Brighton & Hove Albion Girls’ Centre of Excellence players Phoebe Leitch and Zoe Cross have been called up to the England under-17 squad for a three-day training camp at St George’s Park on 23rd May.This is the second call-up in the space for three months for the girls, after both players were involved in an under-17 training camp in March.
Phoebe expressed her delighted at receiving another call-up to the national team and believes that all her hard work is starting to pay off.
She said, “I’m over the moon really because you have to perform every time you’re called up to the camp.
“If they like you then they invite you back, so I’m thankful that they’ve seen something in me and called me up again.
“The standard is extremely high because you’re competing against some of the best girls in the country. When you’re playing for the centre of excellence, you only have to play against girls in the south east, so there is a massive step up.
“But I really like it because it brings out the best in me, and that’s when I tend to play my best football."
Zoe shared her team-mate’s joy at being called up to the camp and paid tribute to under-17 and first-team head coach John Donoghue, along with Elite Women & Girls Football Manager, Tracy Doe, for aiding her development as a player.
She added, “I’m very grateful to the club, especially John and Tracy.
“They’ve both helped me massively. John has brought his experience of coaching adult football into the centre and Tracy has a great inspiration to me; making sure I stay level headed and allowing me to have a clear pathway into the England set-up.
“It was very inspirational for me to watch the England senior team play at the Amex and it’s definitely something I now want to aim for in the future.
“I am now striving to get into the first team at Brighton and just want to keep progressing as a player.”
Doe paid tribute to the youngsters for their call-ups and believes all of the hard work being put into the centre is now reaping its rewards.
“We are absolutely delighted for both Phoebe and Zoe, and this is a reward for their hard work throughout the season.
“Both players will benefit enormously from training with some of the best young talent in the country and have bright futures ahead of them.
“We aim to have a constant stream of players representing England in the near future and allow our talent in the centre to be showcased on the biggest stage.”
Original article
Phoebe expressed her delighted at receiving another call-up to the national team and believes that all her hard work is starting to pay off.
She said, “I’m over the moon really because you have to perform every time you’re called up to the camp.
“If they like you then they invite you back, so I’m thankful that they’ve seen something in me and called me up again.
“The standard is extremely high because you’re competing against some of the best girls in the country. When you’re playing for the centre of excellence, you only have to play against girls in the south east, so there is a massive step up.
“But I really like it because it brings out the best in me, and that’s when I tend to play my best football."
Zoe shared her team-mate’s joy at being called up to the camp and paid tribute to under-17 and first-team head coach John Donoghue, along with Elite Women & Girls Football Manager, Tracy Doe, for aiding her development as a player.
She added, “I’m very grateful to the club, especially John and Tracy.
“They’ve both helped me massively. John has brought his experience of coaching adult football into the centre and Tracy has a great inspiration to me; making sure I stay level headed and allowing me to have a clear pathway into the England set-up.
“It was very inspirational for me to watch the England senior team play at the Amex and it’s definitely something I now want to aim for in the future.
“I am now striving to get into the first team at Brighton and just want to keep progressing as a player.”
Doe paid tribute to the youngsters for their call-ups and believes all of the hard work being put into the centre is now reaping its rewards.
“We are absolutely delighted for both Phoebe and Zoe, and this is a reward for their hard work throughout the season.
“Both players will benefit enormously from training with some of the best young talent in the country and have bright futures ahead of them.
“We aim to have a constant stream of players representing England in the near future and allow our talent in the centre to be showcased on the biggest stage.”
Original article