Three England players spoke to FATV ahead of International Women’s Day

Rachel Brown, Karen Carney and Laura Bassett took time out of their Cyprus Cup preparations to speak to FATV about the growing influence of female athletes in sport.

With a nod to International Women’s Day [Friday 8 March], the England trio revealed their delight at the increased media coverage that women’s sport, particularly football, is now receiving.

All three players have represented their country for at least the last decade and they explained the changes to the game they have witnessed at first hand.

They also spoke of their pride at the fact young girls now have more high-profile female sports stars to look up to.

Carney said: "It's really encouraging that, especially in our sport, we're getting the female role models [for] the younger generation.

"We just need to keep encouraging it because it's really nice to see women getting some recognition in sport."

The Cyprus Cup is an annual friendly tournament which England are competing in for the fifth successive year. They opened up with a 4-2 win over Italy on Wednesday and face Scotland on Friday.

Watch the full FATV feature for International Women’s Day below.