17 year-old defender Emma began to show an interest in football at about 9 years of age, kicking a ball about with her brother. Her primary school team competed in a schools' league, and after establishing herself in this, Emma was chosen to represent her local district team Bassetlaw.

Emma then became a member of the very first ladies team to be set up by Retford United FC. At the same time she was attending the Sheffield United Centre of Excellence in order to further develop her skills, and she began to seek a more competitive standard of football.

Her search led her to Doncaster Rovers Belles where she quickly established herself in the U16 side as a solid, energetic full back. Emma was soon playing also for the Reserves, being able to compete at both levels for the season.

Emma's ability was soon recognised at county level and a call-up to the Sheffield and Hallamshire Representative side soon followed. This higher level 'shop window' brought about recognition at International level with the England U17 squad.

"It was great", Emma recalls. "Being able to join the England squad for a match against Holland and experience everything associated with an international team build up was fantastic. It was all so professional and I was very proud to be part of it".

Emma in action against Chelsea at the Keepmoat No.2 Pitch

Turning her attention back to this season's Tesco Premier League campaign, Emma feels that the squad shows great promise for the season.

"We took the lead against a Chelsea side which has several international players in it and we were unlucky to concede an equalizer later on. I really felt that we were good enough to take all the points on the day. Although we're hoping for a good cup run this season the League is our priority. Arsenal and Everton will probably be favourites for the honours this year, and Leeds pose a threat as well as being our local rivals, but I think that we can certainly be up there challenging this season".

Emma is hoping that her international recognition will continue and would love a call up to the England U19 squad this year. Her devotion to football necessitates quite a heavy training regime and leaves very little time for pursuing other sports.

However, she knows that dedication and desire result in achievement, and with that in mind she will be giving everything in order to achieve success with the Rovers Belles this season and beyond.