Interview | Grace Fisk on new LFC contract: 'There's no place I would rather be'
Grace Fisk was filled with pride and full of optimism as she signed a new contract with Liverpool FC Women.
It was announced today that the Reds captain has extended a stay with the club that began when she joined from West Ham United in 2023.
A vital presence in defence for Gareth Taylor's side, Fisk has now also become a senior England international.
After putting pen to paper on her new deal, the No.4 sat down with Liverpoolfc.com to discuss the decision, what the team and city mean to her, and ambitions for the years ahead.
Read the Q&A below.
Grace, congratulations, a new contract here with Liverpool. How does it feel to have extended your stay here?
Yeah, I'm really, really happy. I've loved my time here so far, I can't believe it's only been sort of three or four years, it feels like so much longer. I'm delighted to extend, there's no place I'd rather be.
Was it an easy decision for you again to extend your time here, obviously having the captaincy and, like you say, you've enjoyed your three years here so far?
I think every day I feel really lucky to be here in the place that we get to call work. Melwood is an amazing place filled with really special people. And the city as a whole, I feel really at home here. So, I think when it was sort of talks began and it was weighing things up, I think for me there was only really one thing I wanted and this was to stay at Liverpool. I really believe it's a club going in the right direction. We've got great people, great staff, great facilities and great aspirations as well. So, yeah, I'm really excited to stay and I hope we can just kick on a lot in the next few years.
How different of a person do you feel now compared to when you walked through the door three years ago?
I came to Liverpool when I was, what, 24, 25, obviously with Beardy [Matt Beard], who was my coach at West Ham as well, so it was sort of some familiarity there. I knew some of the girls already. But I think now looking three, four years on, I've got a different role in the team now, obviously I'm more of an experienced player, I think I'm the third-oldest in the team now, which is crazy to me because when I came I was obviously on the younger side so a lot's changed in those three years that I've been here, a lot of change for the good and I just think it's a really exciting club to be at right now.
Do you feel more responsibility now in terms of leading this group here?
One hundred per cent. I think being captain actually comes with responsibility and expectation. I think Gaz [Taylor] is really good at not putting too much [pressure] on me and letting me just be the player I am. I think I have a really amazing group of girls and teammates here that make my job pretty easy, but there is obviously extra responsibility and extra duties that I do as captain, but it's something that I like to think I take in my stride. I'm quite a responsible person in life generally, so it's not too much of a hassle for me. It's something that I think has elevated my game as well, having that extra sort of expectation on me, I think, has seen me push on a lot, especially in the last year. And like I said, I've got a really great group of girls behind me who help me out every day.
It's well documented the togetherness and the friendships within the group, as well as the collective desire to get this club where we feel it belongs. In terms of how that plays out every day, I think we see it, but the team did suffer a lot of adversity last season as well. How important were those relationships to ensure, one, we got results towards the end of last season, but also doubled down on the determination to make this a successful one?
I think if you asked anyone on the team they probably all said that last season was the toughest season of their lives, myself included, but I think the thing that got us through was us being together and having really good people and that includes the staff as well and not just the coaches. I'm talking chefs, Alison the receptionist, the grounds people, we have such good relationships with everyone in this community, you guys, the media people, site. Everyone's very close-knit and can have honest conversations with each other and be open with each other, and I think when you go through what you go through last year, it can only make you stronger. And as cliche as it is, it's the truth. And I think in terms of the girls, we always say how lucky we feel we are to have each other and have such good people in the building supporting us and challenging us but in the best possible way.
Taking you back to your first interview, you said that this club was one you get a feeling for. What is that feeling now, after three years, and what does this club and this city mean to you?
The feeling for me now is probably a lot of pride of how far I've come and how far we've come as a team. Obviously, first and foremost, getting new contracts is a real big honour and being able to play, but the extra thing of being a captain I think is a huge honour and a huge privilege. When I speak about the feeling of things, it's not just the football, it's the city and the people. I'm very much a person like football is obviously the centre of my life but I'm quite big on how the rest of my life looks as well in terms of the people and the environment and things like that, and Liverpool is just a perfect place for me and I love living here. I love having my family come visit, they love the city and it's just a really beautiful city to be a part of and call my home now. So yeah, the feeling I have now is just real pride and joy at living here and the fact that I'm signing a new contract and I get to stay here for another few more years and say that a bulk of my life I have been living in Liverpool is such a cool feeling for me. I love living here and being part of this special club.
And this is another proud moment after one that you've been very patient and waiting for in terms of getting recognition and picking up those first two England caps. What was that like and how did your family react to that?
It was a really special moment. Everyone dreams of playing for their country. Obviously, it took me a bit longer than most people probably, but it doesn't really matter to me. I still managed to play for my country and obviously being in a World Cup year, it's an important sort of few camps. So, I've just got to keep training really hard and put myself in the best position. But it was an amazing feeling. I feel really honoured to have got that privilege. At the same time, I feel like I really worked hard for it, which I think is a nice feeling when you feel like you've really put a lot of work into it over the last year.
The coaches here have been amazing with me, really pushing me and sort of doing lots of one-to-one stuff on how to get myself to the next level, to be able to push for a place in the England squad, which has been a great help and one of the main reasons that I wanted to extend, because I genuinely believe we have some of, if not the best coaches in the league, who have made so many of us so much better. So, it was a really special moment, when I'm really proud of the work I put in to get to that moment.
You make a lot of things look very effortless, but people obviously don't see the hard work behind the scenes every day to get to that. Do you think you've got more levels to go to? And obviously, that World Cup is probably a big aim for you now as well...
Yeah, definitely. I think I'm always someone who's looking to improve. Every time we play a game, I watch it straight back and can see several things I could do significantly better. So, I never think I am at the point where I've made it or I'm a complete perfect player. The coaches are really good at elevating me and giving me confidence, but also showing me what I can work on. I think that's a really good balance. And like you say, being a World Cup year I know I've got to keep pushing really hard. Obviously it's a dream and an aspiration, but first and foremost I've got to play well for my club and that's sort of where my heart and my passion is, to make sure that we have a really successful season at Liverpool.
And over the next few years, what does leading this team towards look like in terms of success for you?
Having the quality of coaches that we have, I think the ambition is obviously Champions League football and being in the top sort of three or four, for sure. It's not going to happen straight away, we all know that, but like I say, the level of detail and expertise our coaches have and the facilities we have here and the environment we have here, there's really no reason why in these next couple of years we can't push for that. I really believe in the players we have, the coaches we have and the all-round feeling around the club that it can happen is one of the main reasons I wanted to stay.
And finally, you'll have made a lot of fans very happy when this news goes out. What would your message to them be?
Thank you for the continued support and I know last year we suffered, which meant you guys suffered as well. It's made us stronger, I hope it's made them stronger as well. We love playing in front of you guys and we can't thank you enough for your support. I'm really happy that I can play in front of you for the next few years as well.
