 Hello and welcome to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast coming to you as ever from Vitality Stadium. Our job here is to bring you closer to some of the personalities connected to the club throughout the course of the season, be it first team players, staff or key academy personnel. Now for those of you who are new to our podcast, my name is Zoe Rundle and I'm part of the media team here at AFC Bournemouth. As ever I'm of course joined by my colleague Neil Parrott who has been covering the cherries for 30 years. He's quite literally seen it all and is an absolute encyclopedia of knowledge. Now Neil, we've got a special podcast to celebrate International Women's Day today and I know you're very excited to be sat here in the company of two women. Very, very excited. Zoe, I think the phrase arose between two thorns, springs to mind if you don't mind me saying that. No, really excited to be here. As you say International Women's Day today. I've been covering a lot of the women, the women's team with you this season, in the last few seasons and they're doing really, really well so it's fitting that we've got somebody from that department with us today. Absolutely, it's a really exciting guest that we've got today and I have no doubt that we'll have a lot of laughs over the course of the next hour. Now she became a cherries player in the summer and hasn't looked back since fully immersing herself in AFC Bournemouth both on and off the pitch. So without further ado, we're delighted to welcome Becky Bath onto the official AFC Bournemouth podcast. Becky, it's great to see you. It's great to have you here. How are things and how much are you looking forward to speaking with us today? Oh, it's great to be here guys. Thanks for having me on the podcast. Yeah, looking forward to giving everyone a little bit of an insight about me and my life inside and outside of football and I hope everyone enjoys it. I've got a lot to get through. I know that you've got lots of experiences in the game so far. Let's go right back to the start Becky. Tell us how you got involved in football and just tell us about your early experiences. I didn't expect to be involved in football to be honest with you. I was actually a dancer and I danced five times a week. Ballet, tap, modern, jazz, you name it, I did it. And for some reason, my primary school set up a girls' football team and I thought I'll give it a go. And apparently I was all right. So here I am. So you gave up dancing to be a tippers? So I did try and do both at the same time. And I was just playing for like a local academy. It was just called Ferrum Academy on a Friday evening, which actually clashed with, I think it was the modern dance class. So I had to give up the modern dance class, which was fine because I could carry on everything else. And then football just took over my life. So I gave up all dancing and went straight into football. A bit of a ballerina on the pitch these days? No, God, no. My flexibility is shocking. You'd never believe it, honestly. You'd never believe it. Actually saying that, I will say. The last few weeks my mum was very good at dancing and she wanted to start ballet again. So she said to me, we can't do a few sessions with me. So I have been doing that on a Thursday evening. I've been doing some ballet sessions. Now, when I was younger, you said your primary school started a football team. I certainly had to join him with all the boys if I wanted to play football because no girls ever played football. Was that ever the case for you? Yeah, it was, yeah. Even on the playground, it was, you know, a boys' game. I think there might have been one or two, including myself, girls who wanted to play football. And you had to work your way up. You had to show that you were good, you know. You couldn't just go, normally it was, you know, you had two captains and they'd pick the teams. And it was always the two girls last, always me and another girl that I went to school with who was last. And in the end, I think I was at least second. I was getting picked second. So I had to, yeah, had to work my way up. Did you ever have any sort of brothers or sisters that you played with or kicked a ball around with in your garden or whatever? Yeah, so I have quite a lot of brothers and sisters, actually, to be honest with you. So I have two older sisters and an older brother from my dad's previous relationship. And I have a sister and a brother from both my parents together. And we used to, when my older brother used to come around on the weekends, we used to go and play football all the time. And then me and my little brother, yeah, we really bonded, actually. It was really good that we both like football because we used to play together all the time. Even if we got new, we were talking about last night, actually, if you've got new football boots for Christmas, whatever, be straight over the park playing football. And my brother was saying, I didn't actually remember this until last night. He said, where he was younger than me and his feet was smaller than mine. I used to always get the real predators. And he used to get the fake ones. And we used to argue about all the time. I remember my dad was coming up to me saying, Beck, just pretend that you was a fake too. And I used to say, yeah, mine are fake as well. But