England goalie visits former school ahead of Euros

The women's football team at Erasmus Darwin Academy in Burntwood were left "speechless" after being visited by the footballing star.

Students and teachers at England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton's former school have been describing their pride ahead of the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.

The 24-year-old, who has become England's number one for the tournament, went to school in Burntwood, Staffordshire, after being born in Birmingham and growing up in Studley, Warwickshire.

Former PE teacher at Erasmus Darwin Academy, Emma Heighway, said it "feels like yesterday" that Hampton was a student.

Children were left "speechless" last month, after a surprise visit from the footballing star who was given a tour of the school ahead of an assembly.

The 24-year-old has become England's number one for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025

Ms Heighway said: "She was incredibly talented across a lot of sports, she could have gone international at a lot of things.

"She would play outfield against the boys, and she would run rings around every single person she came up against.

"It's amazing, obviously as an academy we feel incredibly proud of her journey, it's brilliant that we have this local hero."

"We are all backing her here in Burntwood," she added.

After her visit to the school, students said: "I didn't expect it, you wouldn't expect a professional footballer to come to this school

"It's really special and we can see what our school managed to teach her and how far she got with it."

The UEFA Women's Euro 2025 tournament starts on Wednesday, with England's first game on Saturday against France.