Karen Bardsley Quotes

Karen Bardsley

Profession : Athlete

Birth : October 14, 1984

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

Just normalising the idea of women playing football is a massive part of what we need to do.

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

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