Who is Casey Stoney and is she married?
CASEY Stoney has risen through the ranks to become one of the most dominant forces in Women's Football.
The former defender is now a manager, 26 years after she made her debut for Chelsea Ladies ages just 12.
Who is Casey Stoney?
Casey Jean Stoney MBE, 38, was born on 13 May, 1992, in Basildon, England.
Stoney, a former football player and England captain, is currently head coach of WSL club Manchester United Women.
The defender was capped more than 100 times for the England women's national football team since making her debut in 2000.
After being a non-playing squad member at UEFA Women's Euro 2005, she was an integral part of the England teams which reached the UEFA Women's Euro 2009 final and the quarter finals of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2007 and 2011.
In 2012, Stoney succeeded Faye White as the England captain and also became captain of the newly formed Team GB squad for the 2012 London Olympics.
She ended her playing career at Liverpool Ladies after a career that spanned stints at Arsenal, Chelsea and Charlton Athletic.
She was appointed as the first head coach of the newly-formed Manchester United Women on 8 June 2018.
Is Casey Stoney married?
No, Casey Stoney is not married.
On 10 February 2014, Stoney first publicly acknowledged that she was a lesbian.
She is in a relationship with her former Lincoln team mate Megan Harris.
On 16 July 2014, she announced that Harris was pregnant with twins who were born on 8 November 2014.
Stoney's third child was born on 12 December 2017.
What has Casey Stoney said about the gender pay gap in football?
The Football Association announced this week that England's senior men and women players had been paid the same match fees and bonuses since January this year.
Stoney, whose side launch their 2020/21 campaign at home against champions Chelsea on Sunday, welcomed the news, but claims the women's game is not ready to demand equal pay across the board.
"It's a positive move," Stoney said. "I'm a realist in terms of equality. I think you get paid the same when you bring in the same revenue.
"Women players want the same opportunities, we want the same resources and it's a great move from the FA.
"I think until we get more people in the stands, more revenue coming in, more commercial money coming in, then we can start talking about equal pay."
When asked if female players should be getting closer to the pay of their male counterparts, Stoney replied: "No.
"You look at some of the salaries in the men's game, your talking £100,000 or £200,000 a week.
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"How can the women's game justify that when we get 3,000-5,000 people in the stands?
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"We need to invest more money in our marketing. Get more people in the ground, making sure the game is more visible.
"We need to get more commercial revenue back in before we start talking about paying players more towards the equivalent of the men."