“As a keeper, you have to understand that your job is black and white: you make a save, or you don’t; you can be the hero – or the goat.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Just normalising the idea of women playing football is a massive part of what we need to do.”
― Karen Bardsley
“What goalkeeper doesn’t like a little action?”
― Karen Bardsley
“I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art in Graphic Design, and all in all, I can look back on my collegiate experience and say that I really did enjoy myself.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Every minute I’m on the field, I’m out there playing for my team, and the success of our team is what is most important to me.”
― Karen Bardsley
“My teammates always have my back on the field, and I will do everything in my power to make sure I always have theirs.”
― Karen Bardsley
“My goal has never been to see how many stats I can rack up.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I trained with some great keepers at college, alongside full-grown men, and it helped me 100%.”
― Karen Bardsley
“The only technical difference you will find is, if you are keeping goal as a male, they will play a bit further out, but set positions are the same, and techniques are constantly evolving.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I’ve seen my share of bad goalkeeping, and I’ve had my moments. But I’ve seen some excellent goalkeeping as well.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I don’t see why people can’t praise when they see something done well – even if it is by a woman.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You take the opportunities when you get them, and you try to see if there’s any cues the opposition gives you, but more important is focusing on your own process, trusting your instincts, and being decisive.”
― Karen Bardsley
“There’s no pressure on a goalkeeper in a penalty shootout. So it’s a nice opportunity for us to have some fun and try and make some saves.”
― Karen Bardsley
“It’s a goalkeeper’s job. There’s so many times you’re doing nothing for 89, 90 minutes, and then there’s a split-second moment. It’s a different challenge to outfield players, who have a lot of physical challenges and battle. We have a lot of mental battles; it’s about maintaining your focus, refining processes of what you do in a game.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You’ll do anything to keep the ball out.”
― Karen Bardsley
“In my position, I’m always going to get a bit of flak. I take it with a grain of salt.”
― Karen Bardsley
“People can say what they want. It’s their opinion. We forget what we don’t need to take with us.”
― Karen Bardsley
“That’s what tournament football’s all about. It’s about finding your feet in the first game, finding what works, and gaining confidence.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I’ve lived all my life in the U.S., but to be brutally honest, I don’t really have any ties to the country apart from my mum and dad. Most of the rest of my family live in the Stockport area, and I’ve always related more to that side of my background.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I think City is a really good example of how you shift the culture internally. We’ve had a big culture shift, particularly in the academy. Young boys are now more comfortable with strong female athletes being around.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Unfortunately, everyone’s football career does come to an end.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You have to stand and fight for what you believe.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Everyone provides a different experience, and for me, personally, it’s important that all perspectives are seen.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I’m not fussed about awards. I just want to win a medal and a trophy.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Female goalkeepers are seen as equals in academies now. We’re trying to set a good example for the younger boys so they’re used to seeing us women around, making great saves and scoring great goals.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I trained alongside full-grown men at college and worked with some great male keepers. It helped me 100% with speed of play, speed of reactions, and strength. The mindset they gave me was invaluable.”
― Karen Bardsley
“If you speak to girls who play football alongside lads, they’ll tell you that you almost have to earn the right to play with them. It’s annoying that you have to do that, but once you’ve done it, the barriers are down.”
― Karen Bardsley
“There’s no point going to a tournament if you don’t want to win.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I grew up watching Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, watching them achieve.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Beating the Germans for the first time in our history was massive.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Goalkeeping in women’s football is catching up slowly. It is continuing to modernise, improving technically and physically.”
― Karen Bardsley
“My big thing is we need to change how people feel about goalkeeping. I don’t think there is enough respect for the position in the game, whether male or female. There is a stigma that you have to be a certain size or not very good with your feet, or you have had to go in goal as a last resort.”
― Karen Bardsley
“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.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Goalkeepers get criticism for commenting on outfield players, but outfield players can comment on goalkeeping; it is not a two-way street.”
― Karen Bardsley
“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?”
― Karen Bardsley
“Everybody wants to score. It’s a great feeling. But making saves is a great feeling as well.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I don’t think there’s any reason why girl goalkeepers cannot train alongside the boys in academies. We have done it in the past. But health and safety have stepped in and stopped us. It may be there were child protection regulations to observe.”
― Karen Bardsley
“One of my core values is that credit should be due, wherever it is needed.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You think it’s so easy? Get in goal.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You can make loads of great saves, but if you concede, it’s, ‘That’s what we will show the world.’”
― Karen Bardsley
“You have to choose to use mistakes as learning opportunities and leave them behind.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Anyone that plays knows football is up and down. As much as you want to, you can’t control everything. You take what positives you can.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I found it personally really difficult to admit to myself that I was struggling sometimes, but once I had the feelings and I knew I could not sit with them any longer, I sought the help I needed.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I am fortunate that I have a good support network who I felt I could say, ‘Hey, I need to find out why I am speaking like this,’ and they could find out who I needed to speak to.”
― Karen Bardsley
“There were some coaches, some teammates, some sports psychology people who I could trust and rely on. They were very important to keep me focused on the right things – the things which would be beneficial to me instead of catastrophising things and worrying about things which were not in my control.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Kids in school told me my parents had accents, but I had no idea; they’ve always sounded that way to me.”
― Karen Bardsley
“It took me a while to accept everything, but I am so grateful for the way my parents raised me. It’s my life, it’s unique, and I think it’s so meaningful to me as I get older.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I don’t know what I was expecting the World Cup to be like. I never thought to ask anybody; maybe I should have. I’ve never played in a stadium with, like, 20,000 watching. It was an intense sensory experience.”
― Karen Bardsley
“We talk sometimes about the impact we hope we’re having, that little girls – and boys – at home are watching us on TV. We can be role models.”
― Karen Bardsley
“As a result of my upbringing, I was interested in reconnecting with my family and making them proud. Therefore, this emotional connection meant that representing England became a personal obsession.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Road wins are critical, and it’s huge for you as a team when you can pick up three points on the road.”
― Karen Bardsley
“It just goes to show how much the women’s game has improved over the years: there are some outstanding goalkeepers capable of fantastic reaction saves.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Different techniques are now being used in futsal and handball. It’s about timing more than anything else. Those little intricacies are slowly being picked up in the women’s game – and it’s kind of going unnoticed.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I think, in a tournament, things are always a little more exciting.”
― Karen Bardsley
“We do get a lot of sexist tweets and comments, things about a woman’s place being in the kitchen, not on the pitch.”
― Karen Bardsley
“When I was a kid, the women like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain were paving the way for female players in the States. Things like that are important so girls realise there is a future for them if they want to play. It is something they can aspire to, to be not just a hobby.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I like to eat healthily and feel like I’m putting good fuel in my body, although I do allow some tasty treats once in a while.”
― Karen Bardsley
“You try to do the right thing at the right time and make a good impression on people.”
― Karen Bardsley
“Every time I step onto the field, I think of my parents. It’s such an honor to represent them and my family.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I think the work ethic will take me wherever I want to go in life. It’s my mindset that determines how, when, and if I’ll get there.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I want to carry on improving and learning.”
― Karen Bardsley
“It’s very important for me to constantly push myself.”
― Karen Bardsley
“I work best when I have a goal or direction to work towards.”
― Karen Bardsley
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