Millie Bright will begin the WSL season with a message which is “much more than football.”
Chelsea defender Bright is aiming for a fifth consecutive title with Emma Hayes’ team in what should be another groundbreaking year for the women’s game. Reigning champions Chelsea kick off against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge as more WSL games will be hosted in the main stadiums and interest has never been higher after the World Cup.
Arsenal have already sold over 50,000 tickets for their season-opener with Liverpool on Sunday and the TV audiences are set to break more records this season. Bright, 30, who captained England as they reached the World Cup final, says there is a strong feeling of togetherness even among bitter rivals to fight for respect within the women’s game.
Chelsea defender Bright, speaking on Sky Sports Editions, said: “In the women’s game we fight for so much more than football. It’s for the rights of women in the world.
“And if there's one thing I'd change, it's the judgment… we get judged for being women playing sport, but I think it makes us so much more powerful. We all come together to prove people wrong, really, and to just exist and to do what we love doing.
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“We’re enemies at the weekend or on a Wednesday evening or whenever the game is, but we all fight for the rights of the women’s game. When we need each other we all come together and support one another and that’s, for me, more powerful than anything really.”
Chelsea have reigned supreme in the WSL under Hayes’ management and their London derby with Tottenham will take centre stage on Sky on Sunday. They are favourites to win the title again this season and Bright gave a telling insight into Hayes not just as a manager but also as a mentor.
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Bright will feature in an episode of Sky Sports Editions
She captained England at the Women's World Cup this summer (PA)Bright admits that she struggled with mental health issues and, in particular, the pressure to perform at the highest level. She says that weighed heavily on her shoulders and it was Hayes who helped her overcome her anxieties which, in turn, made her a better player.
Bright said: “I think Emma at Chelsea has been a massive mentor for me in terms of my mentality and mental health. I remember she sat me down in my early years at Chelsea where, she said: ‘you look like you’re ready to explode, what is the matter? You’re clearly not fine, I can tell.’
“Then I finally opened up and let out all the emotion. I always felt weak for doing that, I had to be strong for family, I had to be strong for the team, and strong for myself and my image. And then finally just letting out all that emotion and having that conversation with Emma and I think she learnt more about me that day than I probably did myself.”
The Lionesses reached the World Cup final in a tournament which gripped the nation this summer. But Bright says it was after the Euros and playing in a home tournament when she realised just what an impact it had on the whole country.
She added: “Returning from the Euros was wild. I don't think I left home for six days just because when you're in a tournament we’re in a bubble. When we came back home we came obviously back home, we really didn't know how big things had gotten outside [of the bubble].
“There are flags everywhere, someone in the neighbourhood had done a massive poster of us lifting the trophy which was absolutely amazing. It was really touching as well to know that the village had got around us. It was absolutely wild.”
Sky Sports Editions will be exclusively available to watch on Sky Sports YouTube channels from Friday 29th September.
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