Focus on keeper errors tarnishes women's game - Hampton
England number one Hannah Hampton says media attention can "tarnish the reputation" of female goalkeepers by focusing on mistakes and not their positive performances. The 25-year-old was speaking at the Women's Super League awards where she won the Golden Glove for a second successive season. Chelsea's Hampton is a two-time European champion with England and starred at Euro 2025 with her penalty shootout heroics, before being named the best female goalkeeper at September's Ballon d'Or ceremony.
"Women's goalkeepers always get scrutiny, but when we do something right there is not enough celebrating or acknowledgement of that," said Hampton. "We have to start doing it to one another, then the media will hopefully follow. There's a lot of goalkeepers out there that should get more credit than they do.
"The media have a big impact. If a goalkeeper makes a mistake, all of a sudden they are the first people to put video clips out there and tarnish the reputation of women's goalkeeping. "Why put someone down when we're trying to put women's football on the map where it deserves to be?
We have to champion each other's successes. "I think media companies can do a lot better in terms of what they put out there. " Hampton's career has been far from smooth sailing, with the ex-Birmingham City goalkeeper hitting headlines when she was dropped from the England squad in 2022 shortly after their first Euros triumph.
Reports said it was a result of her behaviour and she had to wait until March 2023 for a recall, when manager Sarina Wiegman said Hampton had "sorted out personal issues". Speaking about that time, Hampton said the stories were "hurtful" and she later revealed on the Fozcast podcast she had considered quitting football. In November, Mary Earps - her former England team-mate and predecessor as number one - released an autobiography which heavily criticised Hampton.