‘Obviously, we love the game, that’s why we play, but there’s a bigger picture to it,’ says Keira Walsh. ‘It’s part of your duty.’

The midfielder is now a twice European Championship winner, and she knows exactly how significant those successes have been in inspiring the next generation of girls. Girls who dream of emulating the Lionesses’ recent triumphs.

• Secure your place at our WSL opener against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on 5 September now!

‘When I was younger, the women’s game wasn’t visible,’ continues Walsh. ‘I didn't know many female players. For young people – including those from different societies and backgrounds – to be able to see that now is so important.

'When you have that visibility, girls know they can become it. Winning it back-to-back brings more focus on women's football, and that women can play football if they want to and that there's no problem with that.

‘It’s not just about the next generation of professionals. If girls enjoy playing football and they just want to do it to make friends and to have fun, then they just need the opportunity to do that. We're aware of that, that's another reason why we love playing, because we know what it means to young girls.’

Walsh knows there could be additional, shorter-term benefits brought about by England’s victory in Switzerland and the nationwide acclaim that followed. With the new WSL season upon us and more matches than ever at main stadiums, crowds are expected to be high.

‘Winning more trophies is important to us, but on a bigger scale, it’s about keeping women's football in focus,’ says Walsh.

‘We'd like to see ourselves be the leading league in women's football. We've got a lot of world-class players, and hopefully, there'll be more to come after seeing what we did in the summer.’

By her own admission, 2025 has been ‘a bit of a whirlwind’ for Walsh. She joined Chelsea in January, promptly won the Treble, then started every game for England as yet more silverware was secured.

Sonia Bompastor sensibly afforded Walsh some extra time off after her summer exploits with the Lionesses, and she tells us she used her break sensibly.

‘You have to decompress. It's important that you think about it and you take some time to breathe and refocus. If you didn't do that, it'd be really difficult to go into the new season.

‘I'm aware of that, and we spoke about it with England as well, and they gave us the opportunity to talk to people, to help us.

‘Actually, this is the longest I've had off in a very long time, and having that, not thinking about football for a little while, then you're ready to refocus, and ready to win some more trophies this season.’

The journey to achieving that target begins at the Bridge on Friday evening, and what a fixture it is to get the new WSL season underway.

Chelsea matches against Manchester City have long been captivating affairs. This game being the first of 2025/26 will only add to the sense of occasion, and Walsh wants to see the Blues start how they mean to go on.

‘It’s really exciting,’ she smiles.

‘You want to be starting the season fast and strong and showing what you're about, so there's no better way to do that than against Man City, who are a top team. I'm looking forward to it.

‘Winning trophies makes us hungrier for even more,’ Walsh continues. ‘That's part of being at Chelsea. You want to win those trophies, and that's why I'm here. I want to be a part of that. I think it makes us hungry because we missed out on the Champions League, and that's one we want to go and win.

‘Also, we have that feeling that teams do want to go out and beat us in the league, and because we’ve won the last six in a row, it motivates us to go out and win one more.’

You can watch Walsh and her teammates try and start the new season with a victory by buying a ticket now!