I went back to the team where it all started. I am able to be the role model I never had

The Guardian

2 days ago

I will be on a plane on Monday with Denmark heading to Switzerland to take part in my fourth Euros, but before the tournament I went back to where it all began for me, to Danish side FC Midtjylland. I was there to spend time coaching 80 girls from the age of eight to 13.
More than 20 years ago, I began my own journey there and things looked very different then. There was no women's team and no women who played football. For me to go back as a role model these girls gives me a lot of energy. There is no better way to ground yourself than to be reminded where you came from.
I'm really happy I am able to be that role model I didn't have myself, but most importantly it's fun. I love being around these young girls, some who are really good and all who are just happy to be on a pitch.
There was no future for me at the club and when I was about 14 I had to move to another one an hour's drive away. Now, these girls are in here early – maybe a little too early – and are already started in small talent teams with high-quality training. They are being given an opportunity to develop in a way my generation was not.
In 10 years' time, these girls are going to be so good. I was lucky I had parents who were supportive and willing to take me to a team I could play in, but there were a lot of girls who didn't have the same opportunities and support. It's crazy to think about how much talent was wasted. Now, these girls can play and train in the city they come from and the setups around them are of a much higher quality.
I can see the growth in the talent pool and the quality of the young players coming into the national team or the Denmark youth teams. The technique and control of the ball is so much better than that of my generation when we were coming through. It's very interesting to see they have a natural understanding of the game as well.
It would be easy to think I would feel slightly envious of what is available now and it would have been interesting to see how good I could have been if I had the same setup. However, I gained in other ways from having to try to figure out for myself how to get better as a player.
We had to sacrifice a lot and nothing came easily for us and there were important lessons there too. Coaches have a wider responsibility today to ensure girls benefiting from better setups don't become too entitled. They have to know that it's also about hard work, among other things.
They have different challenges though. There are a lot of things that are more difficult for them today. There is a lot more pressure from social media on the newer generation. That can affect their game, make them worry too much about making mistakes and then they've grown up constantly comparing themselves on social media and trying to get likes and follows. These are not good things to have in sport: you need to be confident in yourself and be able to play without fear of criticism or comparison.
It's weird reflecting on the platform football has given me. When I was a kid I never would have considered I would be able to advocate for women's rights, equality, the environment, for young people and speak up on so many other issues. These are the things you don't realise you will reflect on as being as important – if not more – than the titles won. That platform wouldn't exist without the titles, but even when I reflect on those, I spend more time thinking about the moments with teammates rather than lifting the trophy.
There is always pressure in major tournaments, but when women's football is developing so quickly across Europe, knowing the effect of a good tournament more widely back in Denmark adds more pressure. If we get to the knockout stage and if we do well there, that is something that brings the country together. In the past few years there has been more and more attention on us so if we do well it could be hugely positive for the development of women's football.
There is no denying our group is tough, with Sweden, Germany and Poland in it. We had a tough end to the Nations League, a 6-1 loss to Sweden, who we play in our first game in Switzerland, but I don't think that loss has taken too much of our confidence from us. It's motivation to show it was just a one-off.
Having played them so recently we don't have to spend too much time on tactics and formations, it's about being ready from the first minute, it's about all 11 players having to be on it, it's about the duels and it's about the energy. When we play against the better teams it is as much about the mentality.
There is a personal edge to the game for me. Although we have played with and against each other many times, it is very special that I face my partner, Magda Eriksson, at a Euros for the first time.
How do we interact before a big game against each other? I don't talk about our tactics and she doesn't talk about their tactics, but we know each other pretty well and so do the countries. It's hard for our families though – they get very nervous about us playing against each other because they want the best for both of us. That's the difficult part, you want the best for each other, but not in that moment.
Pernille Harder plays for Bayern Munich and has 78 goals in 162 appearances for Denmark
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