She is an inspirational woman, the values she installed in me from a young and the strength of character she has shown to me over the years is simply amazing. She will forever be my hero.

Q. What do you do to relax in your spare time?
A. I love to travel. I love meeting people and learning about different cultures, so any spare time I have I travel. If it's just a day here and there, you will find me catching up with family and friends, trying out different restaurants in london or trying to find something cool to do in and around town. I find it really hard to switch off and do nothing!

Q. Do you think women’s football gets a fair amount of media coverage? 
A. I think we have come a long way on this, but we need to keep pushing for more and knocking on doors so it keeps improving.

Q. How far behind the men’s game do you think the women’s game is?
A. It's not to compare men's and women's football, it's about making sure we continue to grow the women's game in this country.

Q. Who do you think will play a key role in raising the profile of women's football in the future?
A. I think everyone has a part to play in this, from the clubs to the players and not just one player. Everyone has to play their part to help and give back to the sport. No-one should just expect to take and take and not try to help and give back. 

Q. What can be done to publicise women’s football even more across the globe?
A. Market the hell out of it, keep putting it in peoples' faces all the time then it will become the norm, companies will then invest and it will grow and grow.  Oh, if it were all that simple! We must keep marching on and I am confident that our sport will continue to shine and keep showing how it can be used for good and for social change around the world.

We would like to say a huge 'Thank you' to Alex for supporting both Women in Football and the #footballpeople campaign.

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