Purfield: A Big Season Ahead
- LCFC Women travel to meet Aston Villa in their Barclays FA Women’s Super League opener on Saturday
- Jemma Purfield could make her competitive debut in the 12:30pm kick-off at Banks’s Stadium
- The defender signed this summer following a spell at Bristol City, adding further WSL experience
- A busy pre-season programme has prepared the squad well for the challenges ahead, she believes
Signed in July following time at Bristol City, Purfield was one of seven new recruits to join up with the squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, which will see the Foxes compete in the top division for the very first time.
Discussing the start to her Leicester City career, the defender feels content with how she has been able to integrate into the squad, with a series of friendlies providing the ideal preparation for the newly promoted side.
The impressive facilities available at LCFC Women's training base, Belvoir Drive, meanwhile, offer a solid foundation and have enabled improvements to her game on a daily basis.
“I’ve been really enjoying it,” the 24-year-old told LCFC TV. “It’s been a tough pre-season but it’s exactly what we needed as a team. I think we’ve started to gel well and that’s going to show on the pitch so it’s really exciting.
“It’s been brilliant. We’ve had a variety of different games and different opponents and that’s only going to prepare us well for what’s to come. It’s been fantastic to play with everyone, getting to understand how everybody plays and we’ve got a big season ahead.
“Those facilities have been massive in terms of pushing this club in the right direction and the success that it is going to have, because they just help us day in, day out to get better.
“I think that’s going to be a big part of this season and why the quality of this pre-season has been so good.”
Aston Villa await in their opening WSL fixture on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off) and Purfield expects the travelling supporters to play a role in creating an atmosphere that will help to push the team on at Banks’s Stadium.
The former Liverpool full-back continued: “We’re all really excited, we can’t wait to get going. The countdown is on now, it’s literally days away so we’re all ready for it.
“Fans are coming and it’s so exciting for us to have fans back, it’s been so long, and I think they play a massive part in our success so we can’t wait to see all the Leicester fans there on Saturday.”
The Beverley-born left-back also outlined the importance of giving a good account of themselves throughout the campaign and is focusing on aiding the team’s development in any way she can.
“We just want to finish as high as possible,” the ex-England youth international added. “We’ve come into the WSL, we’ve got loads of talent, obviously some fantastic players previously, and some new players coming in. We just want to show what we’re about and keep pushing the Club on.
“Personally, I just want to help being involved in that, I want to be playing and helping the team as much as possible.
“Hopefully I can add that experience to the team along with some of the other girls and we can combine our talents and our experiences to help push on in this league. That will be massive for us.”
Fox travel is still available for the fixture and can be purchased HERE.
All times BST.