Demi Strokes speaks about supporting women's football.

Demi Strokes is one of the many women who have been inspired by the Lionesses success this summer. The 24-year-old is a professional footballer who plays for Crystal Palace in the second tier of English football, the FA Women’s Championship.

We caught up with Demi to discuss her career so far, the future of women’s football and how the Lionesses inspired her.

“I started playing football at a very young age, I think I was about 4 years old. I played for my local team, Smithdon FC, until I was 16 and then I signed for Norwich City Ladies U18s. I played there for a season before getting scouted by Crystal Palace.”

“I originally joined Palace’s development squad and then worked my way up to the first team. I made my debut for the first team in 2018 and have been a regular starter since then.”

“My favourite memory is definitely scoring my first professional goal. It was against Lewes in the FA Women’s Cup and it was just an incredible feeling. The whole team ran over to me and it was a great moment.”

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, the 28-year-old Stokes discussed a variety of topics, including her experience of playing in a major tournament and how it felt to see the support that the women’s game received.

“It was an incredible feeling,” said Stokes of the support for England at Euro 2017. “Walking out of the hotel and seeing all the England flags, it was like a home tournament. To see how much support we had was amazing. It definitely changed the tide for women’s football.”

Stokes also discussed her experience of playing in front of large crowds, something that she is likely to do more of in the future as the popularity of the women’s game continues to grow.

“It was an amazing experience,” she said. “The first game, against Scotland, the atmosphere was unbelievable. It was a bit surreal, running out in front of all those people."