England striker Lianne Sanderson ready to play her part in Canada

Sky Sports News HQ's Geraint Hughes speaks to Lianne Sanderson on the eve of England's first 2015 Women's World Cup match.

Moncton is a small, sleepy town a couple of hours flying time from Montreal and Toronto, bordering Nova Scotia. Its population of 130,000 have a short drive to the Atlantic Coast, where the waves gently lap the shores protected from the fierce swells of the ocean by Prince Edward Island. 

Just look at an atlas, look for New Brunswick and you'll find Moncton on the  map. Yes, it's fairly isolated. That's not to decry the place; the locals have been super friendly and polite and very helpful, but even they admit the pace of life is quite slow and it's a quiet place.

Now quiet is not quite what one England player is all about. Arsenal striker Lianne Sanderson is as bubbly a personality as you wish to find.

On the topic of conversation, her hair. Lianne is not just a striker, she's striking! A bleached blond Mohican with shaved sides, you just cannot miss her. And then the 27-year old has the biggest smile. "Since I've been in Moncton, all I've been trying to do is find somewhere to get my hair cut. I just use my style and my hair to show my personality, I'm happy!"

She's a little more complicated than just being a smiler though. There's a good chance England head coach Mark Sampson will expect Sanderson to perform at Canada 2015, whether as a starting striker or as an impact player.

She's tall, physical and an absolute handful for defenders, but England need goals and Sanderson - who has 15 international goals in 46 starts - will need to add to her tally.

Pressure

So there is pressure on her and despite her outward nature on the football pitch and with strangers, she is actually quite shy. This is where she also hopes to have an impact, with girls who are into football back in the UK watching and hearing about her. But like many sports, football loses many teenage girls to the game.

There is pressure on her (Sanderson) and despite her outward nature on the football pitch and with strangers, she is actually quite shy. This is where she also hopes to have an impact, with girls who are into football back in the UK watching and hearing about her.

Sanderson explained her upbringing: "I’ve had times (as a footballer) that have been pretty depressing, where it hasn't gone well, where it has been really difficult. It's not easy for females in football, but I had a good family around me.

"Any advice I can give to young girls is 'if you love football, stick with it, but be careful who you surround yourself with.' It's difficult when you are young, so it's hard to work out whether someone is no good, but listen to family, listen to good friends. I've had the backing of my parents and my partner."

She had difficulties which she overcame in her younger years and in the recent past. Four years ago, she wasn't part of England plans at the World Cup in Germany, not because of injury, but because of a principled decision to withdraw herself from selection.

She didn't like the way she was being handled by the then England management under Hope Powell, who was succeeded by Mark Sampson in 2013, so duly walked away. A tremendously difficult decision, but one over which she has no regrets.

So Sanderson hopes to inspire British girls to stick with football, but how do they do things in Canada? Well, very differently. They lose teenage girls to sport just like the UK; however, their grassroots structure through to International level is linked with a clear pathway.

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The pyramid is clear. The British Columbia Soccer Association (BCSA) showed Sky Sports News HQ how they do it, all funded by a combination of government and MLS funding (in the case of British Columbia, from the Vancouver Whitecaps).

They have so many 8 to 12 year-olds playing the game and with a 'pathway' to senior level exactly the same for the boys, football is a way of life for many girls. It's not seen as un-feminine, there are no unkind jibes from sexists. They treat them equally and really look after them, the facilities are impressive, they have several coaches, they even have physios that check them out for growing pains as well as niggling injuries.

'Amazing'

The BCSA told me it costs about $2,500 per player to put them through their pathway scheme, all paid for. That scheme though could be over 10 years and can and has led to international recognition.

The name Christine Sinclair may not mean much to you, but look her up, she's a massive sporting personality in Canada and after scoring Canada's winning goal against China in their opening game, she can do little wrong. She began playing football as kid and like thousands after her came through a system that gave Canada the Bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics and who knows what at Canada 2015.

One thing is clear though for Canadian women's football - if they don't win this World Cup, there's a very good chance they will do in the future. The system, the pathway, is only going to get bigger and better and with almost 300,000 registered players - that's a fraction of the millions of soccer-kids who kick about after school - that number is predicted to rise rapidly.

Canada believe they will overtake the USA as the dominant footballing nation in terms of numbers. While strides forward are being made in England and the rest of the UK with both girls and women's football, at the moment the Canadian model is light years ahead.

And don't take my word for it. A former Cardiff City player, Lee Tregonning, is one of a number of ex-pat coaches in Canada. After his playing days were over and coaching beckoned, he came to North America and to Canada.

"I came to coaching girls because it was just an amazing job, i didn't expect to, but the system here is incredible," he said. "They want my knowledge and they test me. It's just so different from back home.

"The girls want for nothing, but it's fun, safe and they are all so technically good. 13, 14-year-old girls play boys regularly here and more often than not at that age beat the boys."

For Sanderson though, her haircut and football must now do their talking on the pitch. England have an inner confidence of doing well at this World Cup, but teams such as their opening match opponents France view England differently. They see them as a good side, but not as good as them. England must raise their level.