Arsenal and England defender Casey Stoney was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list. And we had had a chat with her about the exciting news…
Yesterday it was announced that Casey Stoney – who is a member of Mark Sampson’s world cup squad and at her third world cup – is to be made an MBE for services to football, and deservedly so.
We were fortunate to sit down with the former England skipper, to chat about what it means for her, for the wider game and her role within the England team. She continues to be as inspirational, likeable and humble as ever…
SK: Congratulations. What was your reaction?
CS: Shocked. I didn’t have a clue. My overriding emotion was I was really proud. It’s something I’ve worked really hard at for 15 or 17 years. I’m just proud of everybody who has coached me and supported me in the last 15 year or so, my family and friends. It’s something for them as well.
SK: How long have you known?
CS: I’ve known since we were in the preparation camp for the World Cup. We were at SGP so it was quite apt! I’m quite a private, discreet person in terms of that sort of stuff (believe it or not) – despite the last couple of years. So it’s been quite easy to keep quiet. I haven’t told the team yet; my family know, people close to me.
SK: What about your folks?
CS: My mum was really proud. She started talking about what hat she’s going to wear. My Dad was like yeah – my Dad doesn’t really react.
SK: How were you notified?
CS: Someone contacted me from the club. They were trying desperately to get hold of me but they had my old address as I’ve moved. Eventually, I got a secure email. By then I had 16 hours to get back to them to accept. So I emailed straight back accepting.
SK: When will you receive it?
CS: I don’t know. Within 7 months of the announcement. I just hope it won’t clash with a game!
SK: Have you been to Buckingham Palace before?
CS: The girls on the Olympics team went post Olympics but I didn’t go, I think I was working or something. So it’ll be my first time.
SK: What does this mean not just for you but for women’s football?
CS: It’s huge. Women in sport don’t really get much recognition, so to get recognition in your area of sport, to get recognised for your services to the game, is really important because it’s not just about me it’s about the players who played 25/30 years ago, who put me in this position to be able to go to a World Cup. For me, to get the exposure we get now, the money we get now, the platform we have to do this as a job, I look back and I was playing with some of those players 15/17 years ago that had full-time jobs, that didn’t get paid to play – they put us on this platform, so every person that’s part of this it’s recognition for them too.
SK: Does it feel weird for you to get an individual accolade like this when you’re all about the team?
CS: I find it quite difficult, but I see it as an accolade for everybody – for my family who’ve had to put up with me 15/17 years, the highs and the lows, the sacrifices that everyone around me has had to make to enable me to play, also all my team mates that have helped me, my coaches, my managers, anybody that’s ever given me something that’s enabled me to play. So when I go and accept the award, when I have that day, I’ll be thinking about all those people too.
SK: It’s something you’ll have all your life – even when you’re involved in football, in your post-playing career?
CS: My career’s not over yet I’m still fighting tooth and nail to make sure I can still be part of an international team – I had the best season of my life at Arsenal last year so I’m by no means on the way out, but I can’t see my life without football. So when I do hang my boots up I want to stay in the game. I want to make sure I give back to football what football’s given to me for so may years.
SK: Did your mum cry when you told her?
CS: She was very overwhelmed and to be honest it’s the first tournament I’ve ever had when no one’s been here and she’s been on Skype a lot and she just thinks I’m the most amazing individual at the moment because I’ve come out here probably knowing that I’m not going to play, away from the children and still…she said, ‘You’re just so positive.’
Well I’m kind of a believer in if I can’t influence on the pitch, then I need to have an influence off it and I need to make sure I’m doing as much as I can to make sure that whoever goes on the pitch is supported, has got everything they need to perform. And if get the call an I play, then I’m ready.
SK: You know better than anyone that things can happen, injury-wise, sendings off?
CS: It’s tournament football. I look at previous tournaments, there’s been injuries throughout and if I’m honest I’m in the best shape of my life. Which is bizarre because I get about 5-6hrs of sleep at home now but I am catching up on sleep while I’m here. I’m ready. And Mark knows that and unfortunately only 11 players can play. It’s difficult for me because I played every minute in 2007, I played every minute in 2011 so to come to this one so far and not have any playing time it was bound to be difficult but you can always choose how you react to it. You can take it as a negative or use it as a motivator and I prefer to use it as a motivator, otherwise it makes it even harder to be away from home. There’s no point putting your chin on the floor, it’ not going to help the team, it’s not going to help me, and actually there’s no point in having experience if you’re not going to use it.
SK: Are you Skyping home every day?
CS: Pretty much. Yeah. But it’s been difficult because the family went away on holiday to France with grandparents and the Internet was rubbish, so there was about three or four days where I couldn’t see them and I had a little bit of a wobble the other day because Katie Chapman’s husband and her kids turned up and surprised her, so a) I was emotional because they’d done that and then b) straight away I thought ‘oh my children aren’t here’ and I had a bit of a wobble but that’s to be expected in tournament football and I’d love to have them here but I just financially can’t do that, if we want to have a holiday at the end of the year you have to make choices. It was bring them out here and see them for a couple of hours a day or have quality time with them at the end of the year and that was the choice I made. If we get to the semifinal then they’re on a plane, so that’s the promise I made them. It wouldn’t be fair on them.
SK: What did Megan [Casey’s partner] say?
CS: She said, ‘Well you deserve it.’ She knows everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve worked for, she knows better than anybody what I’ve done. So she said I deserved it but I put it down to I wouldn’t be doing what I do now if it wasn’t even for her and everything she does, so I think this is for everyone.
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