‘She’s brilliant’: Mary Earps inspires girls to pick up goalkeeper gloves

Players and coaches including at England keeper's former club in West Bridgford praise her impact on women's football

During a football match at her primary school's after-school club, a six-year-old Laura Setchfield decided she wanted to go in goal. I don't really know why, I just thought it looked fun to throw myself around," she says. After a match of diving for the ball and cheers from her teammates when she saved it, Laura was hooked. The instant I started playing I was like, yeah, this is definitely for me. I really, really enjoyed it and basically never looked back."

Laura, now 17, is a goalkeeper in the women's first team at West Bridgford Colts, the same club England's keeper, Mary Earps, played for early in her footballing career. It's such a privilege to play for a team with that legacy," Laura says. To have had the world's best goalkeeper having played for your club is quite an achievement."