Danielle Czechs out life as England international

8:58am Thursday 8th May 2008

JUNIOR FOOTBALL

PLAYING football has been the one big passion in Danielle Carter's life with her spending much of her playtime kicking a ball about with boys.

And now that obsession has brought her the ultimate reward. She is an England player.

Danielle burst on to the international girls soccer scene at the end of March, as a 14 year old.

She was selected as the youngest squad member in the England U17s side at the UEFA European Tournament in the Czech Republic.

The girl from Leytonstone, who is a product of the Leyton Orient Girls Centre of Excellence, didn't just get an England call-up.

She marked her debut with three goals which helped to put the national side side into the semi-finals of the competition and see England through to the first-ever U17s Girls World Cup, to be played in New Zealand.

For Danielle it all seems a long way from Low Hall Farm playing fields at Walthamstow, where as a nine-year-old she unofficially gatecrashed the Leyton Orient Academy Soccer School training sessions (LOASS) and had a kickabout with the boys.

She was good and she was persistent and was referred to Orient's Girls Centre of Football Excellence, which was set up seven years ago by Lois Fidler, England's current girls U17s chief coach.

Kicking around with the boys was replaced with twice a week coaching sessions and competitive league matches as a member of Orient's U12s girls team.

Under the guidance of Orient girls coach Michael Morris, and now coach Tracey Kevins, the Orient Girls School of Excellence and England girls U19s coach, her skills blossomed.

Before the recent UEFA European tournament she was selected to attend an England training camp at Bisham Abbey and was delighted to be told afterwards that she was included in the 19-strong squad.

Following her matches against the Czechs, Belgium and Holland, Danielle now waits with eager anticipation for news that she has retained her place in the U17s squad for UEFA European Cup semi-final against France, to be played in Switzerland and after that, hopefully, the final of the competition.

Danielle's biggest fan is her proud mum Valerie who travelled out to the Czech Republic to support her daughter in her England debut games.

"It seems quite amazing. All this has happened for Danielle because as a youngster all she wanted to do was to play with the boys kicking a football," said Mrs Carter.

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