Hannah Godfrey: "The WSL has grown massively!"

Hannah Godfrey has spent the last four years plying her trade in a country where women’s football is arguably at its most popular, something she feels puts her in a great position heading into our Barclays FA Women’s Super League (WSL) opener at Chelsea this weekend.

The centre-back swapped university football in the United States for Spurs Women this summer, bringing experience of playing in an environment where there’s a huge emphasis on the women’s game, as evidenced by the USA’s back-to-back World Cup wins at international level.

A Women’s Premier Soccer League title winner with Pensacola FC earlier this year, the defender admits she felt the hype across the pond, but has equally been able to enjoy the rise in popularity of the WSL from afar as we prepare for our first-ever game in the top division.

“They have their own big league in the States which is a huge deal over there but for me personally, as an English player, when I was there, I was constantly looking back here and looking at how the WSL has been growing,” Hannah said.

“I’ve been over there for four years and in that time the WSL has grown massively. When I first left England it was at a completely different level to what it is now.

“It’s a completely different game over in America, but the popularity is there. They emphasise the athleticism a lot but with my technical ability, I’ve come back having improved on the physical side of the game. It’s a different place but they still all look at football in the same way. It’s a huge game and I think it’s just helped me to develop, being exposed to everything over there.”

By her own admission, Hannah’s university football career on the other side of the Atlantic was largely played away from the limelight but she nevertheless feels prepared for our historic clash with Chelsea in front of a projected bumper crowd at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (12.30pm, live on BBC red button).

“It was lower-profile for me because different schools are at different levels,” she explained.

“At my school in particular, on certain weekends we wouldn’t get many people in the crowds. There were a few games where we would play in front of big crowds but nothing like what we’re about to face this weekend, so I’m excited for it."

On what she expects at the Bridge, Hannah added: “It’s a massive game for us as a club but massive for me personally too, as it’s my first game in the WSL. It’s really exciting but it’s all about getting this week right, preparing and doing everything right so we’re all ready for the game at the weekend. We are 100 per cent capable of all coming together and putting on a performance. It’s just going to take us all being confident and going into the game knowing that we are Spurs and showing that we deserve to be in the WSL. If we all want to win and we all believe we can win, we should get a positive result.”