yeah, so we all played. And even my young sister, she's always been a dancer, but she used to, we played for Wars Ash Wasps on a Sunday. And she used to play with us. She was our striker. She was class. So yeah, I guess it was always been a bit in the family. Do they ever come and watch you now? You know, your brothers and sisters? Yeah, all the time. Yeah. And my brother, my brother plays at a good level on a Sunday. So he's our games clash. He never comes. But yeah, my sister comes. My older brother and sisters come. Yeah, they will come as much as they can, you know, life's busy, isn't it? But yeah, any event they'll come to and just tell us about your relationship with your dad. Like you seem from conversations we've had in the past, have a strong relationship with him. Yeah, he's he's great lesson. I mean, both my parents like they're honestly the apple of my eye. But my dad, yeah, he he's very dedicated to my football and supported me throughout regardless. No matter who I was playing for. If I can remember, I had a year break because I didn't know who I was playing for and he supported me then as well. And yeah, to have trouble up and down to Chelsea three times four times a week. Yeah, he's he's always had my back regardless. Do you think is he living maybe a football career in you that he didn't have? Or did he have? I don't know. Yeah, so my dad was yeah, my dad was a really good footballer. And you know, you walk down the street in Fairham Portsmouth, Hampton, wherever, and he'll know someone. He was very well known and played a Pompey or trial for Pompey. I can't remember which one. But yeah, he he's playing a good good standard. And I just don't think I don't know what happened. He kind of just would rather go out socially, you know, play the football score, win the game for them, but then looked forward to the pub after more than actually playing the football match, I guess. But yeah, I would say he's living. Yeah, none of his sons made it. So I guess I had to do something. Now things started getting serious in your football career. Was it Chelsea and Haven't them Waterloo? Have you had a decision to make there? Yeah, so I was at Chelsea Academy from under 12s, under 12s to, wow, yeah, reserves really. And yeah, it got to the point where I was 17. I was choosing which college I wanted to go to. There was an option at Chelsea. There was an option at South Downs, which is in Portsmouth. And then the football team alongside that was Haven't them Waterlooville. And I mean, both of the like college programmes were the same. See, I wasn't going to get anything out college wise. It was just would have been the football. But I just couldn't imagine myself living away from like my mum and dad. I just, yeah, I love them. So I just want, I'm a bit of a home bird. I just wanted to be at home with them really. So I chose Haven't. So you left Chelsea to join Haven't them Waterloo? Yeah. People must be thinking you must be mad. Yeah, I know, right? Did you regret that decision at all? Yeah, definitely. I mean, I do and I don't. I look back and I think I probably could with, you know, the right, I'm not saying that I haven't had the right coaching, but maybe more the Chelsea obviously had more support and a lot more round them than Haven't and Waterlooville did. I think maybe in that sense, I probably could have gone a lot further than I did at that age. But at the time I loved it. I loved the college and I didn't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't have looked back at that time and thought, oh, I've made the wrong, the wrong choice. But yeah, I think now maybe I think or, but I try not to think about it. I live for the moment. I try not to think about it all the while on the path. So. Now, Pompey girl, born and bred, end up playing for South Hampton, I understand. Now you're grimacing there. We can't see that. Yeah. Of course. But we can see it. But people listening can't, you're grimacing. What was it like playing for South Hampton? I tried not to think about the fact that I was playing for a team that I actually detest and still to this day dislike. But I enjoyed it. I loved the girls there and the coaching was great. And at the time the club was going in the right direction and we were top of like, we were top of the league Bournemouth are in now and by far. But there was no backing from the men's team then. But yeah, I did love it. But I was made to promise my dad that I wouldn't let the badge touch me. My skin. I had to wear a T-shirt underneath my shirt so the badge didn't touch my skin. So what was that like in preseason when it's like 80 degrees or something like that? Do you know what, actually, and this is God's Honest Truth, I didn't wear a Saints T-shirt in preseason. I wore my own Adidas or Nike T-shirt because I couldn't face it. Believe it or not. But yeah, that's that's yeah. I mean, I don't think my dad would have said, you know, you're not playing for them or you're not doing it. But I did say to him, you know, I won't let the badge touch me. There we go. That must have been a deciding factor for him. But after then you then go and play for Pompey. As a Pompey girl, that must have been a dream come true. Absolutely. The reason why I didn't play for Pompey before and is because I don't think they were doing as well. Well, they weren't to me. They