One very talented student from King’s Oak Academy in Kingswood spent the day at the Future Lionesses Goalkeeper Training Day.
Year 8 student Ruby Tucker was excited to attend St George’s Park Training Ground in Staffordshire to train alongside the England team goalkeepers.
Ahead of the next fixtures in their UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign, the England women’s senior team hosted the country’s next generation of female goalkeepers. More than 100 girls from all over the country were invited to participate.
As well as watching the squad train, the girls were given a taste of what it’s like to be a Lioness as they took part in their own training sessions on the same pitches used by the England teams.
The aspiring goalkeepers also had the chance to speak with their idols, as they were joined by the four senior Lioness goalkeepers – Mary Earps, Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating and Ellie Roebuck – for a meet and greet and Q&A session.
The girls were invited to St George’s Park all attend Future Lioness Goalkeeping Centres, which were established by The FA to improve the goalkeeping talent pathway and to ensure the next generation of number ones have everything they need to feel supported on their journey in the game.
Ruby said, “I really enjoyed the event as I got to watch the Lionesses train at St Georges. It was an amazing experience to watch Mary Earps and Ellie train and the other keepers. It was great to train with their coaches too and I learnt so much.
“I also got to see St Georges facilities and had a Q&A session with the Lionesses. We all also got the new England kit too. It was a great day!”
Katherine Ogden, Principal of King’s Oak Academy, commented, “We are delighted to be able to support Ruby as she develops her exceptional football skills at a national level. Ruby is a brilliant student and member of the King’s Oak Academy community, and we are really looking forward to seeing how Ruby continues to progress and display her sporting talents over the coming years.”