Niamh Fahey: Liverpool captain and All-Ireland winner with Galway

Niamh Fahey continues to make waves in England as a professional footballer having recently been named Liverpool captain.

The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Bordeaux star grew up in Galway, where GAA was a way of life.

"The biggest influence when I was younger was obviously my brothers. Coming from a real, strong GAA parish as well, football is the main sport that was played," she told Inside The Game.

"I had that link to Killanin, their underage girls teams, growing up there I represented them. Obviously having the influence of my older brothers and my sister all played for the local parish and also for Galway. I had influences around me everywhere, so I don't think I was going to get away with not picking up an O'Neills [ball] at some stage!"

And in 2004, Fahey helped Galway win their first All-Ireland senior title in ladies football.

"It's so far back now I can't even remember the full thing. Obviously the overriding [emotion] was pure elation, pure joy, and satisfaction. I was young at the time as well. I probably didn't have the scope to take it all in," she recalled.

"I just remember hugging all the girls, and having that sense of accomplishment with the group, and pride with having won an All-Ireland, the first Galway senior women's team to do that as well. It was unbelievable really. A great achievement."

But as her burgeoning Gaelic football career began to take flight, Fahey pivoted for soccer.

"I probably knew I had to switch from Gaelic football to football when I was about 18 or 19," she explained.

"After I got called up to the senior international team, things started to get a bit more serious, with a bit more time-pressure. That was a choice then that I knew that I had to make, that I had to be fully committed to soccer.

"Especially if I was going on to represent the senior women's national team, and if I was to try and play in a more in a more professional environment which was over in England at the time. So at 18 or 19 I knew I had to make that adjustment, or that switch."

Her GAA upbringing certainly helped her in England.

"Probably the physical side of playing Gaelic helped me a lot playing soccer," she added.

"As a defender I was able to hold off players really well and shield the ball quite naturally as well, considering I didn't have a soccer upbringing when I was younger. So I definitely had the physical attributes and strength from Gaelic that helped me a lot to be competitive straight off the bat, considering I wasn't a professional or starting from a slight disadvantage of not having the upbringing of soccer full-time when I was younger."

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And although she has long left her Gaelic football career behind her, she continues to be impressed by the evolution of the sport:

"The fitness levels have definitely gone through the roof. The speed and the stamina of the all the players, you can definitely notice a massive increase in tempo. So I think you have to be supremely fit to play the modern game of Gaelic football, and that's across both men's and women's. That's the big thing I noticed, the fitness level of all the players is top class."

And as for the Tribeswomen?

"I think they've done really well," she said. "Obviously it was disappointing against Dublin in [last year's] All-Ireland, but it's a young team and I think you can see all the class coming now in Galway through the underage set-ups.

"I think there's an All-Ireland there for them in the next couple of years. It's a strong team, and hopefully they'll get an All-Ireland in the years to come."

Watch Inside The Game every at 9pm every Wednesday on Sky Sports Arena. You can catch up on this week's episode on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.