England’s top keeper Hannah Hampton has opened up about the extra pressure female goalkeepers face, warning that too much focus on mistakes can damage their reputations and the women’s game overall.
The Chelsea star, fresh off winning her second straight Women’s Super League Golden Glove, spoke at the awards ceremony about how media scrutiny often highlights errors while positive performances get overlooked. At 25, Hampton is already a two-time European champion with England and shone at Euro 2025 with her penalty shootout heroics. She was also named the world’s best female goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or.
“Women’s goalkeepers always get scrutiny, but when we do something right there is not enough celebrating,” she said. Hampton believes keepers need to support each other more, and that the media has a responsibility to highlight successes rather than just clip mistakes. “Why put someone down when we’re trying to put women’s football on the map?” she asked.
Her own journey hasn’t been easy. Dropped from the England squad in 2022 after their Euros win amid reports about her behaviour, she later revealed the stories hurt deeply and she even considered quitting. She fought back, earning a recall and proving her worth. Even comments from former teammate Mary Earps in her autobiography didn’t derail her.
Hampton stressed the unique pressure keepers feel and how seeing others make “worldie” saves motivates her. She praised former Birmingham teammate Sophie Whitehouse, who won the WSL 2 Golden Glove, predicting big things for her in the upcoming play-offs.
It’s a refreshing call for balance in how we talk about women’s football – celebrating the highs as much as analysing the lows.
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