weren't a big team. You know, my I lived in, I didn't live in Southampton. I lived in Locke's Heath, which is just in between Portsmouth and Southampton. And Southampton was actually closer to me. And Portsmouth, they weren't like a massive team back then. So I would never would have thought I really want to play for Portsmouth. But then I think I went to Money Fields for a season. And I thought, you know, I'm just not this isn't me. And I thought I'm going to Pompey. And yeah, and it was just unreal. Even now, like I look back and I think best decision I've made, definitely going to Pompey. You grew up watching Pompey in the Premier League. The golden years, just give us your memories of that. Oh, it was amazing. I just, the thing I remember the most is after every single home game, I just stand outside Fratt & Park with a book and wait for all the players to go to their cars and get their autographs. And that is honest. I remember that more than I remember anything. I remember the loudness of Fratt & Park and the buzz I used to get. And yeah, it just, it was just so amazing. I mean, I feel lucky to have been brought up supporting Portsmouth because, yeah, I don't think there's a better buzz than Fratt & Park. Did that inspire you to want to be a footballer as well, watching those players? What era was that you were watching as well? Just tell us. 2000, wow, right from, well, yeah, probably about 2004 onwards, maybe even a little bit earlier to be fair of you. But yeah, it did inspire me. It did. But I didn't actually think I'm going to go out and make somewhat of a career out of football when I was watching them because I lived for Portsmouth Football Club and the men that played there and the buzzy-ness of Fratt & Park. I didn't think I'm going to go and do that, although you did used to, obviously, you know, when you're a kid and you set up a free kick and you're like, la, la, la, I used to think I was like all these players, even though I was a girl, but yeah. And yeah, I guess it did and it didn't. I think my dad inspired me more than anything. We know our technical director, Richard Hughes, was one of your favourite players. You also like Matty Taylor. Oh, I did love Matty Taylor, yeah. Matty Taylor and Todorov. I like Todorov, but I think that's because he was so involved in when I used to go and get the autographs. He used to really make an effort with us kids. And yeah, he was lovely. La, la, la, I do not. There's I probably don't have an overly favourite player. I love them all. Honestly, I love them all. Even Shaka Hislop. I loved him. Now Zoe was once Gary O'Neill's mascot at Portsmouth, our coach here. Did you ever manage to become a mascot for anybody at Fratton Park or try or fail or? I didn't. And do you know what? I don't know why it never appealed. I never thought I really want to be a mascot. I don't know why. Don't know. But no, I didn't say. I just used to love being in the. Thick of it, you know, getting all involved in the stands. Now, in an interview, you said leaving Portsmouth for Bournemouth was the biggest decision of your life. Yeah, it was. It was definitely a very, if not the biggest decision of my football career. For many reasons, really, I think the last season I was at Portsmouth. I was probably at the height of my game. Let's talk Goldscore of the League or at least top Gold Square in Portsmouth Football Club. And the relationships I had built with the girls is even now I love the girls at Bournemouth, but I just had connection with a few of them and to be able to play with your best mates on a pitch is honestly, it brings out the best in you. And things didn't really go as planned and I knew I had to get out. And yeah, I had to make that decision. You know, my heart was still. Portsmouth and always will be, but my head just wasn't in it and I knew that I wasn't going to get a good season if I stayed there. So I'm to bigger and better, really. Would you change anything about that decision or not? No, definitely not. Definitely not. I think no matter what you do in life, you kind of, if you go from one big thing that you really love, but don't have much of a choice in. I don't know, staying there or committing to that. I think it's always at the beginning you're like, oh, did I make the right decision? But yeah, now no, wouldn't even I would never look back. Love Pompey, but love Bournemouth more. So the acid test and the really big question of this podcast, is it true that you are now looking for Bournemouth results ahead of Portsmouth results and be honest? Honestly, yes. I am. But I guess it's because I'm so passionate about football and I love playing. So and I'm playing for a team that I love and I enjoy it. I probably I'm enjoying it more than I have than I can remember, actually. So I just want the men's team to do well, too. I don't know whether that's become because or come from when I played for my club that I supported all my life. I don't know. Maybe it's just a bit of a commitment thing, you know. Now, for you, you're not just playing for FC Bournemouth. You're also working for the club as a member of staff of the community sports. Just tell us a bit more about your role and your involvement there. Yeah, so that that I mean, it was a big reason why I came to the football club as well, because I got offered the job as the