Lucy has grasped the opportunity at West Ham with both hands, even though her debut season in the Women's Super League has been a long time in the making.
The defender, who was 17 when he flew to the United States, stayed there for four years after being snapped up by the college system.
She is an easy going person but her commitment to sport began at a very early age, when she juggled athletics with her footballing ambitions, making two-hour round trips to London four times a week to play for the academy.
She is loving every minute of her time in London as she tries to break into the senior set-up, having played for England's youth teams.
Football was always the number one, but she grew up with a family who were all runners and she competed at national level in middle-distance events.
When he was a teenager, he would drive across the country to compete in races after playing for the academy.
It was difficult with football. The big races were on weekends.
I enjoyed it more now than I did in the moment. I used to be very nervous. I miss racing and the thrill of it being all on you.
Despite her love for athletics,Parker said running was always something she did on the side, because she fell in love with football from an early age.
She was the only girl at the training camp.
I was shy at the time and didn't speak to anyone. When we got there, my mother said we could go home, but I wanted to go.
I loved it from the beginning. I won the most improved trophy at the end of the week and I wanted to join a club.
Her coach sent her for trials after she played grassroots football.
She almost missed her window when her car broke down on the way to the trial, but despite only making the last five minutes, she impressed and spent almost a decade in the academy.
It was important for my development. It required a lot of commitment because I traveled from Cambridge to London three or four times a week.
I had a girl in the area who I played grassroots football with who was also in the team so we could split rides. I don't know if it would have been possible without that.
At the age of 17 he moved to the University of California and majored in psychology.
She had no intention of moving to America. Her sister washassled every day to convince her to join the track team because the coach had seen her play.
I never wanted to go to America but I thought I would just visit and take a look. When I got there, I was amazed. " Everything blew me away and I knew I could get better there."
I grew up so much as a human being. I had to look after myself. I learned a lot of different things. The system is hard and I had to be disciplined. You had to be good at time management.
In the week leading up to the draft, she had no idea where she would be playing football.
People don't really understand the draft system. I had to explain it to many people. The experience was really cool.
The week leading into the draft was filled with many back and forths with different clubs, trying to see if there was interest. The night was long. I was just waiting for my name to be called.
It was one of the most difficult weeks of the year because you didn't know what was going to happen.
After leaving Kansas City, he joined West Ham. The Women's Super League side have consolidated their place in the league after reaching an FA Cup semi-final.
I have loved every minute of West Ham. There is a good group of people. We want to do well, work hard and have fun, so every day is enjoyable. It makes things simpler when there is no drama and everyone loves each other.
Last year they were fighting for their lives and now we are fighting for fifth and sixth place. It has been a huge success this season.
Manchester United is fighting for a place in the playoffs. She wants to represent her country at senior level, but she also wants to compete in that competition.
The goal is to play for the national team for as long as I can.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
