An 'exciting summer' of women's sport lies ahead

Sitting together, laughing and chatting, astatine The Oval cricket crushed successful southbound London, Ellie Kildunne, Niamh Charles and Sarah Glenn could walk for immoderate different 25-year-olds.

But they are master sportswomen who each person immense summers up of them successful an England shirt.

Footballer Charles is hoping to thief nan Lionesses take sides their Women's Euros title successful Switzerland successful July, earlier Kildunne intends to assistance nan Women's Rugby World Cup successful England successful September and Glenn targets Cricket World Cup glory successful India successful nan aforesaid month.

Women's athletics takes centre stage crossed nan BBC this summertime and it is an perfect clip to bring nan trio together, to comparison and opposition stories and perceive really preparations are going.

Footballer Niamh Charles: We cognize that nan anticipation is going to beryllium location aft winning successful 2022. It's specified an breathtaking imaginable but it's not nan nonstop aforesaid arsenic we're a caller team.

The women's crippled is increasing truthful much. All nan different teams person sewage truthful overmuch amended arsenic well. It's astir who turns up successful nan tournament.

We're fortunate we've had tons of bully games earlier to hole truthful I deliberation we're not looking to highest correct now, but erstwhile it comes to nan Euros we're going to hopefully person utilized each those games to beryllium successful nan champion position from that first crippled and spot what happens.

Cricketer Sarah Glenn: We had a really tough winter [England mislaid 16-0 to Australia successful nan Women's Ashes]. We've sewage nan India bid coming up this summertime astatine location and those games tin beryllium rather chaotic sometimes.

We're bully rivals, we get bully crowds successful and evidently location will beryllium that unit there.

But for us, it's conscionable a awesome opportunity to show really bully we are and to get those wins and, evidently pinch Lottie [head coach Charlotte Edwards] coming successful and Nat Sciver-Brunt arsenic nan caller skipper too, it will beryllium for illustration a activity of caller aerial for nan group.

It's a really breathtaking summer. I spot successful nan process and fto nan result return attraction of itself.

Rugby national subordinate Ellie Kildunne: People expect a batch from us, being a successful team.

But we were expected to triumph nan past World Cup and we didn't, truthful it is simply a really immense tournament.

Everyone shows up for awesome tournaments truthful it doesn't matter what nan world's saying astir really good they expect america to do, we cognize there's a batch of activity to beryllium done.

The truth that group are expecting thing monolithic from america is simply a very cool and typical spot to be, but we cognize that there's activity to beryllium done still.

We're still looking to improve, we tin still get amended and arsenic agelong arsenic we tin support striving for amended and nan best, I deliberation we'll beryllium successful a very bully spot travel this World Cup.

Kildunne: I played rather a batch of sports increasing up and I didn't really cognize what way to spell down, because I conscionable loved playing sport.

When I was playing rugby for Gloucester, I was besides sneaking location connected nan weekends and playing football.

Then I sewage asked to play rugby for England and was fixed a contract. That's erstwhile I knew that it could beryllium a profession, and I could beryllium a full-time athlete.

We're really getting into that spot now wherever nan crippled is decidedly growing. There's much finance going into it and you tin spot that professionalism, and really that tin really accelerate nan maturation of nan sport.

Glenn: I played cricket and hockey. Balancing those 2 was beautiful reliable and I did deliberation astir which way I wanted to take.

I played successful nan Kia Super League successful 2017 and it was my first master tournament. It was really inspiring because we were getting crowds successful and location were young kids coming to watch us, and we could chat to them afterwards.

When I picked up my first England contract, moreover though that was amazing, location wasn't excessively overmuch building to nan home game. There was a immense magnitude of unit connected that England statement because different I'd person to prime up a occupation alongside that.

Now, much contracts person travel into our home league. I tin correspond England and my county, which I'm really proud to do arsenic well. And that for maine was nan biggest turning point. No matter who I was, I could make cricket my lifestyle.

Charles: That's ever a conversation. And I would opportunity nan procreation that's coming done now will person it moreover amended than us, and that's what we're striving for successful nan women's game.

When I speak to Lucy Bronze, she talks of moving 2 jobs and doing loads of different things to get to nan master constituent now.

I spot her successful meetings, advocating for really overmuch nan women's crippled is growing. The revenues person grown, nan investments are increasing and she's really astatine nan forefront of that because she's had to battle.

The women's crippled has grown and I deliberation 20-year-old Lucy wouldn't judge what it would beryllium now.

She's been monolithic successful forcing nan women's crippled to support up pinch really it's growing, she's pushing it, but besides advocating for what we merit and making judge that we're increasing and it's sustainable.

Kildunne: As a squad you don't really spot an age. I cognize that there's girls who person been done 2 World Cups and for some, this will beryllium their first World Cup. So we do a batch of collaboration of what to expect.

We do a batch of relationship points pinch nan vintage Red Roses connected really women's rugby started. We retrieve nan practice of it and 1 of our sayings and values that we spell for is 'do it for nan girls'.

It's for nan younger generation, nan girls successful our squad and nan girls that came earlier us. And I deliberation that makes what we do a small spot much powerful.

You've still sewage that soul passion to do much than what it is. The crippled is not conscionable winning, it's overmuch bigger than that.

To do it for nan girls that came before, but besides animate nan adjacent procreation and return it to a spot beyond wherever it's ever been.

Glenn: I was successful nan crowd erstwhile England women won nan World Cup successful 2017 and I virtually went arsenic a large ace fan, and was cheering nan girls on.

I thought it was astonishing and I had a infinitesimal wherever I thought 'I really want to beryllium a portion of this' - because astatine that constituent I was training hard, but I didn't cognize if I could rather make it.

I was progressive pinch nan England inferior academies and past erstwhile I started training pinch nan elder girls, I was training pinch Heather [Knight], and Katherine [Sciver-Brunt], who were a portion of that World Cup.

They've seen wherever nan crippled was and wherever it is now, and really overmuch they've grown nan game.

They really took maine successful arsenic a youngster and now I consciousness for illustration I've started to go 1 of nan elder players, which is really weird to say. It's astonishing to spot that way grow.

Kildunne: It was weird erstwhile I sewage World Player of nan Year astatine 24 [years old]. I benignant of didn't want it past because I didn't consciousness for illustration I was astatine my champion yet, and I still don't.

I consciousness for illustration I'm learning crippled to crippled wherever I tin amended and get better. You tin ever get better. I don't deliberation I'm ever going to beryllium astatine nan peak. I'd dream to ne'er beryllium astatine nan highest of my crippled because I deliberation you tin ever improve.

Charles: The past time earlier I retire, I should hopefully beryllium astatine my best. I'd cognize everything, I'll person been astir nan artifact and I deliberation each time I'm learning different margins astir myself, for illustration really I tin get amended successful small things.

So I for illustration to show myself arsenic I get older that I'm conscionable hopefully getting amended and better. The champion is yet to come, hopefully.

Glenn: I've decidedly learned really I spell astir things. In position of my existent game, I consciousness for illustration there's still truthful overmuch much successful maine to give.