targeted kicks officer, which is it's basically my job role is to provide a one to one mentoring service for young disadvantaged children through social work, through the youth justice system and basically kind of get them off the streets, maybe not physically off the streets, but kind of keep them out of trouble in the community by getting them involved in sport, normally football. For you, do you ever find it hard to stay cool, calm and collected because you must have to deal with some really challenging individuals? Yeah, I think it's in my nature to be fair. I'm quite chilled, but if someone pushes me that little bit too far, I know about it, I think. But, you know, the majority of the time, I actually feel quite sorry for these young people and it's, you know, it stems back to their childhood or what they previously may have experienced or whatever. So I try not to you know, look at them and think this is you because obviously most of the times it's triggered. But no, I think I'm quite good at staying calm. Yeah. Now, we've got a little clip to play you next. We want you to have a listen and see if you can identify the singer. So just for the benefit of our listeners, that song was made by the AFC Bournemouth Squad in 1998 to celebrate reaching the final of the auto windscreen shield, which was played at Wembley. It's the first time the club had ever played at Wembley. I know that you were only five or six or whatever, but a very great player in our history led us out that day at Wembley. My wife made me play that clip because she said it's the it's the worst and flattest singing that she's ever heard in her life. So have you got any ideas who it was? Yeah, I do. And it was Ian Washington. Who was who? Ian Cox. Oh, my God. I can imagine him sitting like that as well. Now, the reason we've picked that clip out is, of course, you said that you work with the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust and you work alongside Ian Cox. Just tell us about working alongside him. I do. And I say it every single day. Ian saves my day every day. He saves me. He covers my backside more than you'll ever imagine, honestly. No, he's a great guy. I don't have a bad word to say about Ian. I just I just think I just think it's a legend. Absolute legends. He helps me. He just keeps me cool, calm and collective every day. Just talking about his life experiences in his job because he's doing a similar job to you. I know we talk about his football career playing in the World Cup, this, that and the other. But he's worked in some really, really challenging environments. He's told me about that. He's told us on his podcast that he did a few months ago. And you must be learning from him about how to deal with all those situations. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Any questions, queries I have about any young people. The first person I pick up the phone to raise in his experience and how he knows how to deal with things. Any situation I find myself in he knows how to help me. He's just a book of knowledge, that guy, and he's just so chilled like I don't know how he gets through his days. He's just so relaxed. He's got no worry. Well, he comes across it. He's got no worries. And he just, yeah, he's just oh, he's just a great guy. I literally know everything about him, actually. Oh, that's the next question. Do you what do you know about him? What about his football in Korea? Can you? So obviously know that he played in the World Cup for Trinidad and Tobago. I listened to his podcast, though, to be fair, so I did get a lot of it. He finished playing at 38 because he had a niggle in his hamstring or quad. I can't remember which one actually, to be fair, and he just couldn't shake it. I mean, what do you want to know? I know loads. Just tell us, so when you report for work on Monday morning, you've played on Sundays. He's obviously watched us or done whatever. You talk to him football, you know, as he asked how you got on or anything like that. Yeah, every time. So I normally see him in the office on a Monday, and the first thing we'll talk about is football. How did you get on? Oh, I mean, normally, he knows the score because I guess he keeps tabs, but we had to talk about it. We'd talk about what went right, what went wrong, how many goals we scored. You know, we talk about everything. And to be honest with you, he doesn't really relate it to himself ever. It's just all about, you know, my game. And then our last questions about, oh, what did you do in this situation? Or, you know, how did you deal with this? And yeah, he'll help me. This season, we beat South Hampton 4-0 at home. And a certain fan on the sidelines bet you £50 that you couldn't hit the top corner when you were stood over a free kick from 40 yards out. Tell us about that story and tell us what happened next. Well, first things first, I have never seen the £50. So I'm still waiting for that. But basically what happened was he, I don't know, he was stood behind me and we'd got the free kick. So I put the ball and I thought, you know, it's on the on the right side and I'd be able to kind of whip it in with my left foot. And then he said, oh, bet you can't score. And I went, oh, don't bet me that. And I was just having a little bit of a laugh of him. And he said, well, bet you £50 you can't get it at top