The She Kicks Locker Room: Captain’s Chat with Sophie Barker (Sheffield United)

Sheffield United’s captain, 29 on Christmas Day and a former Lincoln, Sheffield FC and Doncaster Rovers Belles defender, describes the job while her side push for promotion from the Championship. She casts herself as the go-between: telling the staff what the players need and the players what the staff need, on the grounds that the relationship between the two is what makes a squad function. Balancing her own performance against leading others is not something she has to think about – once her head is in the game the talking comes naturally, because everyone knows she talks constantly. Team talks are built on small targets, a clean sheet for the defenders and early shots for the forwards, and on the argument that in this division wins come from fighting for each other.