Lionesses former Chasetown student Hannah Hampton 'destined for the top'
A former headteacher of England’s Euro-winning squad member, Hannah Hampton, is not surprised the ‘incredibly hard working’ star has achieved success on the game’s biggest stage.
Hampton, who attended Erasmus Darwin Academy, in Chasetown between 2015-17, was the second-choice goalkeeper in England’s Euros-winning campaign behind number one Mary Earps.
The Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra-time in the final of the Uefa Women’s Euros last weekend – in front of a record attendance of 87,192 at Wembley.
And the current Villa shot- stopper attended the Staffordshire school while she completed her GCSEs and also spent a period at nearby Kingsmead School, in Hednesford.
Hampton is a product of both Stoke City and Birmingham City’s academies, and the 20-year-old also spent time playing for the Villarreal CF youth team while the family lived in Spain.
Phil Walklate, headteacher of Erasmus Darwin Academy, was not surprised the star has gone on to do so well in sport.
He said: “She was a fantastic student, impeccably behaved, incredibly hard-working, and very diligent.
“She was dedicated to her sport, and when she started to play football it was obvious she had a set of skills that other students didn’t really have.
“Hannah had the natural ability and the work ethic, so it is no surprise she has got to where she has.”
The keeper has two senior England caps, to go with her three caps for the under-21s. Both of Hampton’s parents taught at EDA while she studied at the school, and her older brother was also a pupil.
And according to her former headteacher, it was evident that Hampton had great hand-eye coordination during her time there, with the youngster exceeding in more than just football.
“One thing that always stood out was how good she was at rounders and badminton,” said Mr Walklate.
“She had incredible hand-eye coordination, so it is no surprise she went on to be a goalkeeper, which relies heavily on that component of fitness.
“She was good at everything, but football was her passion, and she got into the academy system during school.”
The school is passionate about women’s football, and although they have not been able to host fixtures for a couple of years due to the restrictions of the pandemic, they do have both indoor futsal teams and full outdoor 11-a-side teams. And the headteacher believes Hampton is a fantastic role model for the school – and he hopes it will inspire others to go down a similar path.
He said: “She will definitely be part of my assembly on our first day back. She is a role model.
“The message that it gives someone who walks through the same gates, eats in the same canteen and was taught by a lot of the same teachers, shows that if you have a dream and a dedication to getting there, then anything is possible.
“She is a normal girl who has done well through hard work.
“We have a few girls at the school who are on the books of various football clubs, and I think for them, it gives them hope that you can go on to amazing things if you apply yourself.”
