She has the trophy in sight! Meet the Lionesses’ visually impaired goalkeeper who dreams of the glory of the Euro
- Hannah was born with a condition where her eyes point in different directions
- She was diagnosed with a facial condition that made it difficult for her to pour a drink
- Miss Hampton was called up to the England senior squad, 19
- She is now a backup goalkeeper for the team that participates in the European Championship Women
To become a goalkeeper you need excellent vision and lightning fast reflexes to keep a clean sheet.
So when Hannah Hampton was diagnosed with a facial condition that made it difficult for her to pour a drink, her dream of working out was thought to be over.
But the 21-year-old, born with strabismus, a condition where the eyes point in different directions, has defied all odds to play professional football and is now competing with England at the European Women’s Championship this summer.
She had a squint which made her very squint, and she had three surgeries on… Birmingham Children’s hospital at the age of three.
When Hannah Hampton was diagnosed with a facial condition that made it difficult for her to pour a drink, her dream of working out was thought to be over
None of them worked, however, and at age 12 she was diagnosed with depth perception problems, meaning she has a hard time judging how far objects are.
Doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to exercise, but she says this made her even more determined.
“Often the ball hit me in the face,” she told me the i† “I’ve had a lot of nosebleeds. Lots of broken fingers.’
But despite the challenges, Miss Hampton was called up to the England senior squad in March 2020 at the age of 19, and is now the backup goalkeeper for the squad that competes in the Women’s European Championships domestically.
Their next game is against Norway tonight at the Amex stadium in Brighton.
Doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to exercise, but she says it made her even more determined