bins then. And I said, all right then. And I thought, I looked at the ball and I thought, I could do this. So I did it. I just wellied it really. And it loved the keeper. And then I said to him, I'll have that 50 quid then. And he just was like looking at me like I was mad or something. And then afterwards he came up to me and he said, I will give you that £50 when I come to a game next time. And I've never seen him since. But he followed me on Instagram and then messaged me saying, I won't ever forget that I owe you £50 or something like that. Well, let's hope that he's come into a game very soon. All listening to the AFC Bournemouth podcast because Becky Bath has not forgotten about that £50 that she has owed. Now, because of that goal, you held off strong competition from Dominic Slanky and Jane Antoni to win the strategic solutions goal of the month award for August. Was it the best goal of your career? Yeah. Yeah, one of, yeah. Definitely. Probably the best goal I can remember. But. Yeah, it was it was pretty all right. It was the right goal, wasn't it? How nice was that for you? You know, it's a club-wide competition. We've got first team players being nominated. We've got Academy 18s and you win the award that's voted for by the fans. Yeah, I was so thankful for everyone who voted for us of you. And I still, to this day, can't believe it. I'm still like, well, I don't know how I did that. But yeah, I was really, yeah, I was buzzing to be fair of you. It's probably the best award that I've won, especially against the men's team. Like, I think women, the women's game and the men's game get completely separated at times. But when you beat a man, a professional footballer who plays and trains every day and you get voted by the members of the public to be to score a better goal than them. Yeah, I don't think I still think it's really settled in my mind that it happened. Is it true that you voted for Dom Slanky? I did. Yeah, I did. I knew because I knew because I wanted to see who was winning. So you didn't vote for yourself? You didn't vote for yourself because I was too worried that you'd be able to see who I voted for and think, God, how big headed is she? We certainly wouldn't have blamed you. How refreshing, Becky, is it that the club involves the women, the under 18s, the under 23s in the goal of the month and the goal of the season? It's easy to just pick four first team players and let everybody vote for them. Yeah, it is really refreshing. I mean, it's a great opportunity to get exposure for the women's game completely. Like, yeah. And not many clubs do that. You know, I think a lot of clubs are kind of focused on on on their first team, which is understandable. You know, they get a lot of a lot of following and, yeah, a lot of coverage and stuff. So it's just, yeah, it's really refreshing. And the women actually really appreciate it. They really do appreciate it. Now, they say lightning doesn't strike twice, Becky, but they did in your case because two weeks after you'd scored that 40 yarder, you scored another 40 yarder against Paltown. Is it that your teammates are saying, why don't you just shoot, Becky? Are you ever going to pass to me? No, no. I don't know. I don't know how I scored that again, to be honest of you. In the moment, I don't really think about doing it. I just looked up, saw the keeper off a line and thought, I'll give it a go. I wouldn't say playing against Paltown was our best game at all. And we had to take the opportunity to score when we could. And that was an opportunity. So I just went for it. And is it true that you are the encyclopedia in the changing room, you know, about all the league tables, the stats, you know, who's playing who, that's that and the other. If anybody wants to know anything, they turn to you. Yeah, that's me. I think it's because I look at the league every Sunday night and I look at who's played who and who's got who and points, goal difference. And yeah, basically what we need to get to the top, that's what I look for. I was going to say, why, why do you do that? Is it something you've always done or is it something you started now you're getting really excited about this season? To be fair, I have always looked at the league and where we are and how many points we've got no matter what team I've been at. But I think the excitement is really taken over and sometimes I do have to, like, you know, reel myself in because I get so like, you know, next season when we get promoted and I'm like, we're not, we haven't even got promoted. We still got like six, seven games to play yet. So Becky, we're recording this podcast between you having played Maidenhead on Sunday and drawn 0-0 and then you've got to play them this coming Sunday as well. So just tell us where you are in the league at the moment and what the promotion picture is, how it works, how many go up and where you go to. OK, so we're in tier four at the moment, which is the National League. And if we get promoted, we go up to tier three of the National League. And so at the moment, currently, as it stands for a second, point behind top with top to play. So we could be sitting first, two points clear when we play Cheltenham in two Sundays time. As now, yeah, we we're currently sitting second. We could go top on Sunday because Cheltenham have a cup game. So we'll then be one game in hand, sitting top spot if we win. As you such an encyclopedia of knowledge, we are going to test that knowledge, of course. So we've got three more questions that we're just going to chuck at you. The first one is a personal stat. How many goals have you scored this season? Well, what? In Cup and League or just League? In Cup and League. Um, 12. You're doing yourself for the service. You scored 13. 