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Hampton slams media scrutiny of female goalkeepers
England and Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has accused media outlets of damaging the reputation of women's goalkeepers by disproportionately highlighting mistakes rather than celebrating their achievements.
Euro 2025 hero speaks out at WSL awards
The 25-year-old, who won the Women's Super League (WSL) Golden Glove for the second consecutive season, addressed the issue during her acceptance speech. Hampton, a two-time European champion with England, gained widespread recognition for her penalty shootout heroics at Euro 2025 and was later named the world's best female goalkeeper at the 2025 Ballon d'Or ceremony.
"Women's goalkeepers always face scrutiny, but when we perform well, there's rarely enough recognition. We need to start celebrating each other's successes-hopefully, the media will follow. Many goalkeepers deserve far more credit than they receive."
Hannah Hampton
Media's role in shaping perceptions
Hampton criticized the tendency of media organizations to amplify errors while overlooking strong performances. She questioned the practice of circulating video clips of mistakes, arguing it undermines efforts to elevate women's football.
"The media has a significant influence. Why focus on bringing someone down when we're working to grow women's football? We should be championing each other's successes. Media companies can do much better in what they highlight."
Hannah Hampton
Career challenges and resilience
Hampton's journey to the top has not been without obstacles. After England's Euro 2022 triumph, she was dropped from the squad amid reports of behavioral issues. She later revealed on the Fozcast podcast that she had considered quitting football during that period, describing the media coverage as "hurtful."
Her return to the national team in March 2023 came after manager Sarina Wiegman stated Hampton had "sorted out personal issues." However, former England teammate Mary Earps later criticized Hampton in her autobiography, claiming she had told Wiegman that recalling Hampton rewarded "bad behavior." Earps also described Hampton as "disruptive and unreliable" during her earlier tenure.
Goalkeepers unite to support each other
Despite the challenges, Hampton, who recorded eight clean sheets in 19 WSL appearances this season, emphasized the importance of solidarity among goalkeepers. She described the unique pressures of the position and the motivation she draws from seeing peers excel.
"Goalkeepers face pressures that only we truly understand. When I see others making incredible saves, it pushes me to improve. The women's game, especially goalkeepers, is reaching the high standards we set for ourselves. We're a team-a union. If we can't rely on each other, we can't rely on anyone."
Hannah Hampton
Praise for former teammate Sophie Whitehouse
Hampton also highlighted the achievements of Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse, her former teammate at Birmingham City, who won the WSL 2 Golden Glove. Hampton believes Whitehouse, who will play a key role in Charlton's promotion play-off against Leicester City on Saturday (12:30 BST), deserves greater recognition.
"Her growth hasn't been talked about enough. She consistently pushed herself to meet high standards at Birmingham. I'm sure she'll make more world-class saves to help Charlton reach the WSL, and we'll be competing against each other next season."
Hannah Hampton
