To build more interest in goalkeeping, we have to change how people think and report on goalkeepers. You are not just there to keep the ball out of the back of the net: you are there to impact the back four, to organise the team, essentially lead from the back. It is a really pivotal position.

There are constant messages I heard growing up... like, 'If you're unfit, you go in goal' or, 'If you're crap, you go in goal.' No, no, no! How do we change that? How do we give goalkeeping more respect?

Goalkeepers get criticism for commenting on outfield players, but outfield players can comment on goalkeeping; it is not a two-way street.

Karen Bardsley Quotes