Ellen Ellard, stadium announcer at City’s Academy Stadium, hosted a panel event alongside two stars of our women’s team in Kerstin Casparij and Julie Blakstad.
The event was attended by supporters, local students and local football teams, including the Manchester City Women OSC, UCFB and Manchester Laces.
The pair spoke about their careers to date, their experiences of women’s football in their homelands and their hopes for the future.
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Those in attendance were also given the opportunity to submit their own questions to the duo, with a lucky few being read out at the end and answered by Kerstin and Julie.
The popular pair also spent time taking photos, signing autographs and chatting with those who had attended.
Speaking about the event, Kerstin said: “It was fun, really fun.
“It’s good to have a chat with the fans off the pitch to tell them about our journeys, especially in light of International Women’s Day.
“I think it’s really important to tell our stories, especially to the next generation coming after us.”
Julie added: “I really enjoyed it. The crowd was really nice. It was easy – a chill chat.
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“For the girls there, it’s really important for them to have female role models. For us coming here, hopefully we can inspire some of the girls to work hard and train to get where we are now and it was nice that the girls were excited to see us here.”
Both players also spoke about the development of the women’s game over the last few years, an integral topic with International Women’s Day in focus.
And it’s fair to say both are very excited about the future.
Kerstin continued: “I think it will continue at a rapid pace. I think it’s been developing on and off the pitch, it’s so exciting.
“I dream big but I think even for the next 10 years, my dreams will be too small.”
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Julie added: “We are only seeing the beginning. To see how much it’s changed over the last 10 years, it’s been so different.
“We have to keep going. It will grow every day.”
