Man City and England captain Steph Houghton has said that tonight's Wales clash at St Mary's is the perfect opportunity to inspire the next generation of young female footballers.
St Mary's will play host to over 20,000 fans as England and Wales go head to head in their FIFA Women's World Cup qualifier, with the chance to top the group at the midway point of proceedings.
Commenting that Southampton is the perfect venue to showcase the growth of the women's game, the defender is also keen to reward the thousands in the crowd with a stellar performance.
"It's important [to have big crowds], we've worked so hard to play in big stadiums like St Mary's," Houghton began.
"The crowd gives us that motivation to perform well. Of course we'll be humble and respectful of our opponents but we want a big performance and the three points.
"We've got to strive to play in the best stadiums possible. For me, the more chance we get to play at big stadiums the better, because people want to watch us. Young girls locally will be watching and that's important for growth.
"We like playing the important games, we've played in World Cups and European Championships, that's what you get a buzz from.
"Big games in front of big crowds. Hopefully they'll make plenty of noise because it's a massive opportunity to put on a show at St Mary's!"
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