Whether it is fair or not, there is often a perception of footballers that they are a few crayons short of a full box. Whilst this is often something that is levelled at male players, it is also true to say that some female footballers have also suffered from the accusation. Whilst Hannah Hampton has many other things on her mind, not the least of which is focussing on being the Chelsea Women’s Team’s first-choice goalkeeper, she might quietly like to know that she is single-handedly destroying such a perception thanks to her skills and abilities away from the football pitch.
Who is Hannah Hampton?
Born Hannah Alice Hampton on the 16th of November 2000, Hannah Hampton wasn’t exactly part of a family with a great sporting background. Instead, both of her parents, Chris and Laura worked as teachers. She was born in Birmingham before growing up in the Warwickshire village of Studley, then as a five-year-old moving with her family to Spain. Whilst she was there she studied at the British School of Villarreal where her parents worked, playing football as a striker and making something of a name for herself.
Moving Back to England
Hampton’s football career began at Villarreal, but when the family moved back to England from Spain when she was ten, she ended up joining the Stoke City Centre of Excellence. It was whilst she was playing for Stoke that she made the transition from playing as a forward to playing in goal; a move that would have a profound impact on her long-term career. Stoke City were key to Hampton’s development, which was why a plaque was installed in her honour there in 2022 after England Women won the European Championship that year.
In 2016, Hampton’s real career began thanks to a move to Birmingham City’s Centre of Excellence, which was headed by the Academy Director Marc Skinner. Skinner later became the Birmingham City first-team manager, making the decision to call Hampton up for her senior debut when the Blues played Doncaster Belles in the League Cup. A string of first-team appearances followed, which led to her signing her first professional contract on the fifth of December 2018. When Ann-Katrin Berger left the club that year, Hampton’s first-team game time increased as a result, starting 12 of 20 WSL matches.
Moving to Aston Villa
During the 2018-2019 campaign, the Blues conceded the third-joint lowest number of goals, resulted in Hampton being named the Young Player of the Season at the club’s end of season awards. On the fifth of September she signed a new contract, which would keep her at the club until the June of 2021. Over the following two seasons she played 34 of the 35 Women’s Super League games that Birmingham City took part in, keeping six clean sheets and boasting a 66.5% save percentage. It was enough to catch the eye of other clubs, including another on in the same city.
On the third of July 2021, Hampton left Birmingham City for Aston Villa on a free contract, signing a two-year deal with her former club’s fierce rivals. Over the following two years, Hampton played 35 league games for the Villains, whilst also continuing her progress with the England youth setup. Having played for the Under-17s and then the Under-19s, she played for the Under-21s before earning her senior call-up in 2022. It was a reward for Hampton’s strong showing for Villa, with a move to one of the country’s biggest clubs to follow.
Signing for Chelsea
On the fourth of July 2023, Chelsea announced that they had signed Hampton from Aston Villa following the conclusion of her contract at the Birmingham-based club. Although she had to receive a fee from one club to another for her services, her ability in goal had impressed throughout the women’s footballing world. She signed a three-year contract to join Chelsea, making her debut against Bristol City on the 17th of December 2023. She made a number of saves for the club, helping them to a 3-0 win on the road.
It was enough to ensure that Emma Hayes, the Chelsea manager at the time, felt that she could trust her to take over the jersey from Zecira Musovic in the 2023-2024 campaign. At around the same time, Sarina Wiegman was forced to turn to her as England’s number one when Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper, Mary Earps, picked up and injury in a match for the Lionesses against France. She earned her spot thanks to the fact that she kept more clean sheets than anyone else after she made her debut for Chelsea.
always an honour to wear this badge🏴 pic.twitter.com/IXc4Wu1pFX
— Hannah Hampton (@hannahhampton_) February 23, 2024
In some ways, it is a miracle that Hampton has been able to make it as a professional footballer at all. When she was born, she had a condition called strabismus which has an impact on the suffer’s ability to work out depth perception. By the time she turned three, she had undergone several operations to fix the condition at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, for which she is now an ambassador. Not only can she sense depth enough to make incredible saves, she can also speak to some of her teammates thanks to the fact that she’s fluent in Spanish, whilst also learning sign language.