Hayley Ladd: Manchester United player on football, Wales and inspiring others

Hayley Ladd was a teenager when she made her debut for Wales

It wasn't just the rain that was giving Hayley Ladd goosebumps.

Waiting in the tunnel at the Cardiff City Stadium before Wales' make-or-break World Cup qualifier with Slovenia, the Manchester United player could feel the atmosphere rising.

"To have that attendance and fanbase in Wales, singing for us at such a crucial game was an amazing feeling," she says.

"A lot of the players have been together since they were young, probably for a decade, so to do it with the squad we had was extra special."

A seasoned campaigner who made her international debut more than a decade ago, Ladd knows nights like that don't come around very often.

And, as the 28-year-old tells the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast, she's hoping to use her experiences to help the next generation of players, both on and off the pitch.

'At the top of their game, throwing down barriers'

Ladd's obsession with football began early.

As soon as she was old enough, she was on the streets outside her house, kicking a ball around with eight or nine lads who lived on the cul-de-sac.

By the time she was nine, she was in Arsenal's Centre of Excellence and determined to make football her career.

"It wasn't a decision; it was a given from the off," Ladd says.

Time at Coventry City, Bristol Academy and Birmingham City followed as well as a brief period in Finland - which Ladd describes as "an amazing experience, but a hugely random point in my football CV" - before she signed for Manchester United in 2019.

By that time she was eight years into her international career - having won her first cap when she was still just a teenager.

"It was awe-inspiring," she says. "Getting to know the senior team at such a young age, just being thrust into it.

"I remember being so inspired by these women who were playing at the top of their game, throwing down barriers. I hadn't seen role models that raw and authentic, and it really made an impression."

• The LGBT Sport Podcast: The One with Hayley Ladd

'I had that safe space to discover myself'

It wasn't just in a footballing sense that Ladd was shaped by her early international call-up.

She says: "You come into a team as a 16-year-old and think: 'Where do I fit? Who am I going to be?'

"And then you see Jess Fishlock, and she's got short hair and doesn't care what people think, or at least she gives off that impression.

"She's such a good player, so caring and such a great person to have around the squad. And I think I began to see people like that and think: 'Is that something I can maybe align with, or is part of my future, in terms of my identity?'"

Playing football at university also helped Ladd come to terms with her sexuality, and she admits she is concerned that some players coming through now may not have a similar window in which they can learn about who they are.

"I had that safe space to discover myself, to go out and express myself," she says.

"It was hugely beneficial - and I do think now that a lot of players coming through the system, getting professional contracts at 18 ... they're thrust into a life where they probably do feel a little bit… I guess that sometimes it's just harder to be themselves.

"I see players coming through as 18-year-olds and they don't have those spaces to let loose a little bit and find out who they are, because you're surrounded by your team-mates and it can be quite a competitive environment at elite clubs.

"There's so much scrutiny now, with media outlets following people's every move. In women's football, people do have that support around them and, typically, women's football has found it a lot easier than the men's side.

"But as the standard of the game is growing, that may not always be the case."

'If anyone needs anything, hopefully they know I'm there'

Ladd's United side began their WSL campaign with a 4-0 victory over Reading on Saturday - watched by a record crowd of 5,315 at Leigh Sports Village.

"Because of the Euros, there's really good momentum going into the season," Ladd says with a smile.

"As a player, I'm hugely excited for fans to go to these games and have a great time watching.

"I do think the product on show is really good, the environment and the way people treat each other is really special - and I think it's something our game can be really proud of."

The pride that Ladd feels also extends into her personal life, and a desire to help anyone in football - whether a player or a fan - be their authentic self.

"I'd like to think I can have a positive impact," she says.

"I think I naturally do look out for other players - and hopefully by being out, I can help other people come to realise their preferences.

"So if anyone needs anything, hopefully they know that I'm there."

Hayley Ladd was speaking to Jack Murley on the BBC's LGBT Sport Podcast. You can hear new episodes every Wednesday on BBC Sounds.