After knocking out seven-time UEFA Women’s Champions League champions Olympique Lyonnais in last season's quarter-finals, clinching the D1 Arkema for the first time in Paris Saint-Germain’s history and winning Olympic gold in Tokyo this summer, Ashley Lawrence is ready for another big season.
It has been a calendar year to remember for the Canadian defender, with a big week coming up for PSG as they play Real Madrid twice in the UWCL and Lyon in the league.
Nonetheless the Parisians are motivated to continue their winning ways, as new DAZN ambassador Lawrence stressed in an exclusive interview with the sports streaming service.
“To finally beat Lyon, it was definitely a relief and to create history with PSG was really cool," Lawrence explained.
"Now going into this season being the reigning champions we know that there is more pressure and more expectations, but we just want to do what we did last season and just take one game at a time.
“Just knowing the importance of getting results against Lyon in the league, but also taking it one game at a time alongside the Champions League.
"We want to win everything, we’re ambitious and I think we can be with the players that we have.”
After being knocked out by eventual winners and reigning holders, FC Barcelona, in the UWCL semi-finals, PSG are motivated to go one further this season with everyone watching.
She continued: “The Champions League has always been exciting, but we’ve always missed that visibility of the games and people around the world haven’t been able to watch. So just to have this partnership with DAZN is amazing I think it’s going to elevate the game.
“Just seeing all those elements that we didn’t have access to before is only going to hopefully bring more interest and more investment in the game. Seeing how much it’s progressed not only on the pitch but also off the pitch as well, it’s really amazing to be a part of and hopefully it continues to grow.”
Lawrence has been at PSG since 2017 after coming straight from playing at West Virginia University. Unlike the rest of her PSG teammates, the Toronto native doesn’t have the option to play professionally at home.
The highest level of women’s football in Canada is semi-professional, forcing any player who wants to pursue a career in pro football to leave home at a young age.
“I know for myself and probably can speak on behalf of the players that are playing on the national team or even other Canadians playing abroad," admitted Lawrence.
"We had to make that decision [to leave home] because we wanted to grow and develop our game and knowing in order for that to be possible, for myself I chose France.”
Lawrence has two Canadian teammates with her in Paris, Jordyn Huitema and Stephanie Labbe, with Jessie Fleming [Chelsea], Shelina Zadorsky [Tottenham Hotspur], Janine Beckie [Manchester City] and Vanessa Gilles [Girondins de Bordeaux] all alongside her in Europe, to name but a few.
“I would love to see a professional league in Canada," Lawrence added. "I think that it is long overdue.
"For us we want to be one of the top countries in the world, but it is key that we do have a professional league.
“It allows us to develop players more and there’s that option for player to play at home or to go overseas. I know for myself, if the opportunity was there, I would love to play in Canada just to play professionally. The option should be there for younger players.
“I hope that in the coming years or even sooner we’re able to have whether it’s a professional team or a league within itself. I think it’s key to the development and the future of the program in Canada.”