The 31-year-old takes the armband from Katie Chapman, who brought down the curtain on her illustrious 20-year career in the summer after leading the Blues to the Double, and it is just the latest accolade bestowed upon one of the leading female footballers in the history of English football.

As well as winning numerous honours at club level with Chelsea, Arsenal and home-town side Birmingham City, from whom she joined us in 2016, Carney has been capped more than 100 times by England, represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games in London and been awarded an MBE for services to football.



Now, after an injury-hit finish to the 2017/18 campaign, Carney leads the side in our quest to repeat last season’s trophy successes, beginning with a huge match at Kingsmeadow this weekend.



Manager Emma Hayes has known Carney since their days together at Arsenal, and she has no doubt the midfielder will excel in her new role.



‘I think Kaz stood out as the outstanding candidate throughout pre-season, due to her well-rounded nature,’ said Hayes. ‘She's an experienced player – she's been there, done it. She's thoughtful and caring, she nurtures the group, she speaks for them when something needs to be said, but she'll also say something if the standard hasn't been good enough on the training pitch. That set her apart from everybody else. It's the right time for her to lead a club of our size and I know it's a task she'll relish and thrive in.’



Carney said: ‘It's a massive honour to lead this football club and it’s something I'm really proud of. There is a lot of mutual respect between me and Emma and we can be brutally honest with each other. We're aiming to do what's best for this football club, to be successful and win trophies.’



Assisting Carney in her role, as vice-captain, will be Millie Bright, who is approaching four years with the Blues and recently extended her contract until 2021.



Still only 25, Bright has played a key role in both of our domestic Doubles, plus the Spring Series triumph in 2017, and she has also become a regular for the Lionesses.

