It's easy to forget the big picture when title success is so close you can smell it.

Norwich City Women remain well in the race for promotion from the Women's National League Division One South East, with two games in hand on table-toppers Wimbledon and a first-versus-second clash just over a week away.

Looming larger on the horizon is a Carrow Road meeting with Queens Park Rangers, the side occupying fourth place presently and a significant hurdle in the Canaries' bid to extend their unbeaten league campaign.

All of that adds up to a nail-biting climax to an impressive season for Scott Emmerson's charges, but this weekend also represents a significant step in the progression of women's and girls' football in Norfolk. It's just the fourth time they've taken to the club's main base, with more than 5,000 tickets already sold.

That's a feat goalkeeper Sarah Quantrill could scarcely have imagined when her senior career began in the late 2000s, with amateur opportunities hard to find and professional ones largely non-existent.

She's thrilled by the progress seen in the twilight of her career, tracing it back to the impact of the London Olympics 12 years ago.

"When we were growing up, you'd struggle to be able to find a girls' team," she said. "But now every club has a girls' team, it's mad. I think the 2012 Olympics and the women's success in that has properly kicked women's football on.

"It's great to see Arsenal selling out The Emirates, and if we can get a good crowd at Carrow Road as well that'd be good.

The Pink Un: Goalkeeper Sarah Quantrill can't believe how far the women's game has comeGoalkeeper Sarah Quantrill can't believe how far the women's game has come (Image: Richard Brown)

"All of my football idols were males. Mine growing up were Iker Casillas and David Beckham. There wasn't really anyone to look up to when I was growing up, woman-wise.

"You had the big players, but you didn't really know of them. But now every team's got one, a female footballer or a female athlete that you can look up to."

The benefit that advancement has given City's players is huge, with the team going from a loosely associated external relative of the men's game to a fully integrated part of the club, training bi-weekly at Colney and reporting to sporting director Ben Knapper.

The personal ambitions of the Norwich squad have been realised greatly in that time period, as star winger and long-term team member Megan Todd attested.

"It's just to even be able to experience this, and play kind of like a professional a little bit," she said. "When I was younger I never dreamed of playing at stadiums like Carrow Road or being able to experience the crowds we do. I'm loving every minute of it for as long as I can!

"It's really sweet when you're coaching at The Nest on a Monday night and some of the girls recognise you and their faces light up. It is really nice that they have role models.

"Alice (Parker, Todd's team-mate and star of the side's first Carrow Road win) coaches the under-10s and they're so excited, when players walk through The Nest as well. That's just really special, and to have that impact and influence on girls growing up is amazing."

Increasing interest in the women's game is what fuels its rising profile, and City are hoping to attract the largest audience possible for the Hoops' visit. Quantrill's message to fans was to give it a go, and she'll hope a vital win for their promotion hopes will also keep some new supporters on side.

"Tickets are only a fiver," she continued. "You can't get into stadium for anything cheaper than that, so come and give us a go."

"It's a great day and a great occasion to celebrate girls' and women's football, but also to inspire young girls," added Todd. "The noise and the atmosphere are just incredible.

"We're going through a journey, and maybe one day we'll sell out Carrow Road."