Interview

Little: 'When I think about Arsenal, it's home'

Kim Little is right where she wants to be - at home in north London.

Since making her debut for the club at just 17 years of age, Kim has gone on to make 290 appearances, take on the role of captain and add 14 trophies to her name.  

But her Arsenal story is far from over. Our club captain signed a new contract on Tuesday, committing her future to the club, and her motivation and desire for success have never been higher. 

"I’ve obviously been at the club for quite a long time over two different spells and I’m still so motivated to move this club forward and to be a part of the success in what we’re doing here," said Little. 

"I’m quite intrinsically motivated. I don’t find that I need extra motivation, especially when I play football and when I represent this club, it’s just innate and it’s completely in me. It doesn’t take much to get me going and I think what this club is, its history and just the feeling around north London is just incredibly special.

"I’ve felt that for all the time I’ve been here and can’t wait for the future and am excited to be in a place where I can continue to grow with this group of players as well.

"My motivations are mainly to be the best that I can be as a player on the pitch, but also off the pitch and how can I also bring out the best in others. That’s a real motivator for me because you can do that every single day, and that’s what I try to do."

Alongside the deep roots and shared history our skipper has with the club, she's excited about the future and what our team can accomplish together. 

"The club is just in a really good place right now. There’s been a lot of progress as the game has got more popular and professional, so it’s a really exciting place to be right now.

"I think, as a club, we always want to be at the top winning trophies and we've maybe not done that recently as much as we have in the past. But I definitely feel that we've got this feeling within us that we're progressing.

"We're getting to a place where we can compete more consistently than we have done in previous years. I'm excited to be a part of that and keep motivating and keeping us at that level."

Little also reflected on how far the women's game has come as a whole since she began her career.

"Now maybe I’m a little bit older and there are definitely different elements that you need to think about. I’m not at the last stage of my career, but definitely in the later stages.

"For me, I’m so grateful to still be a part of the game and to be playing and to have been a part of it through the incredible growth the club and the game have had in this country and globally.

"It’s just so enjoyable to be a part of and to continue to see where it’s going to go, so I can’t wait to continue that journey, it’s incredibly fun to be a part of."

We finished our interview by asking Kim a simple question: what does Arsenal mean to you?

"That's a hard question to put into a short reply. I mean, Arsenal has been a huge part of my life and continues to be. I suppose the simplest word when I think about things now with Arsenal, because I've been here over time, is just that it feels like home.

"I was thinking about that on the drive in here to the Emirates. I was like, I'm from Scotland and Scotland is my home. That's where I was born and where I'm from.

"But because I've been here so long at this club now, north London does feel like home. It continues to be a privilege to represent this club and to continue my journey here."

To watch Kim's full interview, click play on the video above. 

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