My daughter looks up to you as a sporting hero. She plays competitively but can really take it to heart when a decision or her play did not go the way she wanted it to. Do you have any advice on how to maintain your resilience? Anon
I’ve always tried to eventually adopt a short-term memory. As athletes, you could do 100 things right in the game, but you’ll remember the one ball you gave away or the tackle you missed or the opportunity you didn’t see. You’re always going to remember the negative, but I think that’s what pushes you and that’s what gets you to the level you want to be at. It’s what happens next and how you react to it that matters more than the actual mistake.
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What advice would you give to younger girls who want to play football but keep coming up against boys that either won’t let them play or won’t pass to them? Esme
That’s a really difficult situation. Playing in boys’ teams can be really difficult. It’s a test of your character. You have to push yourself out of comfort zones and try and view it as a challenge if it’s something that you really want to do. But if you’re in a toxic environment, not improving and it’s becoming detrimental to your game and yourself, then maybe it’s time to find another opportunity elsewhere. Fortunately there are a lot more out there now.
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What can be done to sort out the ludicrous fixture schedule that led to Arsenal’s post-World Cup Champions League exit? Eric
We have to take full responsibility for our exit. We’re the players on the pitch and we’re the ones that weren’t up to the standard that was needed. But I think the biggest thing for me is it was a really, really difficult situation and it’s worth emphasising that it wasn’t fair. It didn’t allow us to prep, it didn’t allow us to be together as a team, we couldn’t click, we didn’t have enough training sessions under our belt and the injury risk for players coming in was massive.
We had eight players in the final and third-place playoff game of the World Cup. The number of days they had off was minimal and there’s the physical impact but there’s a mental impact as well. For me, the governing bodies need to come together and work together a bit more because at the minute it feels like the communication between them all isn’t streamlined, clicking or connecting when it comes to developing a calendar and a schedule. I understand that we’re trying to play more games, but it has to be organised better.
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I remember you discussing your vegan lifestyle, and how it benefits your health holistically. Just wondering how it’s going, and what would be your advice to someone thinking of making that step? Kayden Cayse
I love it. I’m almost six years in now. In this day and age there’s so many options. The chef at Arsenal is incredible. Beyond football I’ll definitely stick with it. I originally went with it for performance reasons and I’ve stuck with it for mainly environmental and animal welfare reasons. A lot of people think about what you can’t have rather than what you can, and I have a much more varied diet now than I did when I was non-vegan.
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As an Arsenal player, do you feel you are treated equally to the men? Do you get equal access to facilities, coaches, physio, and the like? Is equal access improving over time? Do you feel there is room for improvement? Paul
There is definitely a one-club mentality. Each team, whether it’s youth team, women or men, is on its own schedules and there’s not a lot of crossing paths. The gym is a shared space, which is always really nice. It’s nice to bump into the guys and wish them good luck and vice versa. They’re great at coming over and saying hello. In terms of resources and backing, we’ve gone through a lot of change in recent years after a big review and the way that the club stepped up and heard us was unreal. We feel heard, are given resources and we’re put on to the pitch with great prep and everything we need.
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How do you find your role as the performance lifestyle lead? Do the players appreciate the advice and support you can offer? I am working towards the level three certificate in athlete personal development and lifestyle and find it really interesting. I am hoping to use it to help the pupils at the school I teach in terms of balancing their lifestyle and their sport. Have you any advice you could give me? Ros Goatly
I’m on the same course. It’s a brilliant thing that the club have invested in, to have a link between players and staff from a wellbeing perspective. Sometimes, as a new player, you don’t want to bother the manager, and the leadership group have enough on their plate, Kim [Little]’s in meetings 24/7. So, to have another role to be a bit of a buffer between everyone has been really beneficial so far. It’s mad how far a check-in goes. Just asking someone if they’re OK. You never know where the conversation is going go. Let them lead the conversation. Performance ultimately doesn’t matter, it’s the human that comes first. I’m a big believer that if someone’s happy off the pitch, or has the least amount of stress in their life off of it, then that will help performance.
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You are the daughter of a famous sporting father [the former Scotland rugby player John Beattie, now a broadcaster]. What inspiration do you take from him? Gordon
Probably the biggest thing I’ve learned from dad is how to have a good lifestyle balance. He showed me how important it is to switch off. It’s so important to work hard, and winning is important and you have a value at a club, but switching off is important too. How are you switching off? Who are you hanging out with? Are you seeing your friends? Are you getting outside? Don’t go home and sit in the flat, go and get an education. My parents are a big, big reason why I went to university and didn’t just come and play for Arsenal. He built a career for himself from scratch off the pitch and to see him be as successful off the pitch as well is what inspires me the most. It’s funny, whenever I go and do a bit of broadcasting and meet people that have worked with dad, everyone’s always so complimentary. That is something that I want.
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Who is the hardest to play against in training at Arsenal? Isabel
Viv Miedema. She’s just the most technically gifted player I’ve ever played with. It’s the way she manipulates the ball and the way she manipulates you as a defender, you just can’t get it off her. Her famous shift is to put it through the legs of a defender into bottom corner. That’s her thing. Also, she’s not running around constantly for 90 minutes, she just reads the game so well and comes out of nowhere. She’s so game intelligent. The joke’s on us, we’re the ones running around. Technical ability? The way she finishes, if you don’t get close to her it’s nine out of 10 times a goal, and then if you get too close, she’ll do you.
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Having gone through cancer treatment myself I would love to know, did you find the physical or psychological impact more difficult to deal with? Mark Gordon
I’d probably say the psychological. The physical is different for everyone but mine was quite short term. Of course, radiotherapy had a bit of a longer-term effect on me physically but the surgery meant that I didn’t spend that long out of football. The psychological effect is long term. Everyone always presumes or thinks the worst, and then every six months you have to go back for a checkup. That is emotionally hard, going back to the hospital and sitting in that waiting room. You think when you go through it and you’re done that that’s it, and hopefully it is, but you still need to go back for checkups. A sports injury, once it’s done, it’s done but cancer is a little bit different in that sense.
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Would you do Strictly Come Dancing in the future? If your TikTok is anything to go by, I think you’d smash it! I’d vote for you! Zoe Stansfield-Cox
Really? Voiceovers are more my thing on TikTok! I love watching Strictly, I think it’s hilarious. I’m not sure if I’d have the guts to do it but … never say never. I also cannot dance, so it’d be pretty embarrassing for everyone.
