East London and proud. Alex Scott is one of the most decorated players the English. World Cup's, Olympic Games and a lifetime of experience. We caught up and took stock from the Arsenal and England girl.

You were picked up by Arsenal at the age of 8. As a girl from London, what can you remember about football around that time?



"I just remember being with the boys in the football cage and just loving the game. I think that’s where it all started. All the skills, the way you had to fight your way in there to be accepted and I just loved it. You play with no cares, no stress, you just always want to be in there playing."







How important is London to you? Home is home right?



"It’s where I grew up and I’m very proud to be from East London, the Cockney side of me is very much with me and it’s where I’m from, that’s my personality. I’m not ashamed to say I’m from a council estate in Poplar. That’s me and that’s what has made me. I knew I always wanted more with my life and to make something of myself."



What was the first football shirt you can remember wanting?



"Jheez, it’s a tough one but I remember at Christmas, that was when I got my first football kit. I remember asking my mum for it at Christmas. It was one of Arsenal’s yellow adidas ones from back in the day with JVC, but at Christmas for me it was about the full kit. Not just the top but the shorts and the socks and on Christmas day I would wear the full outfit!"



Did it stop at Christmas day or did it carry through into every other day after that?



"Always. As soon as I would get home from school, straight into it. It’s funny actually, I can remember Christmas day well and having a friend who lived around the corner from me. I’d go around there and knock on the door in my full football kit and be like 'look at my full kit!'"







Were your friends into football as much as you were?



"I suppose, because of my brother and when he was playing football... it was from an era when there were a lot of players coming through and from the local area ― the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole. My brother went to school and was connected to all of that so I was around those sort of people and it’s all we ever wanted; to be a footballer, to play in the football cage and ultimately break out. I do look back and amazed I managed to do that too."



Staying away from stereotypes, were they surprised to see a girl bossing it?



"Well, I was just one of the boys really. It was never like 'oh there’s Alex, the girl over there'. I had to hold my own other wise I wouldn’t be accepted in the cage. So it was never about that. I was always one of those that got picked when playing Wembley doubles and all that. I was very lucky to be accepted."



Going from Wembley doubles to the real deal, can you remember those dreams and ambitions you had as an 8-year-old?



"I remember, when we were playing in the cage and scoring and it feeling like you were actually at Wembley. In many ways, that was my Wembley. I just remember feeling overawed when I was picked up by Arsenal. Travelling to training to Tuesdays and Thursdays at Highbury, I remember walking in and I used to be seeing people like Ian Wright driving in their cars and I would just be star struck because I supported Arsenal as well. I loved it, every Tuesdays and Thursdays, that was my go-to place to train. I remember at the stage when I was starting to break into the first team and people were questioning my ability. I suppose, that’s where my upbringing came through ― I just wanted to prove everyone wrong. I didn’t want this opportunity to pass me by and then go to a normal job. I was always hungry and that inner drive kicked in."







What was the routine like at Arsenal when you were younger ― how on par was it with the youth coming through on the men's side?



"I suppose Vic Akers had a lot to do with that and in turn the changes to women’s football. He was the one who founded Arsenal ladies and got that backing from the men. Even though we weren’t professional back then, because he was so involved in the first team, he was like 'even though you’re not professional, you still need professional standards.' We used to train at Highbury, doing stair runs and I used to hate it but he pushed for all that change in women’s football. From then we had the semi-professional set-up and now we have the professional game."



And in today's game there's no more baggy hand-me-down kit?



"That was a big thing as well. Do you know what, I remember at Highbury, because Vic was the kit man and had access to all the senior men’s squad, on one occasion I remember telling him I didn’t have any boots. He went into the store cupboard and he gave me Marc Overmars’ boots. I was too scared to wear them, I think I’ve still got them in my loft at home. To me it was like treasure and I couldn’t believe I was being handed Dennis Bergkamp or Marc Overmars’ boots."



What do you think the catalyst was to change?



"It really was people like Vic. Fighting for the standards, banging on the doors to make finals come to Wembley and things like that. He was doing all that. I think Hope Powell also made an enormous change. She got the England team qualifying again for major tournaments. In 2007 we qualified for the World Cup for the first time in like 15 years. Because we did so well, people started gaining interest. With success, there are always more eyes. They did so much for women’s football and the national team, for us to keep qualifying for tournaments to then go on to places like last year when we won the Bronze medal. It just keeps elevating the sport.