Footballers husbands

"If I was a typical man, who wants his wife at home and his dinner on the table every night then Katie would not be able to play football. But I have never been like that. I really enjoy cooking and have no problem doing the household chores. I would be the same even if Katie didn't play football.

"Being a footballer's husband or partner is not as glamorous as being the wife of a leading male professional footballer. We don't have the sort of money that footballer's wives have, we don't have the fancy jewellery, designer clothes and lavish holidays. There's not as much money in women's football but even if there was I can't really imagine footballers husbands spending all day shopping and getting their nails done!

"I get a fair bit of mickey taking at work and a lot of sarcastic comments such as "it's the wife that wears the trousers." I work as a builder and it's an environment where people make fun of you.

"One old guy who works with me, who always has his dinner ready when he gets home, is always joking about how I have to cook my own dinner when I get home.

"There's no bitchiness among the men as there is supposed to be among footballers wives. The men are all good mates, we sit together to watch games and some of us even socialise together."

Espen Andreassen, accountant. Married to Solveig Gulbrandsen (one of Norway's top women footballers) "We got married last year and it was not a big, extravagant football wedding. It was actually a very small affair but the Prime Minister of Norway came - not even Posh and Becks had the PM of Britain at their wedding!

"The Prime Minister of Norway is a big fan of the club where Solveig plays and regularly attends their matches. He is also a good friend of mine.

"There's not that much money in the women's game. We both have to work and it's not that glamorous. I work as an accountant and am also involved with Solveig's club. It's not like footballers' wives at all.

"After matches we try not to talk about football. We don't want to have a lot of football in the house. We don't sit there analysing matches and try and talk about other things and lead a normal life. We want to have a life outside football.

"We share all the household duties. You have to be quite open minded to be the husband of a woman footballer but I would share the household duties regardless of whether Solveig played or not.

"She is quite well known in Norway and often gets asked for her autograph. Sometimes I wish I could play football and be supported by her but I am now aged 35. I have played in the past and my career is over.

"There is no such thing as the typical footballers husband. The wives of some men footballers are rich and lead lives that are completely different to the lives of us men.

"You can't compare us to a footballer's wife. I wouldn't like to live like them anyway - but I wouldn't mind their money."

Jani Guomala, footballer. Married to Anna Kaisa Ranganen (Finland) "Finland is not like England and we don't have the typical footballer's wife, who has a lot of money and spends all her time shopping.

"Many people think that we are lucky because we both love the game of football. Many men have wives who don't understand football and don't like it. We don't have that problem because we both play football full time.

"I play for a team in Finland and Anna for a team in Sweden. We meet about once a month, depending on our football commitments and get to spend about two or three days together.

"We spend a lot of time talking about the sport because we both love the game. Football dominates our lives. We even met through football three years ago when some friends introduced us at a match of the Finish men's team.

"The partners of women footballers here are quite ordinary people. There's not a male equivalent of Victoria Beckham. They are not rich like the wives of some footballers.

"It's very common for women footballers to meet their partners through football. But women's football is not that well paid and we are hoping that this will change.

"If it was better paid then maybe our lives would be a bit more glamorous, a bit more like the lives of the women who are married to the really famous footballers. I can't see that happening for a long time though."