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Raise Your Game: Why did you choose to pursue a career in football rather than athletics?

Jayne Ludlow: It was a hard decision. I enjoyed all sports, but the longer I spent in athletics the more I missed the team element of being involved in football. That was always my first love - going to games with my dad. I just missed the whole atmosphere I guess.

RYG: What skills can we learn from football?

JL: Sport in general has been great for me growing up. Sport enables you to find out your strengths. I was quite a quiet child so it's helped my confidence. Being involved with a group is great - you get to meet loads of different people. I've also travelled the world which has been great. Athletics gave me a lot of the skills that I needed for football - such as having the right mentality for training. I brought that dedication to football and it helped.

RYG: What is the psychological side of football?

JL: It's very different to athletics. I used to do a lot of work on my own with athletics - focusing on all the different stages of my event. With football you can't do that. Within a team environment you need your team mates to help you out. You need to focus on your role and they need to focus on theirs. If you can put all that together and work as a team, you can be the best team in the world.

RYG: Why Arsenal?

JL: I needed to get a degree because, at the time, I didn't realise I could make a career out of football. I chose London and thank God I did. I got a trial at Arsenal, kicked lumps out of all the girls and the manager took me on. Things worked out well for me from then on.

RYG: What's more important - attitude or talent?

JL: Talent is obviously important, but I would always say attitude because of my background. Because I was more of an athlete than a footballer in my teenage years, I had to work hard to get to the top level. The girls I'm playing with now are technically superb. I've run a long road from where I started. That proves that people who want it enough can become the best in the world, even if they're not born with natural talent. If you want it enough, and there are people around who will help, what's stopping you?

Kids need role models to grow up with. When I was a kid all my role models were male, which is quite sad really. There are good female sportspeople around, but they don't get the publicity and recognition they deserve.

RYG: There's a lot of emphasis at the moment on the fact that our youth don't go out and participate in sport, that we've got an obesity problem. How do we encourage young people to be more active?

JL: You need organised events where they can turn up and parents know they're going to be safe. They need good coaching in an environment that they find fun. The more they enjoy it, the longer they'll stay in the sport, whether it's athletics, football or something else.

RYG: So for you it's more about the carrot than the stick to get them interested in sport?

JL: Yes. I work with 16 to 19-year-old girls from the academy day-in day-out. They've all got their computers and they like to sit and play on them at home. It's something that we try really hard to get them out of. We encourage them to organise things away from football, doing things together as a group, such as a different sport.

RYG: What's your message for all the young girls in Wales?

JL: Push yourself and get out of your comfort zone. Get off your backside and work as hard as you can. Don't listen to anybody that says you can't achieve your goals.

RYG: Who are your sporting heroes?

JL: I'd say people like Mark Hughes and, obviously, Colin Jackson for athletics. He achieved a lot and he's a nice guy. Lately it's got to be Joe Calzaghe. He's been at the top of the tree for years and he still doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He's one of the best around in any sport. Joe is definitely my idol.