Chelsea fans,

I am so honoured to be named your club’s captain.

There is a responsibility on my shoulders and I’m excited and looking forward to it.

When I moved down at 18 as a young, naive little Scottish kid, I’d have never imagined I’d be where I am now, 10 years later. From the minute I walked in the door at Cobham, it felt like home. As soon as I wore the shirt for the first time, it just felt right. My team-mates, the staff and all the people who make this club tick on a daily basis – you instantly made me feel like I belonged here.

I have so much respect for the captains who came before me, and I was so lucky to learn from them through the best part of 10 unprecedented years of this club’s history, and I’m forever grateful for each and every one of them who have taken the club to where it is now. I know the responsibility that comes with following the great captains who have led this club before me. And I’ll never take that lightly.

Now we have the resources and infrastructure to ensure we can be the best we can be. It’s up to us as players to perform.

I feel strongly about history and heritage; that’s when the foundation was laid for the club’s future success. That’s what Chelsea was built on, and it will continue to be as we go forward.

It’s an exciting moment for the club. There are new players, new staff and, of course, a new home at Stamford Bridge. There are a lot of changes happening in the background, too – really positive changes that will help elevate the women’s team. I’m proud to be leading the team through it.

I’m looking forward to what the future holds because we’ve got a great group, hungry to achieve success and, equally, a great team promoting the club behind the scenes. Everybody wants to make this club the best it can be.

It’s hard to put into words how much you, the supporters, mean to me. Some of you have been part of my life for more than 10 years... I’ve seen you more than I’ve seen my family.

You’ve had my back through some rough times, and you're a huge reason why we’ve had so much success. Celebrating each and every one of the 18 trophies won made moving away from home and my family worthwhile. I made my second family here. It feels like we’re bound together.

It’s great to have you on the journey with us, and now we’re moving to Stamford Bridge, you deserve to reap the rewards as much as we do. I even remember some of your faces who followed us back in Staines when I joined all those years ago. You have travelled for games up and down the country and across Europe, some even just days before Christmas in the Champions League.

You give us that extra yard, that extra bit of intensity. I don’t think you realise how much of a difference you make – Lyon at home in the Champions League, the Man City comeback. Those simply don’t happen without you.

At Chelsea Women, we talk about being never done. To me, that means not giving up when it feels uncomfortable, fighting until the very end and finding a way to win. We want to keep growing. We want to win trophies. We want to see what this group is capable of together.

Thank you for all your support on the journey so far – let’s continue making history together for this great club. I can’t wait to see you all at the Bridge very soon.

Your captain,

Erin