Spurs vs West Ham (WSL) | Every word of Blakstad's pre-match interview

First up in our season opener is West Ham United at Brisbane Road on Sunday (kick-off 12noon BST) – and tickets will be available to buy on the day.

It has been a positive pre-season for Martin Ho’s side with victories over Granada, Birmingham City and Bristol City while we put in an impressive display against last season’s Liga F runners-up Real Madrid, gearing up for another strong season in England’s top flight.

Away from the pitch, it has also been a special couple of weeks for Julie as she was named as one of the five players in the performance group, who will be aiding Drew Spence in her captain responsibilities.

Having a full pre-season with her team-mates and the coaching staff, after she joined us in midway through last term, the Norway international sat down with us to look ahead to the new campaign, a reflection on the last couple of weeks and being part of the performance group…

Julie, the WSL season is finally here. How excited are you to get back out there, playing in front of the fans and playing competitive football again?

“I'm really excited for it all to start. It's been a long pre-season, and I feel like we've trained really well. Now I'm just so excited to go out there and play, especially in front of the fans as well. It's going to be good.”

It's your first full pre-season with Spurs. How beneficial has that been for you?

“Yeah, especially when we went away for camp, it gave us an opportunity to get to know people on a different level. I think that's important on the pitch as well, that we get to know each other better, especially with the new players coming in. It's an easy way to get them into the group really quickly, and I feel there have been a lot of good training sessions and lots to build on from last year.”

What have been the key learnings that you and the squad have taken from pre-season so far?

“I think obviously we had a good season last year, but now we want to continue from where we were and keep building on that. There's no time now to start from the beginning. We need to be better, and I think that has to start this weekend already.”

Obviously, West Ham versus Spurs is a London derby. I guess that makes it slightly more exciting when you go out there.

“For sure, there's going to be a lot of London derbies this year, and I'm really excited to play them all, and also in front of the fans. Just to be out there and feel a bit of the pressure again in the games. I feel that's different from when you play the pre-season games. There's always that different nerve to the game when you play for points.”

How beneficial will the fans be? How important will they be this season to really drive us forwards and make that next step?

“The fans are so, so important to us, and they really help us, especially when we struggle on the pitch, just hearing them from the side. Also, getting the opportunity sometimes to interact with them and see how important it is for them to come and see us, but also understand for them that it's really important for us to have them supporting us every single game. Even if it's home or away, they travel all around England to watch us play, and that's so good for us as well.”

For you personally, over the summer you were named as one of the players as part of the performance group. How much of an honour is that, to have that faith and trust to be one of those players who can really help guide this team forwards?

“I'm obviously really honoured for Martin to pick me as one of those players. I think it's just important to keep doing what I've been doing as well. I feel like we have a really good group at this point, and everyone drives the level really well and also supports each other, which I think is important during the season as well because it's going to be tough, and we're going to struggle in some games as well. Then we need each other to back one another.”

Do you feel like your leadership really shines in those situations, especially with some of the younger players?

“Yeah, obviously I think that's part of who I am also. Maybe sometimes leadership shows in different ways, but I think caring about the people that I have around me is one big value I have, and I hope I can do that for my teammates during the season.”