13. Oh, oh, sorry. Yeah, 13. Sorry. Yeah, I did notice 13. 13. Lucky number 13. How many points are we currently on? We are currently on. 31. 31. Absolutely. 31 points indeed. Now, this is obviously again, ahead of the Maidenhead game at home this weekend. Final question. I'd be interested to know if you do know this. You can probably take an educated guess if you don't. Now, who has started the most games for us this season? Katie James. No, incorrect. I'll be honest with you, you were second. I was second. You were second, yeah? No. Yeah, you might have been joint second, but you were second. Bambi. Bambi. Yeah, I do see that. I don't know why I didn't think about the wing, the full backs for some reason. Now, for those who don't know, Bambi is Emma Davis. Everyone calls her Bambi. Why do everyone, why does everyone call her Bambi? I actually did find this out because I have the same question. So she was at a training session once and her legs were going all over the place like Bambi on ice. So someone just called her Bambi and I guess it stuck. I didn't even know her name was Emma. Someone called Emma was right and in the water said, I don't know an Emma. There's not an Emma that plays for us. And I was, yeah, it was Bambi. So just tell us earlier this season, a quirk of fate. You got drawn against Portsmouth in the FA Women's Cup. What was that like? What were your emotions when the draw came through, first of all? Oh, my, I was buzzing. I was so excited to play them only because I guess I know the team. I know the manager. I know how they play. I know what their goals are. I know the team inside out. And then on the day, I have never experienced nerves like that at a football match. I'm quite good at like just doing some breathing techniques. At half time, well, I think we were two one down and we were on top and I was just shaking and I couldn't stop shaking. And I said to, it was either KJ or Jade Bradley. And I said, I'm shaking. I can't stop shaking. They were like, just relax. But yeah, it was, it was such a surreal feeling. But yeah, it was amazing to play against them. And it was lovely to see all the fans and stuff as well. And the result didn't go our way, but it must have been quite an emotional day for you personally and a few other ex-pompey girls in our team. Yeah, definitely. To be honest with you, I think the way we played was probably even still now the best we've played, whether it's because we kind of matched the level of the opposition, I don't know. But yeah, although the score line didn't go our way, I felt like we won. That was the first time I felt like we'd gel together as a team, worked hard for each other, wanted to succeed. We wanted, yeah, we wanted it. But we should have scored about four or five or watched it back after. And I thought, why didn't we put that away? Why don't I make that run? Why didn't do this? But yeah, it was unreal. You said that coming here was a huge decision in your footballing career. Just for people who don't know, explain the women's setup here and just tell us your view on it. The women's setup here is, I mean, even, well, from an outside day, it was, I thought, oh God, you know, Bournemouth are going in the right direction, but now I'm in it. It's probably the best backing that we've had. We, I've had, sorry, since playing football. The support, being in with the men, having the chance of playing the ground, we can come to the stadium. We get to be involved with the media. We get everything a women's team could really want. Yeah, it's unreal. And like I said to you, sometimes I'm driving home and I think, wow, I still can't believe we got all this backing and stuff. It's quite surreal, but honestly, every single goal on that team appreciates it. One of my previous experiences of working for the local newspaper was when women's football was trying to get off the ground, it was hard work for women's football. It was a slow process, but there's no question in the last few years, it's just gone through the roof. Absolutely. When I was at Chelsea, there was no funding or whatsoever. And that was probably one of the decisions, one of the reasons why it made me like, helped with my decision, was because my dad actually said to me, I'm taking you up there four times a week now, and it's costing, you know, petrol's going up, it's costing a bomb. So, yeah. When you were sort of starting out, did you ever envisage it would be as big as it is now, and it's only going to get bigger? No, I didn't. But I look back and I do things like, you know, the World Cup was, for the women's, was televised. That was a big step when I watched them on TV. But there's so much more to come, there's so much more to come. We know it will never be as big as a men's game. We know that. But yeah, there's so much more to come. And like, the next generation after me, they're going to be laughing. Every young girl that I see playing, I'm