Little explains role of captain during lockdown

As club captain, Kim Little boasts a wealth of responsibilities both on and off the pitch.

But throughout lockdown, everyone in the squad has played their part to ensure morale and motivation is high.

“I think with the way our team works in general, it isn’t that much about just me checking in on each individual player,” Little told Arsenal.com.

“I am captain, but as a group we’re all very supportive of each other, from the players to the staff, so we’ve all been as aware as possible that it’s a time where people may be vulnerable and struggle in different ways because they’re away from home or on their own. They may also have family members who are working on the frontline, so we’ve all been very mindful of that and tried to support each other in any way possible through messaging, calls and littleactions.”

We’ve since received confirmation that the 2019/20 Women’s Super League season has been ended with immediate effect, but prior to this, Little was in consultation with the FA about the safest route to take.

“There have been a number of different discussions over the past few weeks through the club and the FA, and there were also captains meeting with the PFA and FA to talk about it all,” she said. “So I was involved in some discussions and there were obviously no decisions made at the time, but there was a feeling amongst us about what the outcome would be.

“Then obviously it was confirmed earlier this week and in the end, there wasn’t really the opportunity to go on with the season where there was that safety and knowing in place to make sure that everyone was all okay, not just the players, but staff and family too. Because it was near the end, I think the best decision was made to cut ties with that and to move on and focus on what next season we could be, and I’m sure we’ll make it as big and exciting as we possibly can.”