Gemma Grainger: ‘There are no easy games’

Norway are a team with a storied history in women’s football. They won the Women’s World Cup in 1995, are two-time European champions, and were Olympic gold medallists in Australia in 2000.

Gemma Grainger is the woman tasked with bringing the glory years back to Norway, beginning with the Women’s Euros this summer.

“I’m very aware of the history,” says Gemma. “I’m very aware I currently wear a national team badge that has a star above it. There are not too many of those badges, so there’s a big awareness for myself.

“Norway are very proactive, very forward thinking; the country is as a whole, so when it comes to equality here, women in society but also women in sports, it’s so much more progressive than many countries. The team really was ahead of their time.

“One of the challenges we face now is that [in] the women’s game, everyone is investing at such a high level, so we have to keep investing. But also, we know the strengths that we have: making sure that the culture here is super special in terms of that quality and that forward thinking.

“Women’s football, in my opinion, at international level, has never been more competitive. So there are no easy games.

“I truly believe that, and it’s great for the game. We have new teams qualifying for tournaments. For us personally, we’ve got to keep pushing and taking steps forward because then we give ourselves the best chance of being successful.”