Norfolk footballing superstar Lauren Hemp says she has a lot to thank Norwich City for as she prepares to make her return to Carrow Road.
Hemp will wear the England colours for the first time on ‘home ground’ when the Lionesses play Spain on Sunday.
The 21-year-old from North Walsham, cut her teeth playing for Norwich City before joining Bristol City as a 16-year-old, going on to play for Manchester City and win the FA Women’s Cup with them in 2020.
Although Hemp has more than 50 England caps, she has never represented her country at Carrow Road.
“Norfolk has a very special place in my heart,” she said. “It’s where I grew up. I started playing football and I fell in love with the game there, so I’ve got a lot to thank Norwich City for.
“I think, to be honest, one of the whole stands is just going to be filled with my family. Obviously, Norfolk's quite far away so they don’t get to come to many games but having this one so close, they’ve not really got much of an excuse.”
The game is part of the Arnold Clark Cup four-team tournament being held at three different stadiums across the country: The Riverside, Carrow Road and Molineux.
England face Canada in their opening match at Middlesbrough tonight before taking on Spain on Sunday (3.15pm kick-off) and Germany at Wolverhampton next Wednesday.
All four teams are in the world’s top 10 and will be good tests for England, who host the European Championships this summer.
“I think it’s really important that we test ourselves against top opposition,” added Hemp, who recently scored four goals in a 20-0 World Cup qualifying win against Latvia.
“If we want to give ourselves the best possible chance of winning the Euros in the summer, then we need to be playing teams likes this and be competing against them on a regular basis.
“It will be great to see where we’re at and what we need to work on. I’m itching to get going.
Bumper crowd expected at Carrow Road
“I think for people who are thinking about travelling to the tournament, it’s a great show for women’s football,” she said. “We’re playing against three fantastic opponents so there are going to amazing games on show and unbelievable players there. For us, it gives us a massive boost seeing the fans and seeing them support us. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and we hope as many people will be there as possible to support the Lionesses and give us that boost going into the Euros in the summer.”
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