Hannah Hampton, professional female goalkeeper for England Lionesses and Chelsea FC Women, was told by doctors that she should avoid all sports because of the issues that she has with her vision. However, Hampton challenged these barriers and is now performing as one of the best female goalkeepers in the WSL.
Hampton started her early life growing up in Spain, after being born in Birmingham and emigrating to the country at the age of five. She began her football career as a striker scouted by Villarreal FC and in 2010, she made her move back to England to join Stoke City’s Centre of Excellence; at this time making her transition from playing upfront to becoming a goalkeeper at the age of 12. She made her move to Birmingham City at the age of 15, staying there until she signed for Aston Villa.
Hannah Hampton was born with strabismus, an eye condition that affects depth perception. By the age of three years old, Hampton had already undergone three operations in order to fix this, these took place at Birmingham Children’s hospital. In 2022, she joined them as an ambassador with the aim to show young children that
“No matter your condition, your goals are never out of reach.”
In her ambassador introduction video, she explains that looking back she was very lucky to have had the hospital as she has
“been able to go and fulfil [her] dream.”
She goes on to express that:
“when [she] was younger, [she] didn’t really have someone [she] looked up to, or [she] didn’t really know anyone that overcame that barrier.”
However, she is now an inspiration, demonstrating to a whole generation of young girls and boys that despite having a condition, your dreams are never unreachable. Hampton needs to be recognised for her powerful dedication to advocate not only for the things that she believes in, but the things that are not promoted to the necessary standards, especially within the football industry. With her personal experiences, she has now gone on to dedicate her time away from the pitch to fundraise in order to help kids in hospital to have a place that
“feels like home, even though it isn’t home.”
As well as English, she is fluent in Spanish and also learnt sign language in order to communicate with her cousin, Ethan, who is deaf. When speaking in a podcast with Chelsea, she said that there have been situations where she has helped those who struggle with their hearing or speech to communicate and by doing this
“you can see the smile it brings to their face. And seeing the smile on their face makes me happy so if I can help anyone in any way, then I’ll try and do as much as I can.”
Currently, Hannah Hampton plays for Chelsea FC Women, moving from Aston Villa in 2023. Within her senior career, she has previously played for Birmingham City, where she made 50 appearances. She was recruited for Birmingham City women’s team by the Centre of Excellence director at the time, Mark Skinner, who went on to become the first team manager. He had called Hampton up for her senior debut in November 2017 against Doncaster Belles. She then went on to sign her first professional contract with the club in December 2018, as a result of multiple first team appearances. Hampton went on to sign another contract in September 2019, with a further extension that ended in June 2021. Within this time, she played 34 out of 35 WSL games, providing 6 clean sheets and a save percentage of 66.5%. However, she joined Villa at the end of her contract.
After playing for Aston Villa for two years, on the 4th July 2023, Chelsea announced Hampton’s signing, with a 3 year contract. She made her debut for the blues in December 2023, impressively keeping a 3-0 clean sheet against Bristol, where she was highly praised for the saves she made within the game. Hannah Hampton went on to become the first choice keeper for the 2023/24 season, helping them win the Women’s Super League trophy.
Internationally, Hampton progressed through the youth levels of England, eventually being called-up for the senior squad in 2020 as a training player. She was awarded her first full call-up in 2021, and then was included within the Lionesses team that won the Women’s Euros 2022. In November of that year, she was granted her England legacy number, 222.
Recently, Hannah Hampton has featured within the starting lineups for the Lionesses. Specifically, the qualifying matches for the 2025 Women’s Euros. She kept a 2-0 clean sheet against the Republic of Ireland and went on to replace Mary Earps in the match against France due to Earps sustaining a minor hip injury. She made a crucial save in the 89th minute which secured a 2-1 win to take the 3 points.
Hampton has been honoured with 3 accolades – Birmingham City Young Player of the Season 2018/19, Birmingham City Player of the season 2020/21 and Freedom of the City of London 2022.
Discussing her journey with England football, she states that:
“the most influential person in [her] career has been [her] brother and the coaching wise Andrew Frost, as he saw the potential in me as a goalkeeper.”
She explains that her brother Ben, ‘had a big impact on [her]‘, as he inspired her to make her family proud because of the commitment that he put into playing hockey.
She describes singing the national anthem as ‘something I will never forget‘, expressing that
“It is something you dreamed of as a little girl and to say that I have fulfilled that dream and I am a Lioness is so special.”
Hannah Hampton has shown true ambition throughout her football career, guiding individuals who have disabilities to witness that conditions don’t have to stop you from achieving your dreams. Hampton provides an inspiring story that helps young people to see someone achieve their biggest dreams, fighting against the barriers that could have prevented her whole career.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper has ‘had to prove people wrong [her] whole career‘, and it is no surprise that she will continue to do just that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Hampton
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KeMXyElKn34?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
https://www.bch.org.uk/news/new-charity-ambassador-hannah-hampton
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/pgMoozcm1Yo?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0
