With just a handful of weeks to go until her team gets their SSE Women's FA Cup title defence underway, Arsenal Ladies star Lotte Wubben-Moy is chomping at the bit to get started.

For the 18-year-old, it marks the start of a season in which she hopes to establish herself among the Gunners’ elite, with first team games and England international caps already under her belt.

On March 19, Arsenal kick off their FA Cup campaign at home to Tottenham Hotspur, as they look to retain the title they won at Wembley last year, with the start of the inaugural FA WSL Spring Series kicking off the following month.

And while Wubben-Moy’s preparation for the new season hasn’t gone as smoothly as she’d have liked, with injury plaguing her pre-season, she has high hopes for the months ahead.

“We’re coming up to the Spring Series for Arsenal, and hopefully we’ll get our FA Cup campaign off to a good start,” said Wubben-Moy, who benefits from being part of the SSE Next Generation programme.

“I’m coming back from injury at the moment so I’m just working back to full fitness. I had a loose ligament, it was a bit painful but I’m on the way back.

“The FA Cup is a big step for me, I’m a young player coming into a first team set up with 30-year-olds. The first aim will be getting a starting place and then contribute to the team winning the FA Cup.

I’m 18 at the moment, I made my debut at 16 so I’ve been involved for a few years, but I’m still finding my feet.”

As part of the support she receives from the SSE Next Generation programme, Wubben-Moy stepped away from the football pitch and onto the ice earlier this month for a curling taster session in Tunbridge Wells with former England junior international Ollie Kendall.

There, she was taught the basics of the sport before getting to grips with matters on the ice, and for the defender, it proved to be quite the experience.

“It’s very new for me, I’m a footballer so it doesn’t come naturally, I ended up on the ice a couple of times,” she said.

“I’m used to the luxury of playing at Arsenal with some of the facilities we’ve got so coming here has been a bit of a reality check. Coming down a country road to a farm, it makes you grateful for what you’ve got especially in women’s football.

“I have been very limited to football and running so opening my eyes up to different sports is great.

“The support of SSE has been amazing. They’ve given me so many opportunities like trying curling and going off to Wembley. You cannot take the support for granted as it’s so amazing.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen.