Now in her third spell with the Blues, albeit in an off-field capacity, Telford sat down to chat with host Caz De Moraes for this brand-new episode.

Having first joined Chelsea in 2010 ahead of our maiden season in the Women's Super League, the former England international has seen plenty – and also dramatic – change at the club.

Reflecting on when she first signed under former manager Matt Beard, Telford explained the major sacrifices she had to make to join the Blues.

'I met Matt in a service station [to sign the contract]...so it was glamorous!' remembers Telford. 'It was weird because as you can hear, I'm a Geordie and I still lived in the north-east. I would just travel to play for Leeds (Carnegie) after work.

'It was during this time that the FA announced they were giving us central contracts so that we could give up our jobs for the first time and be professional, full-time athletes for £16,000.

'I was then working in a call centre for £18,000 a year and thought, 'If I can take a £2000 pay cut I'll do it.'

Telford's signing pre-dated Emma Hayes's arrival at the club, but she briefly worked with the legendary Blues manager in her first spell with the Blues before returning in April 2017 and spending almost five years with Chelsea.

'It is important for everybody to know the journey of this club and the journey Emma Hayes has taken this team on.

'For instance, this building has been here since we joined this club in 2011, but we weren't allowed in it. We were only allowed to train in it on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 8pm and 10pm.

'Most of the time the groundsmen would forget we were here and the lights would be switched off about half nine. We each had one training kit and one playing kit that had to be washed by the manager.

'That was my first experience of what Chelsea was like. We finished second bottom and didn't win a lot. We got to one cup final, which I was captain for and went to penalties. I saved two but unfortunately, we missed three.

'When Emma [Hayes] came in my third year, everything changed. We finally got rooms in a building and it just snowballed.

She came in with nothing but with a bag of balls, some cones and some kit. That is literally what she had. But her ambition to turn it into the superpower it now is incredible. It's good to let people know the journey that we have been on.'

Telford's final season was spent in America with the San Diego Wave. In March 2023 she hung up her boots but was soon back at Chelsea in the role of commercial manager for the women's team.

'I think the fans think I'm in charge of everything,' Telford jokes. 'That is beautiful when it all goes well and everyone thanks me. But I am a small part of a smaller team.

'To put it bluntly, I am a salesperson. To sell this club and this amazing team to amazing brands and partners who can come in and invest. They can keep us being the best, so we can invest back into our facilities and players.'

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