like, continue following your dreams because there's more to come. Like, you're going to get a lot out of football. Just for the benefit of people listening in, it's not just the first team here. Just tell us about the next generation coming through and tell us what's below you here. Okay, so we have, obviously we have the women's first team, and we have the reserves, who we work quite closely with. We train with, not with them, but they train next to us at the same time. And there's a lot of young girls from the reserve team coming up and making their day views into the first team from the reserves, and they're really good. And then we've obviously got under six, it's under 10s to under 16s. And honestly, I've never seen little ballers like it. They are class. So we get to train them when they're just finishing. And sometimes I'll just find myself just walking past them, looking at them, thinking, there was no way I was that good as a kid. And they're like shooting from the halfway line or like doing stepovers and taking the ball round other, you know, their teammates. And I just think you've, well, you're going to make it, like it's going to be big for you. For you, you've been fortunate enough to play with your partner, Jade at Portsmouth. And now we're here at AFC Bournemouth. How nice is that for you, you know, going to games together, training together? Yeah, it is lovely. At first we were like, you know, this isn't going to, we aren't going to football and home life separate. We're not going to do anything together. Like we wouldn't, when we first got together, we didn't even travel to train them together or anything like that, because we just wanted it separate. Then it got to a point, I was like, we're both wasting petrol. Why don't we just go together? But yeah, it's great. It really is great. It's nice to have this support as well. Like when you get home and say, you know, I'm on my own back all the time. I'm like, I'm just, yeah. And if I go home and think I've had a rubbish game, you know, she's always had kind of, no, you didn't, you did this, you did this and then I'm kind of fine. But then on the other hand, you know, it can get a bit like, there's some times on the pitch, I'm like, just shut up. But yeah, it is good. Yeah, I'm very lucky. One of my questions was going to be, do you find yourself talking much about matches or training at home or on the way home? Clearly, it's a big part of your life. The issue is I don't find myself talking about anything else. It's just football. You know, we might be like, do you have what I say? Yeah, because she's obviously working for Bournemouth as well. Yeah, did you? Yeah. How did you find training? Oh God, here we go. But yeah, we talk about football all the time. That's all we talk about. But I guess it's great. It is good, like, yeah, it's good. Tell us about being vegan. It's something quite recent to you. Yes. So I was vegetarian for years. The reason being, I went to Bali and they were, I don't know, I just, when I was like driving around the island on my little moped that I hired a help, whenever I stopped the traffic lights, for some reason, there was chickens in cages next to me and I just was like, I can't eat chicken over here. Like, I can't. And I was there for like a month so I didn't have chicken for a month or any other meeting. So I come home and I was like, oh, do you know what? I don't need it. I felt really good. I was like, oh, I feel really like energised or whatever. Sounds so stupid. And then that was like three, four years ago and then I started slowly not eating eggs but just because I'd gone off them. I didn't, there wasn't no reason. And then it was like a fish. I didn't eat fish. We went to a way of Christmas and I didn't have any sort of fish when I was away. And then I, yeah. And then I just stopped drinking milk in my teeth so I'd always have black coffee. And then here I am, vegan three weeks in. And you're keeping it up? Yeah, I am, yeah. It's, people would think, shut up, don't be so stupid. But honestly, I'm bench-pressing heavier than I've ever bench-pressed. And it's all to be a vegan, I promise you. This is quite topical at the moment because I don't know if you've seen, but Mark Pugh, who used to play for the club in the Premier League era has recently, well not recently, but he's like the foodie footballer now, he's nutrition and stuff like that. How have you found the vegan diet if you like impacting on your playing? Honestly, I feel so energetic. Honestly, I'm not even joking. I'm not just saying I'm not being a preachy vegan because I'm not at all, I'm just doing it for myself. But honestly, I am so energetic. I sleep better, for some reason. And when I'm like training or in the gym, I can do, I feel like I'm doing more than what I've ever done. So I guess, yeah, it's giving me a bit of energy boost. You've spoken already about how much the club has backed the women's team now. That backing has now extended to a first competitive game here on the pitch at Vitality Stadium and an opportunity for the women's team and everyone in it to make some history. Absolutely. What an opportunity. And what a stadium, by the way. Like, no better stadium to kind of be able to play at. Yeah, it's a great opportunity. And again, a great way to get the public down to watch the women's team get