Chelsea captain Millie Bright has moved to remind supporters that players "are not items" and "nobody owns us" after a series of incidents in which players have been subjected to unwanted behaviour from fans.
Bright released a statement on Feb. 5 after she was criticised for her performance following the west London club's 1-0 win over Aston Villa, urging fans to remember that players "are not robots." Bright said she was subjected to expletive insults as she approached supporters at Kingsmeadow with the aim of signing programmes and taking photos.
Speaking on Wednesday, Bright admitted that in the moment, she did not react but after sleeping on it, the incident still bothered her and she chose to release the statement to remind fans that players are still humans. She admitted the interaction was a "really disappointing thing to come across" and wants to remind fans to be respectful of player's time.
"Football is opinionated and everyone can have one," she told reporters while with England in the Algarve, Portugal ahead of the Lionesses opening Nations League game on Friday.
"I wasn't actually bothered about the opinion of my performance, it was more the fact that I had gone to the fans to give my time, give signatures and inspire the next generation and say hi to the little ones. To give that time and to try and have a genuine conversation and to then be distrespected afterwards immediately, I just thought: 'I'm here off my own back.'
"I slept on it and it was on my mind all night. I thought 'I'm so glad it was me and not one of my team mates, a youngster, or someone going through something that nobody knew about. It's comments like that, that can really affect you."
England's vice-captain revealed she was aware of similar situations that had happened to her teammates where they did not feel "strong enough" to speak out at the time.
"Ultimately, I wanted to protect my team and let them know that if they need to speak out, they have a right to," she continued.
"You don't deserve to be disrespected, especially not when you have given your time and efforts after a game. I think sometimes it's a two-way street. I think it's important and I feel it's something that's creeping into the women's game; it's a gentle reminder."
Her comments follow misogynistic and racist abuse received by Manchester City forward Khadija "Bunny" Shaw, with the Women's Professional Leagues Limited (WPPL) -- the governing body who oversee the Women's Super League -- releasing a statement condemning the abuse the pair faced.
Bright's latest comments come the day after British tennis star Emma Raducanu's distressing reaction to seeing a fan in the crowd who exhibited "fixated behaviour" during the Dubai Tennis Championships.
While the defender has not encountered stalking in her profession, she admitted the incident in Dubai is a reminder that players are people too, not belongings.
"I've not thought about anything like that [stalking] to be honest. The fans are incredible and I usually have good responses. There is a core group of fans; I had fans from Aston Villa thanking me for my time. I think it's a minority, but I've not come across that [obsessive behaviour]," she continued.
"If there is a message to be sent, it is that we are human. We are somebody's partner and somebody's daughter. We are not items; nobody owns us. We own ourselves and that needs to be reminded and told."