Brighton interim manager Amy Merricks has ambitions to "change the perception of females in a male-dominated sport" as she embarks on a coaching career in the Women's Super League.

Developed under the mentorship of former England manager Hope Powell, Merricks wants to be a senior head coach one day - but she also hopes to impact the sport in more significant ways.

Merricks, who says she is passionate about changing attitudes towards women's football, told BBC Sport: "I want to have a really positive influence on the game.

"I want to do that through developing female coaches. I want to play my part by opening doors for them. I want to develop players individually so we can showcase the game in a better light.

"I'm striving to be better every day so the female game can be better. The women's game is moving so quickly now so I think the more passionate - specifically about the women's game, not just football - people we can get involved in it, the better."

In November, the Football Association stated an aim for 75% of female coaches to be in manager or head coach roles.

Only five in 12 bosses in the WSL are currently women after Merricks took over following the departure of Jens Scheuer.

"The reality is, it's very challenging for female coaches to get opportunities in the game," said Merricks.

"It starts at the top and at the bottom. We have to have boards with female representation. [Brighton] have Zoe Johnson with us as a managing director. That's huge.

"Across every club, we should have more female representation. We need to continue to knock down that barrier. There's so much more work that needs to be done."

'My mum thought she'd missed my 30th birthday'

Amy Merricks has been interim manager of Brighton on three separate occasions during her career

Merricks has had a strong start to her journey towards becoming a head coach, taking over Brighton's first team on an interim basis three times in total.

Her first stint this season was between October and December, before taking over again in March following Scheuer's rapid exit.

She has already led the team to their first FA Cup semi-final, off the back of successive defeats to giants Chelsea and Manchester City.

Her first game back in charge - a 3-1 loss to Chelsea - was when Merricks learned she was the WSL's youngest current serving manager.

"My mum was calling me frantically and I picked up saying 'what's wrong?' She said she had just watched the game and they said I was 30," said Merricks.

"I was like 'no, I'm not 30!' She apparently double checked my birthday because she thought she'd missed my 30th!

"I didn't realise I was the youngest manager. I guess it's the way things have panned out. I feel really fortunate despite all the changes - and it has been difficult - to have the opportunity.

"I really enjoy it and I think we have a great bunch of players and staff. We want to turn it into a positive season, which we're moving towards, definitely."

'You have to pick your priorities'

Merricks has worked at Brighton for nine years in various roles, starting out in charge of the reserve team. Spells followed as assistant manager and interim head coach.

She now finds herself responsible for leading Brighton in a relegation scrap; they currently sit second to bottom in the WSL, just two points above Leicester, albeit with two crucial games in hand.

Used to being thrown in at the deep end, Merricks has plenty of experience of managing situations under pressure.

"You've got to be comfortable as a coach to get an opinion from everywhere else. That's my style. It's not about me - it's about the team, the players and the staff.

"You try something, it might not work and you see someone else doing something and might try that instead. It's about being adaptable, flexible and being comfortable within yourself to go 'OK, I got that wrong'.

"I would say I don't mind pressure. That's the game and the world we work in. As a coach, if you can't work through that, then you won't be able to think clearly and effectively to help the team's performance.

"You're guided by the situation you're going into. You can't change everything straight away, especially if you're only in the role for a month.

"The priority is getting it right on the pitch first and foremost. You have to pick your priorities, go after them quickly, then move on from there."