the women some exposure. But yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. But I'm really trying to focus on this Maidenhead and Cheltenham game before I think about... It's almost going to be like a treat to us. You know, at that point, hopefully, we would be two points clear at the top, maybe more. And our little treat will be go and enjoy the stadium. So, yeah, we're buzzing. Congratulations for not using the stereotypical, we're taking one game as it comes, football cliche there, have you tempted? No. Yeah. So, I'm going to put you on the soapbox now. I'm going to... You've got a message to our supporters about this game in April. You want to see them here. You want to, I'd say, pack the stadium. You want to see them, you know, turn out and their numbers. As many as can possibly come down and watch the women's game. It'll be great to see. And also, it'll be great for the girls playing to inspire the younger girls. That's a big thing for me at the moment. They love it. They love to watch what they could potentially be. And like I said, they're going to get a lot more out of it than what we do right now. Yes, as many people as possible to get behind us. Hopefully we can give you a good performance. Put on a show for you all. Just going to ask Zoe, just to confirm the date, the opposition, the kick-off time of that game, Zoe. Yes, Sunday 10th of April. Put it all in your calendars. Two o'clock in the afternoon. We're going to pack the stadium out, hopefully with as many people as possible. It'll be great to see you down here. All the fans, if you're thinking about it, 100% calm down, see what you're missing. It's going to be really exciting. You know, there's going to be lots going on in and around the game and, yeah, it's going to be historic either way. So it's going to be brilliant. So, Becky, we're going to finish off with some questions from supporters who have submitted some questions. We're going to reel them off. Benjamin wants to know, who is your footballing icon? Oh, Lionel Messi. Definitely. Whether it's because he's got a left foot and I have two, I don't know. But he was just, his work rate, he's just the goat, isn't he? He really is the goat of football. And also, I've watched him play from a younger age, so when I was younger, yeah. And a women's footballing icon? Do you know, it was Kelly Smith. It was Kelly Smith, but I don't know whether that was because she was the biggest women's footballer and she was kind of the most exposed back then. But, yeah, it was Kelly Smith. I wanted to be, play like her, definitely. Tasha is asking, what advice would you give to a young girl just starting out in a women's team? Don't stop, ever. If that's what you, if you want to play football and you enjoy playing football, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Enjoy every single game and work really hard to be the best you can be. Now, James wants to know, do you have any rituals before a game or perhaps any superstitions at all? Just what I consume, food-wise. It's always, on a Sunday, yogurt with granola and fruit in the morning, maybe a rice cake if I treat it myself and then a bowl of porridge beforehand and again, some energy gels or whatever before the game. But that's, if I don't have that, just don't think that I would, if I made a mistake, I'd blame that, put it that way. Sammy is asking, who is Becky Bath outside of football? What sort of hobbies do you have and that sort of thing? I mean, my hobby is a football. If I'm not playing football, I'm talking about it or I love spending time with my family. That is the best thing. My little nephew, got two little nephews and they're just, oh, I just love them so much. My mum loves spending time with my mum. We just laugh, that's all we do when we're together. So just spending time with family and friends. Yeah, walking the dog? Oh, walking the dog. Walking the dog in this weather is a chore at the moment or hobby. But yeah, no, I love spending time with the dog. Yeah, I miss her when I'm not with her. She's really stupid, but she's just a dog, but she's, yeah, she's my baby. Now, final question has come from a certain Katie Scadding. I've seen that eye roll now. For those who don't know, Katie Scadding is a goalkeeper for the FC Bournemouth Women's Team. She wants to know, who's the funniest in the squad? The funniest in the squad? I'm not going to answer that, because I don't even want to give her a big head. No, it's her. She is actually funny. She actually is funny. Well, there we go. Katie, you got the answer that you wanted to hear. Now, Becky, it's been an absolute pleasure having you here with us. We've absolutely loved your company and your fascinating stories. We're really looking forward to seeing what you guys can achieve for the remainder of the season. Thank you very much for having me. It's been a pleasure. I enjoyed every minute of it. Now, if you have enjoyed listening to our podcast, we'd absolutely love it if you could like and subscribe on whatever platform you are listening on. We'd also be very grateful for any shares on social media, so that other fans, whether they're AFC Bournemouth fans or not, can enjoy it as well. Our thanks again to Becky Bath and from Neil Perret and myself, Zoe Rundle. Thank you for tuning in to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast.