Doncaster Rovers Belles captain, and England international, Vicky Exley has just returned from the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals in China. Vicky is an experienced international player with over 50 caps to her credit, and scored one of the goals in England's 6-1 defeat of Argentina in the group stages.

"We set ourselves a target of trying to get through the group and reach the quarter finals", said Vicky, "and we were delighted to achieve this. Holding Germany, the eventual winners of the tournament, to a 0-0 draw was fantastic when you consider that they have not dropped any other points in the last three World Cups. It was a dream-come-true for me personally to play in a World Cup, and to score from the penalty spot against Argentina was the icing on the cake".

It's almost 12 years since Vicky was first capped for England, and she has seen the women's game develop tremendously.

"When I was 12 years-old there was no real structure to the women's game for that age group, and it wasn't until I was 15 that I managed to get into a women's team through playing for my youth club. Today girls are playing in the Premier League and at full international level at the ages of 15 and 16. That shows how strongly the game has developed and is continuing to do so".

Vick joined the Belles in 1994, and in spite of several offers to join other clubs, she has remained loyal to the Belles because she thinks so highly of the club. Vicky believes that the squad which has been assembled for this season can really challenge for competitive honours in the Tesco Premier League.

With a 1-1 draw against a strong Chelsea side, and a 2-0 win over Birmingham City at the Keepmoat Stadium, the Belles season has started well. However, Vicky is confident that as soon as key players return from injury, and the new signings settle in, the Belles will really be a force to be reckoned with.

On the international scene Vicky is now looking forward to the England qualifying group matches for the European Championships in Finland next year, and should certainly be involved in the match against Belarus at Walsall in a few weeks time. It will come as no surprise to Vicky to see other members of the Rovers Belles gaining international honours in the year ahead.