Janine Beckie says she could not be more proud of City’s commitment to raising the profile of our women’s team and women’s football.

The Canadian forward, who is currently on international duty with her country at the Tournoi de France, has spent 18 months in sky blue, aiding last season’s FA Cup and Continental Cup successes, netting the winning penalty in the shoot-out triumph over Arsenal at Bramall Lane.

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Now fully settled in England, Beckie asserts she has witnessed an ‘amazing’ increase in interest, attendances, coverage and opportunities during her stay; encouraged heavily by the work of her Club.

“City are the gold standard of how women’s football should be treated,” she said.

“The Club do an amazing job promoting the women’s team. Hopefully, that will continue to push the standard of women’s football in England and the world.

“Since I arrived in England, I’ve seen the growth. We’re developing young girls and boys to enjoy both women and men’s football.

“Initiatives like #SameGoals are an amazing way to get young people excited about the game, giving the opportunity for the fans to show their heroes what they do. They should know that we see it and we do.

“To see some of the crowds we’ve had this year is really encouraging – I watched the game against Arsenal on City+ and to see 4,000 fans there was amazing.

“Look at when we played Ipswich in the FA Cup the other week – loads of Ipswich fans travelled up and it’s great to see those teams emerging.

“Of course, the result wasn’t a positive one for them but the fact they’d reached that stage was a huge feat for women’s football. To see the direction in which all divisions are going in English soccer is fantastic.

“I think the Lionesses are a big reason for that. It’s fantastic. You don’t just see young girls at games – you see young boys excited about our team, knowing the players, chatting about the plays happening. That’s impressive.

“Now, we have to ask: how do we get those numbers more consistently? How do we make people excited to watch women’s football?

“We have to keep doing similar initiatives, and the best thing we can do as players is to have good performances, bringing trophies to the Club.

“In America, although the crowds are inconsistent in the league, the national team draws amazing numbers because they’ve been so good for such a long time.

“We want to entertain the fans and people will be excited to see a Championship team play. That’s what we’re striving for.”

Reflecting on her time in England, Beckie added she loves life in Manchester and has thoroughly enjoyed her City journey so far.

“This Club feels like my home – I wouldn’t even say my second home: it’s my home now,” she stated.

“Last season, it was different for me because I was on international duty a lot and it was hard to get into the team because of our success and the great players we have.

“It was a difficult transition at the start but now, being able to be in the team consistently, I’m proud of myself.

“I’ve even played out of position, which was unexpected, and it’s been fun. I’ve had to stay on my toes and train well, and for now, I’m doing a job for the team.

“Everything I hoped for has been delivered. It’s been a great 18 months.

“I’m so happy to be here and I want to do everything I can to help the team to win two trophies.”