Female football in Essex received a major boost when England Manager Lois Fidler included the county’s U-16s’ Captain, Evie Clarke, in her squad to compete in the UEFA European Women’s U-17 Championship finals.
Evie, who has progressed through grassroots football to reach the highest level in various England age groups, will be involved when the Young Lions compete against Italy, Austria and Portugal in the group stage on home soil, starting tomorrow.
Her inclusion has prompted Essex County FA Development Officer, Emma Burden, to issue glowing praise. She said: “I’d like her know we’re all very proud of what she has accomplished. I’ll be following the competition closely. She’s a fantastic example that working hard at your game and not giving up can get you results as a player. Fingers crossed we’ll be able to watch some of the highlights. I hope she enjoys every minute!”
“As a player she is totally individual, and she plays ‘off the cuff’. Evie is very technical, has a great first touch, is fast, powerful, two-footed and she expects the best – firstly from herself and everyone else around her. She’s unpredictable, and always steps up in the big games. She’s also a great, great girl. Evie is a prankster who makes everyone laugh! She always gets the team going with some good banter! Every changing room needs an Evie – she’s very, very funny!”
Having already collected a handful of caps, Evie recently competed at a tournament in Madrid where she played against teams from Spain, Turkey and France. In club football, last season she played for Colchester United and their seasonal successes included reaching the Quarter-Finals of the National Cup. Of late she has been selected to play for Arsenal U-17s, where she is now part of their Centre of Excellence.
In May 2012, when lining-up for Colchester, she first gained international recognition at U-15 level. Evie had just helped guide her county to victory in the English Schools FA U-14 Inter-County Trophy final against Lancashire in May as Vice-Captain shortly before lining-up for the English Schools in Dublin.
Evie has just been awarded the ‘Young Sports Personality of the Year’ award for the Borough of Brentwood. She is captain and leading scorer of her school team, and her efforts have contributed towards league success. This year she led her peers to the school’s first ever National Futsal Finals in Birmingham.
Emma has observed Evie’s progress since she was a seven-year-old, and recalled: “Evie first came along to an Under 12s girls session I was delivering for Hutton Girls at Wash Road. She scored a first-time volley and all the older girls were shocked – “who is that girl?” Her mum was very keen for her to push on with her football. She was involved in an Under 9s team I set-up with Chris Singh who played in the Chelmsford Boys League as an all-girls team.”
Emma added: “Any inclusion within an England team is a massive positive for everyone involved in female football at every level in Essex. Evie has been 100% committed to the cause by getting into the full England squad despite various knockbacks at the younger age groups. She continued to work hard at her game to make sure she was selected.”
Evie’s father, Elliot, was incredibly proud of his daughter: “Evie’s always had natural ability, and she spent a lot of time in the garden having a kickabout with her older brother and her twin brother. She’s had a lot of triumphs already and her highlights have been the two cup wins with Essex at Carrow Road and the Ricoh Arena, going to Madrid with England and winning various pre-season tournaments against some top teams.”
“The girls’ team she played amongst in the boys’ league held their own as well. It’s not all been success, though, and she had some tough times not getting into the England U-15s side when we felt she was playing really well. Hard work and skill have got her where she is today. She’s good at not showing too many emotions but you could see how excited she was when we dropped her off with her England team mates earlier!”
Photo: The FA via Getty Images
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