As Fran Kirby walked out on to Chelsea’s training pitch at Cobham, the voice behind a camera filming her asked: ‘Fran, how are you wearing a jacket?’
The England international replied: ‘Because I get called fat all the time, so I have to cover it up.’
The forward’s remark may have seemed jovial, but it told a story of struggle. Many players in the women’s game feel the pressures of body image. They are subjected to comments about the way they look when they are playing and when they are not.
The consequences can be damaging.