Former England captain Steph Houghton says she was proud to watch the next generation of Lionesses retain their Women’s Euros crown this summer.
And she underlined what a unique honour it is to represent one’s country at all.
“I’m just so proud,” Houghton said to the LTA. “To be a Lioness is a very, very special achievement, not many people get to do it, but to go and win trophies and watching some of my best mates becoming European champions is very, very special.
“I’m very proud to be there and witness them do it. Hopefully, there’s more to come!”
Houghton was captain of the England side that finished third in the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Steph Houghton’s charity work for the Darby Rimmer Foundation
Houghton was speaking at the Pro Am Padel Tour in Manchester, where she captained a team – comprising Bethany Shriever, Olympic BMX gold medallist, Spencer Owen, the founder of Hashtag United, rugby players Anthony Watson and Jason Robinson, and football journalist David Ornstein – that faced off against a fellow former Manchester City player, Joleon Lescott, alongside presenters Alex Aljoe, James Stewart and Jeff Brazier, plus rugby player Freddie Steward and footballer Phil Jones.
It was all for a good cause, though; Houghton’s team were raising money for the Darby Rimmer Foundation, a charity founded by her husband Stephen Darby after his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease.
And Houghton was also following in the footsteps of two other England legends: Jill Scott and Izzy Christiansen, who have both played in previous Pro Am Padel Tour events.
She revealed that the first time she picked up a paddle was actually at Manchester City.
“They had a padel court installed at the training ground and as recovery we decided to play,” she said. “Ever since then I’ve had a little bit of a bug for it, but I’ve not had that much time to play.”
And it’s a sport that she says works well for retired professional athletes as well as the average person in the street.
“Physical outcomes, it’s not that demanding on your body, it’s something different and you can play it with your mates, both in football and out of football, and you can have a decent game with anybody,” she added.
Looking ahead to the kick-off of the Women’s Super League season, Houghton confirmed that she would be on screen as a pundit in the months to come as well as continuing her ambassador work for City, where she spent the last decade of her playing career, winning the league title, a trio of FA Women’s Cups and a quartet of League Cups.
Manchester City open their WSL campaign against Chelsea on Friday, 5th September.
